Faculty of Art, Humanity and Languages

Department of English
Year III Semester I

Topic: Noun

➢ Subject : English Pro. Development

➢ Lecturer : Mr. Kiseng Hong
➢ Student : Ly Tam
o ID : B17- 0357
o Tell : 078 868 060
o Email : lytam9999@gmail.com
➢ Date : September 09, 2021
 Contents
I. Definition of Noun
II. Types of Noun
1. Common nouns and Proper Nouns
2. Concrete Noun and Abstract Nouns
3. Countable Nouns and Uncountable Nouns
4. Singular Noun and Plural Nouns
• How to Form Plural Nouns
5. Collective Nouns
III. Gender of Nouns
1. Feminine Gender
2. Masculine Gender
3. Common Gender
4. Neuter Gender
IV. Compound Nouns
 NOUNS
I. Definition
→ Nouns are names for people, places, things, or animals.

II. Types of Nouns

1. COMMON NOUNS AND PROPER NOUNS
A. Common Nouns
→ Common nouns are names for people, places, things, or animals in general.

These are words for people. They are common nouns.

1. actor 21. chef 40. physical
2. actress 22. civil servant therapist
3. baby 23. counsellor 41. plumber
4. baker 24. decorator 42. politician
5. cook 25. famer 43. postman
6. dentist 26. fireman 44. programmer
7. doctor 27. fisherman 45. psychiatrist
8. lawyer 28. florist 46. real estate agent
9. judge 29. gardener 47. receptionist
10. man 30. hairdresser 48. reporter
11. nurse 31. housekeeper 49. salesman
12. singer 32. housewife 50. scientist
13. carpenter 33. journalist 51. secretary
14. soldier 34. lecturer 52. shopkeeper
15. teacher 35. librarian 53. tailor
16. accountant 36. manicurist 54. travel agent
17. architect 37. musician 55. unemployed
18. artist 38. pharmacist 56. waiter
19. author 39. photographer 57. waitress
20. barber

These are words for animals. They are common nouns.

1. eagle 11. fish 21. cheetah
2. zebra 12. goat 22. donkey
3. bird 13. goose 23. butterfly
4. bear 14. hen 24. fly
5. crocodile 15. horse 25. big
6. deer 16. mouse 26. ant
7. cat 17. parrot 27. ape
8. cow 18. shark 28. fox
9. dog 19. whale 29. camel
10. dolphin 20. tiger 30. owl
 31. bat 47. crane 63. hare
32. dragon 48. flamingo 64. heron
33. bee 49. crow 65. hippopotamus
34. snake 50. dove 66. kangaroo
35. buffalo 51. dragonfly 67. kitten
36. bull 52. eagle 68. koala
37. bunny 53. earthworm 69. ladybird
38. frog 54. eel 70. lamb
39. caterpillar 55. elephant 71. leech
40. centipede 56. falcon 72. leopard
41. chicken 57. flea 73. lion
42. cobra 58. gecko 74. lizard
43. cockatoo 59. giraffe 75. lobster
44. cockroach 60. gorilla 76. louse
45. coral 61. grasshopper 77. millipede
46. crab 62. hamster 78. mosquito

These are word for places. They are common nouns.

1. school 16. factory 31. mosque
2. library 17. market 32. aquarium
3. post office 18. café 33. school
4. bookstore 19. theater 34. tower
5. pharmacy 20. cinema 35. mountains
6. hospital 21. restaurant 36. sea
7. police station 22. supermarket 37. beach
8. hospital 23. playground 38. city
9. bank 24. swimming pool 39. river
10. airport 25. museum 40. desert
11. train station 26. park 41. forest
12. petrol station 27. farm 42. clinic
13. garage 28. zoo 43. pagoda
14. hotel 29. castle 44. apartment
15. church 30. fire station 45. house

These are word for things. They are common nouns.

