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KINDS OF NOUNS
1. Proper Nouns
Proper nouns are nouns that represent a unique entity (like a specific person or a specific
place). Proper nouns as a general rule are capitalized in the English language
2. Common Nouns
A common noun is a word that names people, places, things, or ideas. They are not the
names of a single person, place or thing.
A common noun begins with a lowercase letter unless it is at the beginning of a sentence.
For example:-
People:-
Animals:-
Things:-
Places:-
Ideas:-
Sometimes the same word can function as both a common noun and a proper noun,
where one such entity is special. For example the common noun god refers to all deities,
while the proper noun God specifically refers to the monotheistic God.
3. Countable / Uncountable Nouns
A noun can be countable or uncountable. Countable nouns can be "counted", they have a
singular and plural form .
For example:
Uncountable nouns (also called mass nouns or noncount nouns) cannot be counted, they
are not seperate objects. This means you cannot make them plural by adding -s, because
they only have a singular form. It also means that they do not take a/an or a number in
front of them.
For example:
Water
Work
Information
Coffee
Sand
Countable Uncountable
(use a/an or a number in front of (there is no a/an or number with
countable nouns) uncountable nouns)
An Apple / 1 Apple Rice
I eat rice every day. (not I eat a rice
I eat an apple every day.
every day.)
Add (s) to make a countable noun There is no plural form for an
plural uncountable noun
apples rice
I eat an apple every day. Apples I eat rice every day. Rice is good for
are good for you. you.
To make uncountable nouns countable
add a counting word, such as a unit of
A computer= Computers are fun.
measurement, or the general word piece.
We use the form "a ....... of ......."
An elephant=Elephants are large. Rice=a grain of rice
Water=a glass of water
Rain=a drop of rain
Music=a piece of music
You can use some and any with You can use some and any with
countable nouns. uncountable nouns.
Some dogs can be dangerous. I usually drink some wine with my meal.
I don't use any computers at work. I don't usually drink any water with my
wine.
You only use many and few with
You only use much and little with
plural countable nouns.
uncountable nouns.
So many elephants have been hunted
I don't usually drink much coffee.
that they are an endangered species.
Little wine is undrinkable though.
There are few elephants in England.
You can use a lot of and no with You can use a lot of and no with
plural countable nouns. uncountable nouns.
No computers were bought last week. A lot of wine is drunk in France.
A lot of computers were reported No wine is drunk in Iran.
broken the week before.
You can make most uncountable noun countable by putting a countable expression in
front of the noun.
For example:-
A piece of information.
2 glasses of water.
10 litres of coffee.
Three grains of sand.
A pane of glass.
4. Collective Nouns
Collective nouns name groups consisting of more than one individual or entity. The group
is a single unit, but it has more than one member. Examples include "family",
"committee", "corporation","faculty", "army", and "school".
5. Concrete Nouns
A concrete noun is the name of something or someone that we experience through our
senses, sight, hearing, smell, touch or taste. Most nouns are concrete nouns. The opposite
of a concrete noun is an abstract noun.
For example:-
Cats, dogs, tables, chairs, buses, and teachers are all concrete nouns.
6. Abstract Nouns
An abstract noun is a noun that you cannot sense, it is the name we give to an emotion,
ideal or idea. They have no physical existence, you can't see, hear, touch, smell or taste
them. The opposite of an abstract noun is a concrete noun.
For example:-
adoration artistry
belief bravery
calm charity childhood comfort compassion
dexterity
ego
failure faith feelings friendship
happiness hate honesty hope
idea impression infatuation
joy
law liberty love loyalty
maturity memory
omen
peace pride principle power
redemption romance
sadness sensitivity skill sleep success sympathy
talent thrill truth
wit
7. Compound Nouns
A compound noun is a noun that is made up of two or more words. Most compound
nouns in English are formed by nouns modified by other nouns or adjectives.
For example:
The words tooth and paste are each nouns in their own right, but if you join them
together they form a new word - toothpaste.
The word black is an adjective and board is a noun, but if you join them together they
form a new word - blackboard.
In both these example the first word modifies or describes the second word, telling us
what kind of object or person it is, or what its purpose is. And the second part identifies
the object or person in question.
