by Ahmad Agha

Knowledge House Academy

 Nouns
Definition
a noun is a part of speech
that names or identifies a
person, place, thing, quality,
idea, or activity.
 Categories of Nouns
Common
Proper Noun
Noun Proper Noun

Concrete Abstract
Collective Noun Noun Compound
Noun Noun
Countable Uncountable
Noun Noun
Other Types of Nouns
Nominalization
01 Noun Phrases 01
04 (Creating Nouns)

02 Gender Specific 05 Denominal nouns

03 Nouns of Address 06 Gerunds

04
 Common Nouns
Definition:
Common nouns are words that identify
general people, places, things.
A common noun begins with a lower
case letter, unless it is at the beginning
of a sentence.
Examples:
man, boy, hospital, store, river, car,
city, university
Proper Nouns
Definition:
Proper Nouns are words that identify
a specific person, place, or thing.
A proper noun begins with an upper
case letter because it is the name of a
particular person, place, or thing.
Examples:
Isaac Newton, St. Rose Hospital,
Walmart, Nile River, Mercedes, N.Y
 Countable Nouns
Definition
: any noun that can be counted
: any noun that can be used with a number
Examples:
● two cars, one child, three children
- There are two kinds of countable nouns:
● Singular Countable Nouns
: they have only 1 of something
Examples: ● I have one pen.
● He has a car.
● Plural Countable Nouns
: they have two or more of something
Examples: ● We have three children.
● I have two cars.
Uncountable Nouns
Definition
: nouns that can not be counted
: nouns that can't be used with a number
Examples:
water, money, soap, sugar, love, ice.
- How To "Count" Uncountable Nouns
• a bag of sugar - a bag is countable
• a litter of gas - a litter is countable
• a cup of tea - cup is countable
• a bottle of water - bottle is countable
• a bar of soap - bar is countable
Note:
a/an are not used with uncountable nouns.
Plural forms of the uncountable nouns
We cannot make uncountable nouns plural by adding “-s” on the end. Again, they are
grammatically regarded as single, collective units.

Examples:
● ✖ We bought new diving equipments. (incorrect)
✔ We bought new diving equipment. (correct)

● ✖ The teacher gave us many homeworks. (incorrect)

We also cannot use the quantifier “many” with uncountable nouns, because it
refers to individual things.
✔ The teacher gave us a lot of homework. (correct)
We can use the quantifier “a lot” to indicate a large amount of an uncountable
noun.
 Collective Nouns
Definition:
Collective nouns are nouns that refer to group of things, animals or people as a unit.
Examples:
● family, police, class, team, crew, audience, government, committee

Note:
● In American English, most collective nouns are treated as singular, with a singular
verb: The whole family was at the table.
● In British English, most collective nouns can be treated as singular or plural:
The whole family was at the table. [singular collective noun; singular verb]
The whole family were at the table. [plural collective noun; plural verb]
● There are a few collective nouns (in both British and American English) that are
always used with a plural verb, the most common of which are police and people.
● The police have handled the case. ● People are generally forgiving.
 Compound Nouns
Definition:
A compound noun is a noun that is made up of two or more words working together
as a single unit that, if separated, could stand on their own.
When two distinct words are combined to form a noun, they take on a new meaning
that may or may not be related to either of the original words.
Examples
● toothpaste = tooth + paste
● haircut = hair + cut
● underground = under + ground
● ice cream = ice + cream
● highway = high + way

Note: The most common combinations : noun + noun and adjective + noun. However,
combinations using other parts of speech are also possible.
 Concrete Nouns
Definition:
A concrete noun is a noun which describes a person, place or thing.
A concrete noun is a noun that can be perceived through one of the five
senses: taste, touch, sight, hearing or smell.
Concrete nouns can be common nouns, proper nouns, and collective nouns.
Concrete nouns can also be countable nouns, and uncountable nouns.
Examples:
Common Concrete Nouns Countable Concrete Noun
man, boy, hospital, store, river, car, city, Singular: book, car, song, computer
water, dog
Plural: books, cars, songs, computers
Proper Concrete Nouns
Isaac Newton, St. Rose Hospital, Uncountable Concrete Nouns
Walmart, Nile River, Mercedes, Houston water, air, oil, sugar, beauty, rice, love
 Abstract Nouns
Definition:
Abstract Nouns, as their name implies, name intangible things.
Abstract nouns can’t be perceived through one of the five senses: taste, touch, sight,
hearing or smell such as feelings, ideas, concepts, traits, and states.

