Unit 5

Nouns, articles, S-V agreement

Nouns
 Nouns

Concrete Nouns Abstract Nouns

⚫ A concrete noun is a ⚫ An abstract noun is a

noun which refers to noun which refers to
people and to things ideas, qualities, and
that exist physically and conditions - things
can be seen, touched, which have no physical
smelled, heard, or reality.
tasted. ⚫ Ex: friendship,
⚫ Ex: cat, house, milk, happiness, time, love
beach, flower
 Nouns

Common Nouns Proper Nouns

⚫ A common noun is a ⚫ A proper noun is a name

noun that refers to that identifies a
people, things, places, particular person, place,
activities, ideas, thing, etc.
feelings ⚫ They begin with a capital
letter.
⚫ Ex: Steven, Africa,
⚫ Ex: boy, country,
September, ‘Finding
shopping, happiness
Nemo’
 Nouns

Countable Nouns Uncountable Nouns

⚫ A countable noun (count ⚫ An uncountable noun (mass

noun) refers to something noun) refers to something that
that can be counted. we can’t count.
⚫ Ex: school, book, bicycle ⚫ Ex: butter, air, music, beauty
⚫ Have a singular and a ⚫ Don’t normally have a plural
plural form => use a form => use a singular verb
singular or plural verb ⚫ Can use this, that, some before
⚫ Can be counted using some
⚫ Can use a/an, the, this,
expressions of units,
that, these, those, some
containers and measurements
before
Some nouns can be countable and uncountable
 Countable Nouns

Singular Nouns Plural Nouns

⚫ A singular noun refers ⚫ A plural noun indicates

to just one person, that there is more
animal place, thing, or than one person,
idea. animal place, thing, or
idea.
 Forming plural nouns

1. Most singular nouns => adding -s.

house houses
cat cats
river rivers
2. A singular noun ending in o, s, ch, x, sh, z => adding -es.
bus buses
wish wishes
box boxes
3. A singular noun ending in a consonant and then y => dropping the y and adding -ies.
baby babies
city cities
4. Most singular noun ending in -f or -fe => dropping the -f or -fe and adding -ves.
knife knives
thief thieves
5. Irregular Nouns
woman women child children
tooth teeth person people
sheep sheep fish fish
 Subject - verb agreement

⚫ Some nouns have a plural form but take a singular verb.

Ex: The news is at 6.30 p.m.
Athletics is good for young people.
Linguistics is the study of language.
⚫ Some nouns have a fixed plural form and take a plural verb.
Ex: My trousers are too tight.
Her jeans are black.
Those glasses are his.
⚫ Some nouns describe groups of people. They can take
singular or plural verbs depending on their meaning.
Ex: Your team is/are playing well.
A football team has 11 players.
 Subject - Verb Agreement

⚫ Extra Worksheet
Articles
 Articles: a/an, the

A/An The

⚫ Use before singular nouns ⚫ Use before singular nouns,

⚪ A + consonant sounds plural nouns and
⚪ An + vowel sounds uncountable nouns
⚪ The /ðə/ + consonant sounds
⚪ The /ðiː/ + vowel sounds
⚫ Talk about things in
⚫ Talk about things in
general
particular
⚪ A ball is round.
⚪ Sarah is sitting in the garden.
⚫ Mention sth for the first
⚫ Mention it again
time ⚪ The beggar looked curiously at
⚪ I saw a beggar. me.
 Special uses of articles The

- with certain geographical features such as seas and

oceans, rivers, mountain ranges and deserts: The
Atlantic, The Amazon, The Andes, The Sahara
- with professional groups or bodies: the police, the press,
the navy
- with nationalities: The British, The French
- with groups of countries or states and groups of
islands: The Solomon Islands, The United States, The
Republic of Moldova
- with some buildings: The Taj Mahal, The Eiffel Tower
- with superlatives: the best, the most prominent
- with newspaper names: The Times
- with a musical instrument: play the piano, the guitar is a
versatile instrument
 No article

- to talk about plural nouns (people or things) in general: Film

producers borrow widely from manuals and websites.
- with certain geographical features including mountains
and lakes: Mount Fuji, Lake Como
- before most towns, cities, countries and continents: New
York, Egypt, Asia
- with certain familiar places (work, home, school,
university): What time do you go to school? How do you go to work?
Are they at home?
- with meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
- with play + a game: play tennis, play football
- with languages: Arabic, Italian
- with certain time expressions, such as days of the week,
months, years: Tuesday, August, 2012
● Note that there are some exceptions: at the weekend, in the 1990s, in
the 15th century
 Complete the gaps in the texts with a/ an, the or - (no article).

I read in my copy of 1 ___ Times this morning that 2 ___ Prime

Minister of 3 ___ UK and 4 ___ President of 5 ___ US met in 6 ___
New York and signed 7 ___ agreement to offer 8 ___ aid to
UNICEF. 9 ___ aid will be used to provide 10 vaccines for 11 ___
children all over 12 ___ developing world.

There has been 13 ___ traffic accident on 14 ___ M4 motorway

involving 15 ___ car and 16 ___ truck. 17 ___ driver of 18 ___ truck
is from 13 ___ Poland, and 20 ___ driver of 21 ___ car is 22 ___
accountant from 23 ___ Oxford. Both 24 ___ men are currently
being treated for 25 ___ minor injuries at 26 ___ Reading Hospital.
QUESTIONS?