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A noun is a word used to name a person, animal, place, thing, and abstract
idea. Nouns are usually the first words which small children learn. The
highlighted words in the following sentences are all nouns:
1. Masculine gender:
Man, lion, hero, boy, king, horse and actor are nouns of masculine gender.
Example:
In these sentences the words "boy" and "hero" are masculine-gender nouns.
Th e n e xt in th e N o u n - G en d er i s f em in i n e g e n d er .
2. Feminine gender:
Woman, lioness, heroine, girl, mare, niece, empress, cow and actress are few of
the feminine-gender nouns that we use.
Example:
Singular Noun Definition: When a noun means one only, it is said to be singular.
Vocabulary:
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Noun Plurals
Most nouns change their form to indicate number by adding "-s" or "-es", as
illustrated in the following pairs of sentences:
When Matthew was small he rarely told the truth if he thought he was
going to be punished.
Many people do not believe that truths are self-evident.
He tripped over a box left carelessly in the hallway.
Since we are moving, we will need many boxes.
Rule #1
The plural of nouns is usually formed by adding - s to a singular noun.
lamp lamps
cat cats
fork forks
flower flowers
pen pens
Rule #2
Nouns ending in s, i, x, sh, and ch form the plural by adding - es.
moss mosses
buzz buzzes
box boxes
dish dishes
church churches
Rule 3:
For words that end in a consonant plus a -y, change the -y into -ie and add an -
s.
1. theory — theories
2. lily — lilies
3. empty — empties
Rule 4:
For words that end in -is. change the -is to -es to make the plural
1. thesis — theses
2. oasis — oases
3. analysis — analyses
Rule 5:
Some words that end in -f or -fe have plurals that end in -ves.
1. elf — elves
2. calf — calves
3. shelf — shelves
Special Note:
If you add - s to such nouns as fox, bush, and bench, you will find that you
cannot pronounce them without making an additional syllable. This is why such
nouns form the plural by adding - es.
Possessive Nouns
In the possessive case, a noun or pronoun changes its form to show that ¡t owns
or is closely related to something else. Usually, nouns become possessive by
adding a combination of an apostrophe and the letter "s."
You can form the possessive case of a singular noun that does not end in "s" by
adding an apostrophe and "s," as in the following sentences:
You can form the possessive case of a singular noun that ends in "s" by adding
an apostrophe alone or by adding an apostrophe and "s," as ¡n the following
examples:
You can form the possessive case of a plural noun that does not end ¡n "s" by
adding an apostrophe and a "s," as in the following examples:
You can form the possessive case of a plural noun that does end in "s" by
adding an apostrophe:
Proper Nouns
You always write a proper noun with a capital letter, since the noun represents
the name of a specific person, place, or thing. The names of days of the week,
months, historical documents, institutions, organizations, religions, their holy texts
and their adherents are proper nouns.
The Maroons were transported from Jamaica and forced to build the
fortifications in Halifax.
Many people dread Monday mornings.
Beltane is celebrated on the first of May.
Last year, I had a Baptist, a Buddhist, and a Gardnerian Witch as
roommates.
Common Nouns
Sometimes you will make proper nouns out of common nouns, as ¡n the
following examples:
The tenants in the Carnet Apartments are appealing the lar ge and
sudden increase in their rent.
The Diary of Anne Frank is often a child's first introduction to the history of
the Holocaust.
Concrete Nouns
A concrete noun is a noun which names anything (or anyone) that you can
perceive through your physical senses: touch, sight, taste, hearing, or smell. A
concrete noun is the opposite of a abstract noun.
Ice cream, for example, is a concrete noun. You can see the pink. You can
taste the berry flavor. You can feel your tongue growing numb from the cold.
Any noun that you can experience with at least one of your five senses is a
concrete noun.
Abstract Nouns
An abstract noun is a noun which names anything which you can not perceive
through your five physical senses, and is the opposite of a concrete noun. The
highlighted words ¡n the following sentences are all abstract nouns:
Countable Nouns
A countable noun (or count noun) is a noun with singular and a plural form, and
it names anything that you can count. They use a/an and -s for plural way.
Countable nouns are the opposite of non -countable nouns and collective
nouns. In each of the following sentences, the highlighted words are countable
nouns:
An uncountable noun is a noun which does not have a plural form, and which
refers to something that you could (or would) not usually count. They don't use
a/an or -s in plural way. Uncountable nouns are similar to collective nouns, and
are the opposite of countable nouns.
Collective Nouns
The people that live in this state are so happy. The steering committee
meets every Wednesday afternoon. Here the collective noun
"committee" takes a singular verb, "meets."