Examples:
Feelings (emotions): happiness, love, feel, hatred, anguish.
Ideas: death, life, independence, information.
Concepts: democracy, communism, capitalism, ethics.
Traits : honesty, loyalty, patience, courage, stupidity.
States: poverty, pleasure, youth, manhood, brotherhood.
 All nouns
are more Concrete Noun
than one can be ...
type.

Common Noun Proper Noun Collective Noun

Isaac Newton, St. Rose Crew, class, team, family
man, hospital, river, car Hospital, Nile River, BMW

Countable Noun Uncountable Noun

milk, honey, water, sugar
dogs, pens, cars

Concrete Noun can be Common Noun, Proper Noun, Collective Noun,

Countable Noun, uncountable Noun and Vice Versa.
 All nouns
are more
Common Noun
than one can be ...
type.

Concrete Noun Abstract Noun Collective Noun

man, building, river, car beauty, friendship, freedom crew, team, family, class

Countable Noun Uncountable Noun

dogs, pens, cars milk, honey, sugar

Common Noun can be Concrete Noun, Abstract Noun, Collective

Noun, Countable Noun, Uncountable Noun and Vice Versa.
Recap: All nouns are more than one type as we mentioned earlier.
Common nouns can be abstract nouns (common abstract noun, abstract common noun).
Example: The common nouns danger, speed, love, and beauty are abstract nouns.
(These nouns represent intangible general things)

By default, proper nouns are never abstract nouns.

Proper nouns like the Empire State Building, Kathmandu, or Mr. Rogers represent things that
are specific and tangible. However, this can get confusing if a philosophical idea is derived
from a proper noun. For example, Karl Marx is a proper noun, but Marxism is an abstract
noun, even though it’s still capitalized.

Common nouns can be concrete nouns (common concrete noun, concrete common noun).
Example: The common nouns river, car, man, building are concrete nouns.
(These nouns represent tangible general things)

proper nouns can be concrete nouns (proper concrete noun, concrete proper noun).
Example: The proper nouns Empire State Building, Nile River, Mercedes, and William
Shakespeare are concrete nouns. (These nouns represent tangible specific things)
Other Types of Nouns
Nominalization
01 Noun Phrases 01
05 (Creating Nouns)

02 Gender‫ــ‬Specific 06 Denominal nouns

03 Nouns of Address 07 Gerunds

04
04 Possessive Nouns 08 Verbal Nouns
01 Noun Phrases 02
The simplest noun phrase consists of a single noun.
Definition:
A noun phrase is a group of two or more words (function together as a noun in a
sentence) headed by a noun that includes modifiers (e.g., 'the,' 'a,' 'of them,' 'with her').
Examples:
● the man (modifier: the, head noun: man)
● a girl (modifier: a, head noun: girl)
● He brought the hammer with the blue handle.
In this sentence, the hammer with the blue handle is a noun phrase. It collectively acts
as a noun while providing modifying words for the head noun, hammer. The modifiers
are the and with the blue handle.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

● In normal writing, nouns nearly always feature in noun phrases. It is rare to find a noun
functioning by itself (i.e., without any modifiers) in a sentence.
● A noun phrase plays the role of a noun. In a noun phrase, the modifiers can come before or
after the noun.
02 Gender‫ــ‬Specific Nouns
Definitions:
● A gender-specific noun is a noun that refers only to males or only to females.
● A gender-neutral noun is a noun that doesn't not refer to either sex but only to people or
things in general.
In English, the gender of most nouns is neuter.
Example:
Gender Specific (Masculine): man, tiger, king, uncle, brother, actor
(The grammatical gender of these nouns is masculine.)

