r38 types of noun

A concrete noun may referto a living

types of noun
thing (animate nouns) or a

r3s

qualities or abstract ideas.

Our knowledge of outer space is increosing daily.

physical object (nanimate nouns).

Collective nouns. These refer to collections of people or animals'

aherd of cows

Trevor gave evidence

atthetrial.

Anger is a normal human emotion.

oswarm of bees Nouns may also be classified according to the words with which they
are used, that is:

Uncountable nouns do not usually have a pluralform.Theyare followed by a singular verb. They are not normally used with the indefinite article. (You cannot talk about'an advice' or'a money'.) When it is necessary to think of an item as countable it has to be used with a partitive noun. See p. t4t.
He bought seven sheets of cardboard. Let me giveyou a piece of advice.

whetheror notthe noun gives plural number.

the other words that

us information

aboutsingular and

can be used in the same noun phrase'

Some examples of the commonest uncountable nouns are: advice, anger, beluty, behaviour, conduct, despair, evidence,furniture, happiness, homework, information, safety, knowledge, leisure, money, news, progress,
research, jumble.

This gives us a useful distinction between countable nouns and uncountable nouns.

Countable nouns refer to things that we can count: one clt,two seventeencdts,and so on. They have singular and pluralforms, which are shown by the spelling. They must be used with a determiner if they
cots,

Verbal nouns (p. r58), which are formed from the present participle ofverbs. can also be used as uncountable nouns.
W hy don' t you

are singular.
Dogs ron wild in the streets.

try walki n g to wo rk? Brian was told to stop smoking .

The dogislooseagain. Fetcha choir for MaddY,willYou? We've boughtsix new choirs '

The

ringing in his ears continued.

Uncountable nouns refer to:

things thatare not normallythought of as countable.

John asked mefor someadvice. Anno gave us some more informotion about her Homework occupied much of Sonia's evening.

work'