A good dictionary will tell you how you should write each compound noun
8. Gerund Nouns
A gerund (often known as an -ing word) is a noun formed from a verb by adding -ing. It
can follow a preposition, adjective and most often another verb.
For example:
I enjoy walking.
9. Predicate Nouns
He is an idiot. (Here idiot is a predicate noun because it follows is; a form of the verb
"be".)
Margaret Thatcher was the Prime Minister. (Margaret Thatcher is the subject and Prime
Minister is the predicate noun - notice it follows 'was' the past tense of 'to be'.)
A possessive noun is a noun that names who or what has something. The possessive form
is used with nouns referring to people, groups of people, countries, and animals. Add an
apostrophe and s ('s) to form the possessive of most singular nouns (ex. Bob's jacket, the
cat's tail, Steven King's books).
Add an apostrophe (') to form the possessive of plural nouns that end with s (ex. retailers'
stores, soldiers' weapons, Americans' banks). Add an apostrophe and s ('s) to form the
possessive of plural nouns that do not end with s (ex. geese's nest, children's toys,
women's dresses).
Determiners
Determiners are used in front of nouns to indicate whether you are referring to something
specific or something of a particular type.
You use a specific determiner when people know exactly which thing(s) or person/people
you are talking about.
For example:-
You use general determiners to talk about people or things without saying exactly who or
what they are.
For example:-
Either and neither are used in sentences concerning a possible choice between two items.
Either can mean one or the other (of two) or each of two.
For example:-
I've got tea and coffee, so you can have either. (One or the other)
The room has a door at either end. (Both)
Neither means not the first one and not the second one.
For example:-
Common Nouns
able account
achieve acoustics
act action
activity actor
addition adjustment
advertisement advice
aftermath afternoon
afterthought agreement
air airplane
airport alarm
alley amount
amusement anger
angle animal
answer ant
ants apparatus
apparel apple
apples appliance
approval arch
argument arithmetic
arm army
art attack
attempt attention
attraction aunt
authority babies
baby back
badge bag
bait balance
ball balloon
balls banana
band base
baseball basin
basket basketball
bat bath
battle bead
beam bean
bear bears
beast bed
bedroom beds
bee beef
beetle beggar
beginner behavior
belief believe
bell bells
berry bike
bikes bird
birds birth
birthday bit
bite blade
blood blow
board boat
boats body
bomb bone
book books
boot border
bottle boundary
box boy
boys brain
brake branch
brass bread
breakfast breath
brick bridge
brother brothers
brush bubble
bucket building
bulb bun
burn burst
bushes business
butter button
cabbage cable
cactus cake
cakes calculator
calendar camera
camp can
cannon canvas
cap caption
car card
care carpenter
carriage cars
cart cast
cat cats
cattle cause
cave celery
cellar cemetery
cent chain
chair chairs
chalk chance
change channel
cheese cherries
cherry chess
chicken chickens
children chin
church circle
clam class
clock clocks
cloth cloud
clouds clover
club coach
coal coast
coat cobweb
coil collar
color comb
comfort committee
company comparison
competition condition
connection control
cook copper
copy cord
cork corn
cough country
cover cow
cows crack
cracker crate
crayon cream
creator creature
credit crib
crime crook
crow crowd
crown crush
cry cub
cup current
curtain curve
cushion dad
daughter day
death debt
decision deer
degree design
desire desk
destruction detail
development digestion
dime dinner
dinosaurs direction
dirt discovery
discussion disease
disgust distance
distribution division
dock doctor
dog dogs
doll dolls
donkey door
downtown drain
drawer dress
drink driving
drop drug
drum duck
ducks dust
ear earth
earthquake edge
education effect
egg eggnog
eggs elbow
end engine
error event
example exchange
existence expansion
experience expert
eye eyes
face fact
fairies fall
family fan
fang farm
farmer father
faucet fear
feast feather
feeling feet
fiction field
fifth fight
finger fire
fireman fish
flag flame