Gender Specific (Feminine): woman, tigress, queen, vixen (female fox), sister, actress
(The grammatical gender of these nouns is feminine.)

Not Gender Specific (Neutral): doctor, teacher, lawyer, person, soldier

(Without further context, these are gender-neutral nouns.)
03 Nouns of Address
Definition:
● Nouns of address (technically called vocatives, but also known as nominatives of
address or nouns of direct address).
● Nouns of address are used in direct speech to identify the person or group being
directly spoken to, or to get that person’s attention. Like interjections, they are
grammatically unrelated to the rest of the sentence—they don’t modify or affect
any other part of it.
● Nouns of address are found in the initial, middle, or final position in a sentence. No
matter where they occur, they are normally set apart from the rest of the sentence
by one or two commas.
Examples:
• Mom, I need you to help me with the homework.
• Hey, guy in the red shirt, can you help me?
• Can I have some money, Dad?
 04 Possessive Nouns
Possessive nouns modify the noun by explaining that the noun belongs to someone, something,
or some group
The possessive case shows ownership. With the addition of ’s (or sometimes just the
apostrophe), a noun can change from a simple person, place, or thing to a person, place, or thing
that owns something.
Examples:
● If the noun doesn’t end with an s, add ’s to the end of the noun.
Example: We are having a party at John's house.
● If a proper name ends with an s, you can add just the apostrophe or an apostrophe and an s.
Example: Have you seen James’ car? Have you seen James’s car?
●If you have a plural noun that ends with an s, add just the apostrophe.
Example: Those are ladies' shoes.
● We use 's with irregular plural nouns:
Example: These are men's shoes.
● If the possessor is a building, an object, or a piece of furniture, you don’t need to add an
apostrophe to show possession. Example Shut the car door. , The maid cleaned the hotel room.
 Nominalization
03
05
(Nouns Formation)
● Nominalization is a type of word formation in which a verb or an adjective is transformed
into a noun. The verb form is nominalize. It is also known as ”nouning”.
●There are two types of nominalization that occur in English. The first requires the addition
of a derivational suffix to a word to create a noun. In other cases, English uses the same
word as a noun without any additional morphology. This second process is referred to
as zero-derivation.
Examples:
Derivational Suffix
The verb act becomes the noun actor. (Note: actor is known as ‘verbal noun’)
The verb accept becomes the noun acceptance. (Note: acceptance is known as ‘verbal noun’)
The adjective hard becomes the noun hardness. call and hope are known
The adjective difficult becomes the noun difficulty. as ‘verbal nouns’
Zero-Derivation
The verb call ( I tried to call him) becomes the noun call (give me a call when you get home)
The verb hope (I hope you will pass the exam) becomes the noun hope (He has no hope at all)
03
06 Denominal noun
(a noun derived from a noun)

A denominal noun is a noun that's formed from another noun, usually by adding
a suffix.
Example:
villager (from village)
farmer (from farm)
booklet (from book)
librarian (from library)
guitarist (from guitar)
 07 Gerunds
A gerund is a verb ending in –ing that is functioning like a noun.
All gerunds end in “ing.” However not all verbs that end in “ing” are gerunds; some are present
participles. The gerunds are always used as nouns, but the present participles aren’t.
Examples:
Gerunds can be used ....
- After certain verbs. For example: enjoy, avoid, dislike, finish, mind, suggest, and keep.
● I enjoy swimming – it’s my favorite hobby.
● I don't mind paying for the car.
● He avoids making a fool of himself. Note: Gerunds are also abstract nouns.
- After prepositions They name actions as concepts. They
● He’s not very good at speaking in public. cannot be seen or touched, so we know
● Check facts before reposting news or stories. they are not concrete.
● He looked unhappy after seeing his bad grades.
- To replace the subject or object of a sentence
● Driving fast is dangerous. (Gerund driving is used as the subject of the sentence.)
● I never gave reading enough of a chance. (Gerund reading is used as the object of the sentence.)
08 Verbal Nouns