1. basket 11. cup 21. truck
2. drum 12. lamp 22. television
3. bed 13. desk 23. radio
4. blanket 14. table 24. photo
5. cake 15. door 25. earphones
6. bag 16. window 26. headphones
7. box 17. watch 27. computer
8. bread 18. ladder 28. spoon
9. can 19. kite 29. fork
10. chair 20. picture 30. toy
 B. Proper Nouns
→ Proper nouns are names for particular people, places, things, or animals. They always begin
with a capital letter.

These are some more names of people. They are proper nouns.
1. Santa Claus 6. Ali Baba 11. Morn Ry
2. Omar 7. Robin Hood 12. Hun Mana
3. Adam 8. Harry Porter 13. Angela
4. Liza 9. Patrick 14. Mohammad Ali
5. Kim Lee 10. Nita 15. Mario Sava

The names of countries and their people are also proper nouns.
1. Korea – Korean 8. Vietnam – Vietnamese
2. China – Chinese 9. Malaysia – Malaysian
3. Africa – African 10. Pakistan – Pakistani
4. Egypt – Egyptian 11. France – French
5. India – Indian 12. Thailand – Thai
6. Italy – Italian 13. Australia – Australian
7. Japan – Japanese 14. Cambodia – Cambodian

The names of town, cities, buildings and landmarks are proper nouns.
1. Hong Kong 6. New York 11. Big Ben
2. Sydney 7. Paris 12. Phnom Penh
3. Tokyo 8. Angkor Wat 13. Kirirom
4. Bangkok 9. Beijing 14. Western Union
5. London 10. New Delhi 15. Mount Everest

The days of the week and months of the year are proper nouns.
➢ Days 7. Sunday 13. June
1. Monday ➢ Months 14. July
2. Tuesdays 8. January 15. August
3. Wednesday 9. February 16. September
4. Thursday 10. March 17. October
5. Friday 11. April 18. November
6. Saturday 12. May 19. December

The names of festivals, some special events and holidays are proper noun.
1. Christmas Day 7. Father’s Day 13. Water Festival
2. Independence Day 8. New Year’s Day 14. International
3. Woman's Day 9. Valentine’s Day Children’s Day
4. Mother's Day 10. Halloween 15. International
5. New Year's Day 11. Ghost Festival Youth Day
6. Labor Day 12. Chinese New Year 16. National Fish Day
Exercise 1. Underline the correct answers. Answer keys
1. San Francisco common noun / proper noun 1. proper noun
2. John Smith common noun / proper noun 2. proper noun
3. Brother common noun / proper noun 3. common noun
4. common noun
4. Motorbike common noun / proper noun
5. proper noun
5. Museum of Modern Art common noun / proper noun
6. proper noun
6. September common noun / proper noun
7. common noun
7. Girl common noun / proper noun 8. proper noun
8. Morocco common noun / proper noun 9. common noun
9. Park common noun / proper noun 10. proper noun
10. Lucy common noun / proper noun

Exercise 2. Write “c” under common nouns and write “p” under proper nouns.
1. There was an earthquake1 in Italy2 on Monday3. Answer keys
4 5 6 1. 1c/ 2p/ 3p
2. Poppy bought a bicycle for her brother .
2. 4p/ 5c/ 6c
3. India7 is the seventh largest country8 in the world9.
3. 7p/ 8c/ 9c
4. Kim Lee10 was born in England11. 4. 10p/ 11p
5. One day Ali Baba12 saw the forty thieves13 hiding in the cave14. 5. 12p/ 13c/ 14c
6. 15p/ 16p
6. The day after Christmas15 is called Boxing Day16. 7. 17p/ 18c
7. Maria17 is a beautiful girl18. 8. 19p/ 20c/ 21c
9. 22p/ 23c/ 24c
8. January19 is the first month20 of the year21. 10. 25p/ 26c/ 27c/
9. Sunday22 is the first day23 of the week24.
10. Valentine’s Day25 is the day on which people26 give presents27 to the person they love.

