Understanding Noun - English Grammar Concepts with Examples
What is Noun?
- The noun is a word which denotes a person, any living being, a place, a thing and an idea.
- Noun answer the questions "What is it?" and "Who is it?"
- They give names to things, people and qualities.
Singular and Plural Forms of Nouns
Examples:
- Mother – Mothers
- Girl – girls
- Pen – pens
- Book – books
- Hand – hands
- Peak – peaks
- School – schools
- Road - roads
- Car – cars
- Cycle - cycles
Examples:
- Bus - Buses
- Bush - Bushes
- Branch – Branches
- Box - Boxes
- Topaz - Topazes
3. For singular nouns ending with 'y', if the preceding letter of the 'y is Consonant, then replace '-ies' instead of 'y'.
For singular nouns ending with 'Y', if the preceding letter of the 'y is Vowel, then replace '-s' instead of 'y'.
Examples:
- City – Cities
- Body – Bodies
- Boy – Boys
- Toy – Toys
Examples:
- Radio – Radios
- Studio – Studios
- Bamboo – bamboos
- Cuckoo - cuckoos
4. (b) If a singular noun ends in 'o' preceded by a consonant, add 'es' at the end of the words.
Examples:
- Potato – Potatoes
- Echo – Echoes
- Tomato – Tomatoes
4. (c) Exceptions: Some technical and scientific words even if the ending letter 'o' is preceded by a consonant, 's' only added in the plural form.
Examples:
- Dynamo – Dynamos
- Piano - pianos
- Memento – mementos
4. (d) The following words are rather typical and they do not fall under any of the rules detailed above.
Examples:
- Son-in-law : Sons-in-law
- Brother-in-law : Brothers-in-law
- Mouse – Mice
- Foot – Feet
- Man – Men
- Tooth – Teeth
- Cattle – Cattle
- Sheep – Sheep
Gender of Noun
In general there is no distinction between masculine, feminine and neuter in English nouns. However, gender is sometimes shown by different forms or different words.
Examples:
- Different words:
|
Masculine |
Feminine |
|
Man Father Uncle Boy husband |
Woman Mother Aunt Girl wife |
- Different forms:
|
Masculine |
Feminine |
|
Actor Prince hero waiter widower |
Actress Princess Heroine Waitress widow |
Some nouns can be used for either a masculine or a feminine subject:
Examples:
Cousin, teenager, teacher, doctor, cook, student, parent, friend, relation, colleague, partner, leader
- Mary is a doctor. She is a doctor
- Peter is a doctor. He is a doctor.
- Arthur is my cousin. He is my cousin.
It is possible to make the distinction by adding the words 'male' or 'female'.
- a female student; a male cousin
For professions, we can add the word 'woman'.
- a woman doctor; a woman journalist.
In some cases nouns describing things are given gender.
- I love my car. She (the car) is my greatest passion.
- France is popular with her (France's) neighbours at the moment.
- I travelled from England to New York on the Queen Elizabeth, she (the Queen Elizabeth) is a great ship.
The Plural form of Nouns
1. Most nouns form the plural by adding -S or -es.
Examples:
- boat – boats
- hat - hats
- house – houses
- river - rivers
2. Words that end in -Ch, X, S or s-like sounds, however, will require an -es for the plural:
Examples:
- witch – witches
- box – boxes
- gas – gases
- bus – buses
- kiss - kisses
Note: There's one exception to this rule. If the -ch ending is pronounced with a 'k' sound, you add -s rather than –es.
Examples:
|
Singular |
Plural |
|
Stomach epoch |
Stomachs epochs |
3. A noun ending in -y preceded by a consonant makes the plural with -ies.
Examples:
- a cry – cries
- a fly – flies
- a nappy – nappies
- a poppy – poppies
- a city - cities
4. Nouns ending in -f or –fe
With nouns that end in a consonant or a single vowel plus-for-fe, change the -f or -fe to –ves.
Example:
- Knife – knives
- half – halves
- scarf - scarves
5. Nouns which end in two vowels p us -f usually form plurals in the normal way, with just an –s.
Example:
- chief – chiefs
- spoof - spoofs
6. There are some irregular formations for noun plurals. Some of the most common ones are listed below.
Examples of irregular plurals:
- woman – women
- man – men
- child – children
- tooth – teeth
- foot – feet
- leaf – leaves
- nucleus – nuclei
- oasis - oases
7. Some nouns have the same form in the singular and the plural.
Examples:
- sheep – sheep
- fish – fish
- species – species
- aircraft - aircraft
8. Some nouns have a plural form but take a singular verb.
Examples:
- News: The news is on at 6.30 p.m.
- Athletics: Athletics is good for young people.
- Linguistics: Linguistics is the study of language.
- Billiards: Billiards is played all over the world.
9. Some nouns have a plural form and take a plural verb.
Examples:
- Trousers: My trousers are too tight.
- Jeans: Her jeans are black.
- Glasses: Those glasses are his.
Types of Nouns
- Common Noun
- Proper Noun
- Abstract Noun
- Collective Noun
- Compound Noun
- Countable Noun
- Uncountable Noun
- Material Noun
1. Common Noun: A word of Noun, which denotes in common to every person or every thing of the same kind or class is defined as a common noun.
Examples:
- Asia is a continent.
Continent is a common noun. Continent is a word applicable to any other Continent. - London is the capital of England.
Capital is applicable to any other capital. So capital is a common Noun.
2. Proper Noun: A proper noun is the name of a particular person, place or thing. A word of proper noun is always written with a capital letter as the first letter of the word.
Examples:
- Asia is a continent.
Asia is a proper noun. Asia represents a particular continent. - London is the capital of England.
These words are applicable only to a particular city and a country respectively. So London and England are proper nouns.
3. Abstract Noun: An abstract noun is a Noun which usually denotes a quality, actions or state without reference to the object to which it pertains.
Examples:
Kindness, Hatred, Honesty, Bravery, Laughter, Childhood, Youth, Music, Obedience, Growth
4. Collective Noun: A word denoting a number of persons or things taken together but spoken of as one is a Collective Noun.
Examples:-
- Every Nation maintain its own ARMY.
- My uncle in the village owns a HERD of sheep.
- Durin Sundays we see a big CROWD on the Marina beach.
Herd means a number of sheep.
Crowd means a number of people.
So these words in CAPITAL LETTERS are called Collective Nouns.
5. Compound Noun: Two or more nouns combine to form a single noun and functions as a single noun. Such a noun is called a compound noun.
Examples:
- The Bus Driver drives carefully.
- A school teacher resides in our apartment.
- Mango fruit juice is very tasty.
- The bus conductor is cordial to the passengers.
6. Countable Noun: Countable nouns are the names of people, objects etc., that we can count. We can count what or whom the said words denote.
Example: Book, Friend, Brother, teacher, Doctor, Cow, Tree, Mango
7. Uncountable Noun: Uncountable Nouns are the things that we cannot count.
Examples: stars, water, soil, sunshine, snow
8. Material Noun: Material Noun refers to a material or substance from which things are made.
Examples: silver, gold, iron, cotton, diamond and plastic