NOUNS

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:

Late last year our neighbors bought a cat.

Porfía White was an opera singer.

A noun can function in a sentence as a subject, a direct object, an indirect

object, a subject com plement, an object com plement, an appositive, an
adjective or an adverb.

The Noun-Gender tells us about the sex of the noun. In

Grammar-Nouns, there are FOUR GENDERS.

1. Masculine gender:

A noun is said to be in the Masculine gender if it refers to a male character or

member of a species.

Man, lion, hero, boy, king, horse and actor are nouns of masculine gender.

Example:

• A boy is playing ¡n the play-ground.

• Hero of the movie is not a native of this country.

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:

A noun is said to be in the feminine gender if it refers to a female member of a

species.

Woman, lioness, heroine, girl, mare, niece, empress, cow and actress are few of
the feminine-gender nouns that we use.

Example:

A girl is playing in the play-ground.

Heroine of the movie is not a native of this country.

Singular Noun Definition: When a noun means one only, it is said to be singular.

Examples: boy, girl, book, church, box

Vocabulary:
Libreta Notebook Carpeta Folder

Bolígrafo (Ballpoint) pen Archivadores (mueble) Filing cabinet

Lápiz Pencil Grapa Staple

Pluma Fountain pen Grapadora Stapler

Goma Rubber Clip Paper clip

Tijeras Scissors Sobre Envelope

Máquina de escribir Typewriter Sello Stamp

Ordenadores Computer Documento Document

Rotulador Magic Marker Copia Copy

Teléfono Phone Sacapuntas Pencil sharpener

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.

When a noun means more than one, it is said to be plural.

Examples: boys, girls, books, churches

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.

List of Irregular plural nouns*

Knife-knives child -children

life -lives person -people
wife - wives

half -halves tooth -teeth

wolf -wolves mouse -mice
loaf -loaves
Unchanging. Singular and plural
cactus -cacti are the same:
nucleus -nuclei
focus-foci sheep
deer
man- men fish (sometimes)
foot- feet

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:

The red suitcase is Cassandra's

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:

The bus's seats are very uncomfortable.

The bus' seats are very uncomfortable.

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:

The children's mittens were scattered on the floor of the porch.

The men's hockey team will be playing as soon as the women's team is
finished.

You can form the possessive case of a plural noun that does end in "s" by
adding an apostrophe:

The Janltors' room is downstairs and to the left.

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.

In each of the following sentences, the proper nouns are highlighted:

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

A common noun is a noun referring to a person, place, or thing in a general

sense - usually, you should write it with a capital letter only when it begins a
sentence. A common noun is the opposite of a proper noun.

In each of the following sentences, the common nouns are highlighted:

According to the sign, the nearest town is 60 miles away.

All the gardens in the neighborhood were invaded by beetles this
summer.
 The road crew was startled by the sight of three large moose crossing the
road.
Many child-care workers are underpaid.

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:

Buying the fire extinguisher was an afterthought.

Tillie is amused by people who are nostalgic about childhood.
Justice often seems to slip out of our grasp.
Some scientists believe that schizophrenia ¡s transmitted genetically.

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:

We painted the table red and the chairs blue.

Miriam bought a gift to her sister

An egg - eggs tree - trees friend - friends

Notebook - notebooks fan - fans computer - computers
Uncountable 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.

The highlighted words ¡n the following sentences are non-countable nouns:

The word "oxygen" cannot normally be made plural.

Oxygen is essential to human life.

This soup is to hot List of the

commons uncountable nouns:

Liquids: Mustard, ketchup, mayonnaise, coffee, water, milk, tea, syrup,

Sports: soccer, volleyball, hockey, basketball, golf, tennis, baseball,
Material: cotton, jeans, silk, linen, rayon, terrycloth, wool, wood.
Chemical elements: oxygen, uranium, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, magnesium.
Illness: cancer, malaria, syphilis, gonorrhea, chickenpox, meningitis, hepatitis.
Subjects: mathematics, acoustics, physics, aeronautics, mechanics, linguistics.
Some animals: deer, moose, sheep, buck, trout, bison, moose, etc.
Natural disasters: snow, rain, dew, frost, mist, haze, lightning, thunder, heat,
cold, global warming, hail, greenhouse effect, acid rain.
Especial nouns: equipment, furniture, information, advice, luggage, baggage,
software, hardware, armor, work, homework, housework, music, behavior,
weather, time, transportation, pollution, (mother) nature, timber, lumber,
travel, help, jewelry.

Collective Nouns

A collective noun is a noun naming a group of things, animals, or persons. You

could count the individual members of the group, but you usually think of the
group as a whole is generally as one unit.

In each of the following sentences, the highlighted word is a collective noun:

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."

The class was startled by the bursting light bulb.

In this sentence the word "class" ¡s a collective noun and takes the singular
compound verb "was startled."