2. ABSTRACT NOUNS AND CONCRETE NOUNS

A. Concrete Nouns
→ A concrete noun is a noun that you can experience or detect with your five senses (taste,
touch, sight, hearing, and smell).
These are some examples for concrete nouns.
1. food 12. kite 23. helicopter
2. salt 13. thunder 24. toy
3. sugar 14. flower 25. book
4. milk 15. rainbow 26. pen
5. table 16. comb 27. pencil case
6. pen 17. mirror 28. brush
7. desk 18. bottle 29. tooth
8. book 19. glass 30. lipstick
9. water 20. spoon 31. mirror
10. cookie 21. hummer 32. broom
11. star 22. umbrella 33. dustpan
 B. Abstract Nouns
→ An abstract noun is a noun that cannot detect with your five senses. Abstract nouns are
intangible and non-physical. It can be events, emotions, ideas or qualities.
These are some words for abstract nouns.
1. love 6. imagination 11. weakness
2. sadness 7. belief 12. honesty
3. fear 8. honesty 13. insanity
4. anger 9. humanity 14. intelligence
5. happiness 10. hope 15. kindness

Forming Abstract Nouns Using Suffixes

Abstract nouns may be formed from the following ways.

➢ Noun
Noun Abstract Noun Noun Abstract Noun
brother brotherhood man manhood
child childhood member membership
friend friendship mother motherhood
king kingship neighbor neighborhood
infant infancy agent agency
leader leadership scholar scholarship

➢ Verb
Verb Abstract Noun Verb Abstract Noun
act action know knowledge
appear appearance laugh laughter
behave behavior lose loss
believe belief marry marriage
die death permit permission
live life advise advice
do deed please pleasure
employ employment refuse refusal
free freedom sell sale
grow growth speak speech
see sight hate hatred
invite invitation think thought
judge judgement treat treatment
➢ Adjective

Adjective Abstract Noun Adjective Abstract Noun

able ability kind kindness
angry anger long length
beautiful beauty honest honesty
brave bravery new newness
different difference strong strength
difficult difficulty thirsty thirst
envious envy unique uniqueness
great greatness weak weakness
happy happiness wide width
lonely loneliness poor poverty
good goodness true truth
proud pride young youth
hungry hunger wise wisdom
http://www.myenglishgrammar.com/list-13-forming-abstract-nouns.html

Exercise 1. Form abstract nouns from the following adjectives.

1. Long ————————– 13. Vacant ————————–

2. Strong ————————– 14. Sweet ————————–
3. Wide ————————– 15. Human ————————–
4. Young ————————– 16. Free ————————–
5. Humble ————————– 17. Proud ————————–
6. Decent ————————– 18. Brave ————————–
7. Cruel ————————– 19. Novel ————————–
8. Bitter ————————– 20. Poor ————————–
9. Prudent ————————– 21. Just ————————–
10. Dark ————————– 22. Vain ————————–
11. Wise ————————– 23. Sane ————————–
12. Good ————————– 24. Ignorant ————————–
Answers
1. length 9. prudence 17. pride
2. strength 10. darkness 18. bravery
3. width 11. wisdom 19. novelty
4. youth 12. goodness 20. poverty
5. humility 13. vacancy 21. justice
6. decency 14. sweetness 22. vanity
7. cruelty 15. humanity 23. sanity
8. bitterness 16. freedom 24. ignorance
Exercise 2. Choose the correct answers.
1. Which word is an abstract noun?
a) House
b) Dog
c) Happiness
d) Pencil
2. Which of the following is an abstract noun?
a) shoes
b) kindness
c) teacher
d) stone

3. There are books on the desk. The word desk is …

a) an abstract noun
b) a concrete noun
4. Jomary’s childhood was filled with sadness. The word sadness is ...
a) a concrete noun
b) an abstract noun
5. Which one is NOT a concrete noun?
a) notebook
b) excitement
c) crayons
6. Which one is NOT an abstract noun?
a) poverty
b) bravery
c) ice cream
7. Ella fell asleep on the couch last night. The word couch is …
a) a concrete noun
b) an abstract noun
8. She always believes in true love. The word love is …
a) a concrete noun
b) an abstract noun
9. Jomary always looks at herself in the mirror before leaving. The word mirror is …
a) a concrete noun
b) an abstract noun
10. My kid spilled his milk on the keyboard. The word keyboard is …
a) a concrete noun
b) an abstract noun

