The lexical or word class that helps us to identify anything, either living or non-living is a noun. A noun can also identify abstract ideas.
Examples of nouns: Monday, June, dust, music et cetera.
There are different classes of nouns, and below are they.
Examples of nouns: Monday, June, dust, music et cetera.
There are different classes of nouns, and below are they.
- A count/countable noun: this class of nouns refers to something that can be counted. It has the singular and plural forms. You can combine the noun with the indefinite article "a" or "an" as in an orange/oranges, an idea/ideas, a country/countries.
- A non-count/mass or an uncountable noun: This class cannot be counted, it does not have a plural form and cannot be preceded, by the indefinite article "a" or "an". That is, can not go before the indefinite articles. Such nouns include water, air, information, furniture, money..
- Collective noun/multiple noun: This noun, though singular, refers to a group of things or animals. Policy, army, fleet, audience, committee are all examples of collective or multiple nouns.
- Abstract noun: It indicates an idea, emotion, feeling, quality or other intangible concept. It means, they cannot be seen, heard, felt, tested or smelt. Examples include: commotion, happiness, loyalty, punishment. A large number of abstract nouns are uncountable - they cannot be counted, and do not have the plural forms.
- Concrete noun: It indicates something tangible. It conveys what can be perceived, such as a place or person.
- A proper noun: It refers to a specific person, place or thing. It therefore begins with a capital letter and does not have a plural form. There are names of individuals; Jai, months; February, companies;
- Common noun: It indicates things in general. Unless it begins a sentence, it does not begin with a capital letter. Like dogs, ships, cities…
- Possessive noun: It functions the same way as possessive adjective and pronoun. It indicates possession over another person, place or thing. As in: 'it is Jessica's backpack'.
The English noun has two forms, the singular and plural. Always remember that. The plural form usually ends in s; pants, es; glasses, ies; bullies, or ves ; shelves. Nevertheless, there are some nouns that do not follow this pattern.
Some nouns have a different plural form: foot/feet, ox/oxen, man/men, child/children.
Nouns of foreign origin (Friend, Italian, Latin, or Greek): medium/media, criterion/criteria, phenomenon/phenomena.
Some do not need a plural form: jewelry, rice, cutlery.
Some have the suffix "s" originally and are treated as plurals: binoculars, riches, shears, trousers.
Nouns like experience, noise, water can be used as singular and plural ( they are non count nouns).
A noun has its functions, it serves different purpose in a sentence. Below are some of the things they do in a sentence:
As the subject:
Jones came in just now.
As the object:
He took them home
As the indirect object:
The priest gave Meghan a Bible
As the direct object:
Fatimah got a bicycle
As the subject complement:
Amy is a Teacher
Now you know what a noun is, its functions and classes. Nouns are very important in a sentence. They are part of almost every sentence and they do a lot.
To play the interactive quiz please press thew green flag!
Some nouns have a different plural form: foot/feet, ox/oxen, man/men, child/children.
Nouns of foreign origin (Friend, Italian, Latin, or Greek): medium/media, criterion/criteria, phenomenon/phenomena.
Some do not need a plural form: jewelry, rice, cutlery.
Some have the suffix "s" originally and are treated as plurals: binoculars, riches, shears, trousers.
Nouns like experience, noise, water can be used as singular and plural ( they are non count nouns).
A noun has its functions, it serves different purpose in a sentence. Below are some of the things they do in a sentence:
As the subject:
Jones came in just now.
As the object:
He took them home
As the indirect object:
The priest gave Meghan a Bible
As the direct object:
Fatimah got a bicycle
As the subject complement:
Amy is a Teacher
Now you know what a noun is, its functions and classes. Nouns are very important in a sentence. They are part of almost every sentence and they do a lot.
To play the interactive quiz please press thew green flag!