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NOUNS
Nouns also called naming words, would probably be the very first
part of speech you would have learnt in your English grammar
classes. Anything we can touch, see, smell, taste, hear and hold can
be referred to as nouns.

Nouns are a part of speech that comprise of words that are used to
name people, places, animals, objects and ideas.

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 Nouns Used as Different Components of a
Sentence
Nouns Used as a Subject
When used as a subject, it mostly appears in the beginning of a
sentence. It can be identified by asking the question ‘who’.
Examples:

Bruno went to the playground.

The teacher asked the students to submit their assignments.
The elephant was rescued safely after ten long hours.

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 Nouns Used as Different Components of a
Sentence
Nouns Used as an Object
When nouns are used as objects, they appear in the latter part of a
sentence. It can be identified by asking the question ‘what’.

Examples:
I bought a pen.
Where is your book?
I cannot find today’s newspaper.
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 Examples of Nouns:
People – Rahul, Sheela, Man, Person, Tommy, Women, Girl, The Prime Minister

Places – Bangalore, India, Mexico, North Pole, South Africa, The Nile River,
Classroom, Bedroom, Basketball Court, Cricket Ground, Swimming Pool

Animals/Birds/Aquatic Animals/Reptiles – Lion, Zebra, Snake, Ostrich,

Flamingo, Bear, Cat, Fish, Shark

Ideas – Evolution, Invention, Extinction, Argument, Destruction

Objects/Things – Bat, Cycle, Curtains, Paper, Bag, Blackboard, Cupboard 5

 Types of Nouns
Proper Nouns: Nouns that are used to name a person, place or thing
specifically are called a proper noun. Proper nouns always begin with a
capital letter.

Examples:

My name is Rose. (Name of a particular person)

This is my dog, Bruno. (Name of a specific pet animal owned by
someone)
David came back from Minsk. (Name of a specific place)
Louis Philippe is a famous brand of men’s clothing. (Name of a
particular clothing brand) 6
 Types of Nouns
Common nouns: Common nouns are those nouns that refer to a
generic item, group or place.

Common nouns are not capitalized unless they appear in the

beginning of a sentence.

Examples:
I bought a pen yesterday. (Common object)
I am going to school. (Common place)
Only ten employees showed up to work today. (Common group)
The car is out of fuel. (Common items)

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 Types of Nouns
Person Place Thing

Business person Everywhere Armchair

Flight attendant Nowhere Cupboard
Firefighter Anywhere Skateboard
Brother-in-law Seashore Football
Everyone Cornfield Sunglasses
Everybody Bus stop Homework

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 Types of Nouns
Collective Nouns: A collective noun is a naming word that is used to
denote a group of objects, animals or people.

Examples:
Collective nouns for groups of animals
A pride of lions
A flock of sheep
A swarm of bees
A herd of elephants
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 Types of Nouns
Collective nouns for groups of people
A band of musicians
A board of directors
A crew of sailors
A company of actors

Collective nouns for a number of things/objects

A pair of shoes
A chain of mountains
A fleet of ships
A bunch of grapes
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 Types of Nouns
Concrete Nouns: A concrete noun refers to objects that are material
and can be perceived by the human senses.

Examples:
The book is on the table.
I had a cup of coffee.
Sharon opened the windows.
Hardy goes to school by bus.

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 Types of Nouns
Abstract Nouns: Any entity that cannot be perceived by the five
senses of the human body are called an abstract noun.

Examples:
Love is a strong emotion.
Honesty is the best policy.
It takes a lot of courage to raise your voice and stand up against injustice.
You should not misuse the freedom you are given.

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Countable and Uncountable Nouns

In English grammar, countable nouns are individual people, animals,

places, things, or ideas which can be counted.

Uncountable nouns are not individual objects, so they cannot be

counted.

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 Countable Noun

Anything that can be counted, whether singular – a dog, a house, a

friend, etc. or plural – a few books, lots of oranges, etc. is a countable
noun.

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 Countable Noun
1.There are at least twenty Italian restaurants in Little Italy.

2.Megan took a lot of photographs when she went to the Grand Canyon.

3.Your book is on the kitchen table.

4.How many candles are on that birthday cake?

5.You have several paintings to study in art appreciation class.

6.There’s a big brown dog running around the neighborhood.

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 Uncountable Noun

Anything that cannot be counted is an uncountable noun.

Even though uncountable nouns are not individual objects, they are
always singular and one must always use singular verbs in
conjunction with uncountable nouns.

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 Uncountable Noun
1.There is no more water in the pond.

2.Please help yourself to some cheese.

3.I need to find information about Pulitzer Prize winners.

4.You seem to have a high level of intelligence.