Answers
1. happiness 6. ice cream
2. kindness 7. a concrete noun
3. a concrete noun 8. an abstract noun
4. an abstract noun 9. a concrete noun
5. excitement 10. a concrete noun
3. COUNTABLE NOUNS AND UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS.
A. Countable Nouns
→ Can be counted
→ Have a singular and plural form.
o One tree, two trees, ten trees
→ Use with a, an, the or a number.
o I have a pencil case.
o I ate an apple yesterday.
o I have three pens.
o Have you locked the door?
→ Can used with a singular or plural verb.
o The book is old.
o The books are old
→ Can be used with some, any, a few/ few, many, enough, lots of/ a lot of, a number of…
followed by plural countable nouns.
o Are the any biscuits left?
o She brought me some flowers.
o Few people are living there now.
o There were a few animals in the barn.
o Haver I made enough sandwiches?
o A lot of people don’t like the idea much.
o It happed many years ago.
o A number of questions were asked in the meeting.

B. Uncountable Noun
→ Can’t be counted.
o Food (meat, butter, cheese, beef, bread, chocolate, bacon, fish…)
o Liquid (water, milk, tea, honey, soup, wine, oil, blood, coffee…)
o Gases (smoke, air, fog…)
o Made of smaller parts (sugar, salt, rice, sand, flour, dust…)
o Abstract nous (love, luck, freedom, education, beauty…)
o Materials (wood, paper, gold, silver, metal, cotton, plastic…)
o Others (information, news, furniture, money, homework…)
→ Can’t be pluralized.
o Incorrect: moneys, cheeses, sugars
→ Can’t be used with a, an or a number before them.
o Incorrect: a money, two rice, three bread
→ Can stand alone or can be used with the, some, any, a little, much, enough, lots of/ a lot of…
o A nurse brought me some bread and coffee, but the bread was stale and the coffee was
tasted of soap.
o Can you get rice from the supermarket for me?
o Can you get some rice from the supermarket for me?
o How much money do you have?
o I haven’t got any money.
o I don’t have enough money.
o I have a lot of money.
→ Always use with a singular verb.
o The weather here is great.
 o Sugar is sweet.
o Gold is expensive.

→ Uncountable nouns need another countable noun to help you quantify your uncountable.
o a bag of flour | rice | gold dust
o a bar of chocolate | gold | soap
o a bottle of Coke | milk | water | wine
o a bowl of cereal | rice | soup
o a box of cereal | paper
o a can of cream | meat | tuna
o a carton of ice-cream | orange juice | milk
o a cup of hot chocolate | coffee | tea
o a drop of blood | oil | water
o a glass of beer | juice | water | wine
o a grain of rice | sand | truth
o an item of clothing | expenditure | news
o a jar of honey | jam | peanut butter
o a piece of advice | furniture | paper
o a roll of paper | tape | toilet paper | Scotch tape
o a slice of bread | cheese | meat | toast
o a spoonful of sugar | syrup | whisky
o a tablespoon of butter | honey | ketchup
o a teaspoon of cinnamon | medicine | salt
o a tube of glue | lipstick | toothpaste
https://www.englishclub.com/vocabulary/nouns-uncountable-measure-words.htm