● A verbal noun is a noun derived from a verb. It exhibits all of the properties of
ordinary nouns and none of the properties of verbs.
● Verbal nouns are formed with a variety of suffixes.
Examples:
verb : arrive noun : arrival Their arrival has been delayed.
verb : decide noun : decision That was an awful decision by the judge.
verb : read noun : reading The tornado left a trail of destruction behind it.
verb : build noun : building Tom's flight was delayed.

● A verbal noun can be identical to its source verb.

Examples:
verb : attack noun : attack
verb : return noun : return
 Difference Between Gerund and Verbal Noun
For many grammarians, the term verbal noun has a much broader definition, which covers all
verb-derived words that can function as nouns, such as gerunds and infinitives (both of which
retain verb-like qualities).
Gerunds and verbal nouns are two noun forms that are derived from verbs. Many people tend to
confuse gerunds and verbal nouns, especially if they end in the –ing form.
Gerunds Verbal Nouns
Only End in –ing form Can have different endings
Have same verbal properties Do not have any verbal properties
Can take objects Cannot take objects most
Do not take the plural forms Can take the plural form important
Do not follow adjectives Can be modified by adjectives difference

Examples:
I like reading history. Here reading is a gerund, and history is an object.
I like the reading of history. Here reading is a verbal noun, and of history is a prepositional phrase
 Difference Between Gerund and Verbal Noun
* A verbal noun is a noun and nothing more.

Compare these two examples......

•The first contains a verbal noun; the second, a gerund.

•This bad drawing of the Eiffel Tower is not acceptable for your project.
This is a verbal noun.
It is acting just like a noun. Just as any noun could have, it has a determiner (This)
and an adjective (bad), and it is followed by a prepositional phrase (of the Eiffel Tower)

• Badly drawing the Eiffel Tower is not acceptable for your project.
This is a gerund.
It is functioning as a noun, but it has two notable verb-like properties. Just as any
verb could have, it has an adverb (badly) and a direct object (The Eiffel Tower).
In a sentence, a noun can function as a subject, direct object, indirect object,
object of a preposition, complement, or appositive.

1- Subjects
The subject in a sentence or clause is the person, place, or thing doing, performing, or controlling
the action of the verb.
Examples
● Jennifer kicked the ball.
Jennifer subject
kicked verb The noun Jennifer is performing the action of the verb kick.
● Mary reads a book every week.
Mary subject
reads verb The noun Mary is performing the action of the verb read.
● Maria is happy.
Maria is the subject and the verb is a form of to be (is).
 2- Objects
Grammatical objects have three grammatical roles: the direct object of a verb, the indirect
object of a verb, or the object of a preposition.
Direct objects
A direct object is the noun that receives the action of the verb in a sentence or clause.
Examples:
Jennifer kicked the ball. (The noun ball is receiving the action of the verb kick.)
ball direct object
Mary reads a book every week. (The noun book is receiving the action of the verb read.)
book direct object