5.Please take good care of your equipment.

6.Let’s get rid of the garbage.

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 Compound Noun Definition
A compound noun is a noun that is made up of two words 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.

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 Types of Nouns
For example, “ice cream” is a compound noun.

Both words — ice (frozen water) and cream (a dairy product made
from skimming fat from the top of milk) — have their own distinct
definitions,

but when combined, they turn into a delicious, frozen treat! As a

result, compound nouns are an essential part of the English
language.

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 Examples of Compound Nouns in
Sentences
• Noun + Noun
• I asked the waiter to put some ice cubes in my drink.
• Everybody has to wear their seat belt in my car.
• The neighborhood gets bigger and bigger every year.

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 Examples of Compound Nouns in
Sentences
• Adjective + Noun
• He says that real estate is a stable investment.
• You should take the highway; it’s much faster.
• I want my hot dog with extra mustard.

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 Examples of Compound Nouns in
Sentences
• Preposition + Noun
• My son needed braces to correct his underbite.
• I’m starting to make inroads with my boss.
• His indetermination held the entire team back.

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 Examples of Compound Nouns in
Sentences
• Verb + Noun
• The family gathered in the living room to watch television.
• The models started walking down the runway to thunderous
applause.
• We believe the president has the staying power to make it
through the next election.

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 Examples of Compound Nouns in
Sentences
• Noun + Verb
• The rainfall was heavy that day.
• I needed to use eardrops to cure my dog’s ear infection.
• The acrobat did ten backflips in a row!

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 Examples of Compound Nouns in
Sentences
• Verb + Preposition
• The sit-in helped draw attention to the issue of civil rights.
• I got good news from the follow-up with my doctor.
• The gang members did a drive-by before leaving the scene of the
crime.

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 Examples of Compound Nouns in
Sentences
• Adjective + Verb
• Her well-wishes didn’t feel genuine.
• He was supposed to pick up his dry-cleaning yesterday, but he
forgot.
• His well-being was my top priority.

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 Examples of Compound Nouns in
Sentences
• Preposition + Verb
• They provided an overview of the new plan.
• Buying a house is a huge undertaking.
• The generator’s output was too low to keep the power on.

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 RULES AND EXAMPLES

1. Some nouns always take a singular verb.

Scenery, advice, information, machinery, stationery, furniture, abuse,

fuel, rice, gram, issue, bedding, repair, news, mischief, poetry,
business, economics, physics, mathematics, classic, ethics, athletics,
innings, gallows.

The scenery of Kashmir are enchanting.

(Correct use- is)
He has given advices.
(Correct use- advice) 28
 RULES AND EXAMPLES

2. Some nouns are singular in meaning, but they are used as plural
nouns and always take a plural verb.

Cattle, gentry, vermin, peasantry, artillery, people, clergy, company,

police.

The cattle is grazing in the ground. (correct use- are)

Police has controlled the situation. ( correct use- have)

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 RULES AND EXAMPLES

3. Some nouns are always used in a plural form and always take a
plural verb.

Trousers, scissors, spectacles, stockings, shorts, measles, goods,

alms, premises, thanks, tidings, annals, chattels, etc.

Where is my trousers? (correct use- are)

Spectacles is a costly item. (correct use- are)

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 RULES AND EXAMPLES

4. There are some nouns that indicate length, measure, money,

weight or number. When they are preceded by a numeral, they
remain unchanged in form.

Foot, meter, pair, score, dozen, head, year, hundred, thousand,

million.

It is a five years degree course. (correct use- year)

I have seven dozens of shoes. (correct use- dozen)
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 RULES AND EXAMPLES

5. Collective nouns such as jury, public, team, committee,

government, audience, orchestra, company, etc. are used both as
singular and Plural. It depends on the usage.

The jury was divided in their opinion. (correct use- were)

The team have not arrived yet. (correct use- has)

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 RULES AND EXAMPLES
Some nouns have one meaning in the singular and another in the plural:

Advice = counsel, advices = information

Air = atmosphere, airs = proud
Authority = command, authorities = persons in power
Good = wise , goods = property
Iron = metal, irons = fetters, chains
Force = strength, forces = army
Content = satisfaction, contents = things contained
Respect = regards, respects = compliments
Work = job, works = compositions, factories,.
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 RULES AND EXAMPLES

People are often confused or they commit mistakes in the use of

certain nouns.

Lecturership is wrong: lectureship is correct.

Freeship is wrong; free – studentship is correct.
Boarding is wrong; boarding house is correct.
Family members is wrong; members of the family is correct.
English teacher is wrong; the teacher of English is correct.
Cousin – brother or sister is wrong; only cousin is correct.
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