Some nouns can be both countable and uncountable, depending on the context of the sentence.
These are Some nouns can be used as both countable or uncountable, usually with a difference
in meaning.
o Iron
• iron = material (They tried to change iron into gold.)
• iron = electrical appliance (I scorched my dress with the iron.)
o Glass
• glass = material (Glass can be recycled from old bottles.)
• glass = container (Champagne was fizzing in the glass.)
o Time
• time = length of an activity (How much time did it take you to sing? )
• time = number of instances (Mary had seen the film many times.)
o Paper
• paper = material (This book is made of paper.)
• paper = a report or essay (He wrote a paper on grammar.)
• paper = a newspaper (I read about it in the paper.)
 o Light
• light = energy form (I closed my eyes against the bright light.)
• light = lamps / light bulbs (I switched on the light in the bedroom.)
o Work
• work = an activity (Stop talking and get on with your work.)
• work = a product (This is the work of Shakespeare.)
o Chicken
• chicken = food (I had chicken for dinner.)
• chicken = kind of animal (They keep chickens in the back yard.)
o Hair
• hair = hair in general (She had thick brown hair.)
• hair = individual strands of hair (He had a few grey hairs on his temples.)
o Room
• room = space (Is there enough room for me?)
• room = place (They had to sit in the waiting room for an hour.)
o Meat
• meat = food (I gave up eating meat a few months ago.)
• meat = type of meat (I hate eating red meats like beef and lamb.)
o Fruit
• fruit = food (The fruit was too sour to eat.)
• fruit = kind of fruit (She sells fruits at a market stall.)
o Experience
• experience = knowledge or skill (My lack of practical experience was a disadvantage.)
• experience = an incident that affects you (It was her first experience of living alone.)
o Fire
• fire = element (Most animals are afraid of fire.)
• fire = a burning pile (Firemen put out fires.)
o Memory
• memory = the ability to remember (I have a very good visual memory.)
• memory = specific memories of past events (He’s trying to block out memories of the
accident.)
https://7esl.com/nouns-that-can-be-countable-or-uncountable/

4. SINGULAR NOUNS AND PLURAL NOUNS

A. Single Nouns
→ A singular noun is a word that refers to one person, place, thing, or animal.
Examples:
tree, box, ox, man, boy, girl, cow, bird, book.

B. Plural Nouns
→ A plural noun is a word that refers to mor than one person, place, thing, or animal.
Examples:
trees, boxes, oxen, men, boys, girls, cows, birds, books.
 ❖ HOW TO FORM PLURAL NOUNS

1. Most singular nouns form the plural by adding -s.

Examples:

Singular Nouns Plural Nouns Singular Nouns Plural Nouns

cat cats balloon balloons
kite kites day days
dog dogs animal animals
thing things place places
brother brothers sister sisters
pen pens car Cars
comb combs finger fingers

2. A singular noun ending in -s, -x, -z, -ch, -sh, -ss, forms the plural by adding-es.
Examples:

Singular Nouns Plural Nouns Singular Nouns Plural Nouns

bus buses box boxes
watch watches dish dishes
branch branches torch torches
quiz quizzes match matches
fox foxes wish wishes
bench benches kiss kisses

3. A singular noun ends in a -consonant + y, we remove y and add -ies.

Examples:

Singular Nouns Plural Nouns Singular Nouns Plural Nouns

party parties body bodies
baby babies city cities
country countries dictionary dictionaries
lady ladies story stories
fly flies butterfly butterflies
bunny bunnies candy Candies
daisy daisies enemy enemies
4. A singular noun ends in a -vowel + y, forms the plural by adding -s.
Examples:

Singular Nouns Plural Nouns Singular Nouns Plural Nouns

boy boys day days
key keys toy toys
monkey monkeys guy guys
donkey donkeys essay essays
tray trays way ways
valley valleys survey surveys
airway airways play plays

5. A singular noun ends in -f or -fe, we remove the f/ fe and add -ves.

Examples:

Singular Nouns Plural Nouns Singular Nouns Plural Nouns

loaf loaves thief thieves
knife knives leaf leaves
life lives wife wives
calf calves wolf wolves
shelf shelves self selves

Exceptions:

Singular Nouns Plural Nouns Singular Nouns Plural Nouns

belief beliefs roof roofs
gulf gulfs chief chiefs
cliff cliffs hoof hoofs
scarf scarfs proof proofs

6. A singular noun ends in -o, forms the plural by adding -es.

Examples:

Singular Nouns Plural Nouns Singular Nouns Plural Nouns

buffalo buffaloes hero heroes
potato potatoes embargo embargoes
mosquito mosquitoes tomato tomatoes
 Exceptions:

Singular Nouns Plural Nouns Singular Nouns Plural Nouns

Bamboo Bamboos Photo Photos
Piano Pianos Dynamo dynamos

Here are some of the singular nouns end in -o, form the plural by adding -s or -es.
Examples:

Singular Nouns Plural Nouns Singular Nouns Plural Nouns

banjo banjos/ banjoes cargo cargos/ cargoes
fresco frescos/ frescoes halo halos/ haloes
flamingo flamingos/ flamingoes mango mangos/ mangoes
ghetto ghettos/ ghettoes memento mementos/ mementoes
motto mottos/ mottoes tornado tornados/ tornadoes

7. Irregular nouns
Examples:

Singular Nouns Plural Nouns Singular Nouns Plural Nouns

man men woman women
foot feet tooth teeth
goose geese mouse mice
louse lice child children

8. Some nouns have the same form in the singular and plural.

Singular Nouns Plural Nouns Singular Nouns Plural Nouns

fish fish sheep sheep
deer deer moose moose
aircraft aircraft dozen dozen

9. Latin words

Singular Nouns Plural Nouns Singular Nouns Plural Nouns

Datum Data Erratum Errata
Index Indices/ indexes Formula Formulae/ formulas
Memorandum Memoranda Terminus termini
 10. Greek words
Examples:

Singular Nouns Plural Nouns Singular Nouns Plural Nouns

axis axes basis bases
parenthesis parentheses thesis theses
crisis crises analysis analyses
hypothesis hypotheses criterion criteria

11. Compound nouns

Examples:

Singular Nouns Plural Nouns Singular Nouns Plural Nouns

Brother-in-law Brothers-in-law Mother-in-law Mothers-in-law
Step-son Step-sons Maid-servant Maid-servants
Step-daughter Step-daughters Passer-by Passers-by

5. Collective Nouns
→ A collective noun refers to a group of people, animals or a collection of things taken as a
whole.
Here are some examples of common collective nouns used for people:
1. A band of musicians 6. A gang of thieves
2. A board of directors 7. A pack of thieves
3. A choir of singers 8. A panel of experts
4. A class of students 9. A team of players
5. A crowd of people 10. A troupe of dancers

Here are some examples of common collective nouns used for animals:
1. An army of ants 8. A pack of hounds
2. A flock of birds 9. A pack of wolves
3. A flock of sheep 10. A school of fish
11. A swarm of locusts
4. A herd of deer
12. A team of horses
5. A hive of bees
13. A pride of lions
6. A litter of puppies
7. A murder of crows

Here are some examples of common collective nouns used for things:
1. A bouquet of flowers 6. A pack of cards
2. A bunch of flowers 7. A pack of lies
3. A fleet of ships 8. A pair of shoes
4. A forest of trees 9. A range of mountains
5. A galaxy of stars 10. A wad of notes
III. Gender of Nouns
1. Masculine and Feminine
A. Masculine Gender
→ A masculine noun refers to words for a male person, or animal.
Examples:
man, boy, actor, horse, etc.

B. Feminine Gender
→ A feminine noun refers to female person or animal.
Example:
woman, girl, actress, mare, etc.

Masculine Feminine Masculine Feminine

actor actress son daughter
author authoress prince princess
bridegroom bride wizard witch
hero heroine waiter waitress
husband wife emperor empress
murderer murderess brother Sister
host hostess poet Poetess
hunter huntress king queen

C. Common Gender
→ A common gender refers to both male and female person, or animal.
Examples:
1. parents 7. rider 13. artist
2. cook 8. friend 14. servant
3. painter 9. cousin 15. enemy
4. driver 10. student 16. person
5. singer 11. child 17. client
6. judge 12. thief 18. pupil

D. Neuter Gender
→ Neuter nouns refer to things that have no gender.
Examples:
1. book 8. house 15. bus
2. table 9. school 16. box
3. pen 10. fan 17. bed
4. camera 11. road 18. chair
5. pencil 12. key 19. lamp
6. desk 13. window 20. tree
7. radio 14. door 21. phone