Subject Verb Direct Object

The teacher explained the rules The subject is "doing" the action, and
the direct object is receiving the action.
They have bought a new car
 3- Indirect objects
An indirect object is the noun that receives the direct object of the verb.
Indirect objects can only be placed directly after the verb and before the direct object.
Examples:
● James passed William the ball.
passed is the verb.
James is the subject because he is the one doing the passing.
ball is the direct object.
William is the indirect object because he receives the ball, the direct object.
● Please pass Jeremy the salt.
pass is the verb.
salt is the direct object.
Jeremy is the indirect object because he receives the salt, the direct object.
● I sent the company an application for the job.
The indirect object company is receiving
the direct object application, which receives the action of the verb sent.
 4- Objects of prepositions
Nouns are also used after prepositions to create prepositional phrases. When a noun is part
of a prepositional phrase, it is known as the object of the preposition.
Examples:
● In the example sentence “James passed William the ball”, we will notice that William is an
indirect object.
We could rewrite our example sentence above in this way:
James passed the ball to William.
This is grammatically correct and has the same meaning as the original sentence. Technically
speaking, though, William is not an indirect object, but the object of a preposition. (The noun
William is the object of the proposition to, which creates the propositional phrase to William.)
● Your backpack is under the table.
The noun table is the object of the preposition under, which creates the prepositional phrase
under the table.
● I am looking for work.
The noun work is the object of the preposition for, which creates the prepositional phrase for
work.
 5- Nouns as Subject and Object Complements
1- Nouns as Subject Complements
Subject Complement (also known as Predicate
Nominative or Predicate Noun) comes after a
linking verb (e.g. to be, to remain, to seem, to
become) and is equivalent to the subject but
renames it in different terms (gives more
information about the subject, such as a condition
or relationship).
Examples:
● Mary is a doctor. (Providing more information about Marry)
Marry is the subject of the sentence.
The noun doctor is used as a subject complement.
● Mike will remain the manager of the company.
Mike is the subject of the sentence.
The noun manager is used as a subject complement.
● He seems nervous.
● William became the president of the company.
2- Nouns as Object Complements
An object complement is a word that follows a
direct object to state what it has become.
Object Complements usually follow the noun (or
nouns) they modify and used when the direct
object would not make complete sense by itself.
Examples:
● I now pronounce you husband and wife.
Husband and wife are nouns used as object
complements.
● We named John the captain.
John = direct object, captain = object complement
● The parents named the girl Sandy.
girl = direct object, Sandy = object complement
● They elected Mr. Smith Board President.
Mr. Smith = direct object
Board President = object complement
 Recap: Nouns as Subject and Object Complements
A subject complement, however, gives further meaning to the subject.
A subject complement will only follow a linking verb and describes the subject.
Example:
John was frustrated.
John subject
was linking verb
frustrated subject complement

An object complement gives further meaning to the object.

Example: William named John the new manager.
William subject
John direct object
the new manager is a noun phrase object compliment

Note: A subject complement can be a noun, pronoun, or adjective.

An object complement can be a noun, pronoun, or adjective.
 6- Appositive nouns
An appositive noun is a noun that immediately follows another noun in order
to further define or identify it.

My brother, Michael, is six years old.

Michael is an appositive here, further identifying the subject of the sentence,
my brother.

Sometimes, nouns can be used adjectivally as well.

He is a speed demon.
Speed is a normally a noun, but here it is acting as an adjective to modify
demon.
 Predicate Nouns
Nouns that follow linking verbs are known as predicate nouns (sometimes known as subject
complement). These serve to rename or re-identify the subject (gives more information about the
subject. If the noun is accompanied by any direct modifiers (such as articles, adjectives, or
prepositional phrases), the entire noun phrase acts predicatively.
Examples:
● Love is a virtue.
Love subject, is linking verb, virtue predicate noun
The noun a virtue follows the linking verb is to give more information about the subject love.
● Jack seems like a real bully.
The noun phrase a real bully follows the linking verb seems to rename the subject Jack.
● Mark and William are basketball players
● My dad was the class president.
● Mark and William are brothers.
● George Washington was the first president.
 Predicate Nouns
To find a predicate noun:
1- Find the verb.
2- Is the verb an action verb or a linking verb?
3- If the verb is a linking verb, you could have a predicate noun or a predicate adjective.
4- Look for the word after the linking verb that renames or describes the subject.
5- If the word is a noun-a person, place, thing-that renames the subject, you have found a
predicate noun.

Sometimes, you may hear a predicate noun called a predicate nominative, or subject
complement. These terms mean the same thing
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THANKS!
Ahmad Agha
Knowledge House Academy