flavor flesh
flight flock
floor flower
flowers fly
fog fold
food foot
force fork
form fowl
frame friction
friend friends
frog frogs
front fruit
fuel furniture
galley game
garden gate
geese ghost
giants giraffe
girl girls
glass glove
glue goat
gold goldfish
good-bye goose
government governor
grade grain
grandfather grandmother
grape grass
grip ground
group growth
guide guitar
gun hair
haircut hall
hammer hand
hands harbor
harmony hat
hate head
health hearing
heart heat
help hen
hill history
hobbies hole
holiday home
honey hook
hope horn
horse horses
hose hospital
hot hour
house houses
humor hydrant
hydrant ice
icicle idea
impulse income
increase industry
ink insect
instrument insurance
interest invention
iron island
jail jam
jar jeans
jelly jellyfish
jewel join
joke journey
judge juice
jump kettle
key kick
kiss kite
kitten kittens
kitty knee
knife knot
knowledge laborer
lace ladybug
lake lamp
land language
laugh lawyer
lead leaf
learning leather
leg legs
letter letters
lettuce level
library lift
light limit
line linen
lip liquid
list lizards
loaf lock
locket look
loss love
low lumber
lunch lunchroom
machine magic
maid mailbox
man manager
map marble
mark market
mask mass
match meal
measure meat
meeting memory
men metal
mice middle
milk mind
mine minister
mint minute
mist mitten
mom money
monkey month
moon morning
mother motion
mountain mouth
move muscle
music nail
name nation
neck need
needle nerve
nest net
news night
noise north
nose note
notebook number
nut oatmeal
observation ocean
offer office
oil operation
opinion orange
oranges order
organization ornament
oven owl
owner page
pail pain
paint pan
pancake paper
parcel parent
park part
partner party
passenger paste
patch payment
peace pear
pen pencil
person pest
pet pets
pickle picture
pie pies
pig pigs
pin pipe
pizzas place
plane planes
plant plantation
plants plastic
plate play
playground pleasure
plot plough
pocket point
poison police
polish pollution
popcorn porter
position pot
potato powder
power price
print prison
process produce
profit property
prose protest
pull pump
punishment purpose
push quarter
quartz queen
question quicksand
quiet quill
quilt quince
quiver rabbit
rabbits rail
railway rain
rainstorm rake
range rat
rate ray
reaction reading
reason receipt
recess record
regret relation
religion representative
request respect
rest reward
rhythm rice
riddle rifle
ring rings
river road
robin rock
rod roll
roof room
root rose
route rub
rule run
sack sail
salt sand
scale scarecrow
scarf scene
scent school
science scissors
screw sea
seashore seat
secretary seed
selection self
sense servant
shade shake
shame shape
sheep sheet
shelf ship
shirt shock
shoe shoes
shop show
side sidewalk
sign silk
silver sink
sister sisters
size skate
skin skirt
sky slave
sleep sleet
slip slope
smash smell
smile smoke
snail snails
snake snakes
sneeze snow
soap society
sock soda
sofa son
song songs
sort sound
soup space
spade spark
spiders sponge
spoon spot
spring spy
square squirrel
stage stamp
star start
statement station
steam steel
stem step
stew stick
sticks stitch
stocking stomach
stone stop
store story
stove stranger
straw stream
street stretch
string structure
substance sugar
suggestion suit
summer sun
support surprise
sweater swim
swing system
table tail
talk tank
taste tax
teaching team
teeth temper
tendency tent
territory test
texture theory
thing things
thought thread
thrill throat
throne thumb
thunder ticket
tiger time
tin title
toad toe
toes tomatoes
tongue tooth
toothbrush toothpaste
top touch
town toy
toys trade
trail train
trains tramp
transport tray
treatment tree
trees trick
trip trouble
trousers truck
trucks tub
turkey turn
twig twist
umbrella uncle
underwear unit
use vacation
value van
vase vegetable
veil vein
verse vessel
vest view
visitor voice
volcano volleyball
voyage walk
wall war
wash waste
watch water
wave waves
wax way
wealth weather
week weight
wheel whip
whistle wilderness
wind window
wine wing
winter wire
wish woman
women women
wood wool
word work
worm wound
wren wrench
wrist writer
writing yak
yam yard
yarn year
yoke zebra
zephyr zinc
zipper zoo
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