NOUN

A noun is a word that is used as the name of a person, place or thing.

Example: boy, girl, Rohit, city, Mumbai, table

 

KINDS of NOUNS

Nouns can be classified into following kinds:

 

COMMON NOUN

A common noun is a name given in common to every person, place, or thing of the same class or kind.

Examples: chair, book, table, country, city, boy, girl

 

PROPER NOUN

A proper noun is the name of a particular person, animal, place or thing, i.e. a name used for an individual person, place or thing

A proper noun always begins with a capital letter.

Examples: Delhi, Sita, The Taj Mahal, The Gateway of India

 

ABSTRACT NOUN

An abstract noun is the name of thoughts, feelings, action or state.

Examples:  Kindness, bravery, honesty, friendship

 

COLLECTIVE NOUN

A collective noun is the name of a collection or group of persons, places, things taken together and spoken of as one whole.

Examples: Jury, a fleet, an army, a herd of cattle, bunch of keys, choir of singers

 

COUNTABLE AND UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS

Nouns are of two kinds from the point of view of countability.

 

COUNTABLE NOUNS

Nouns that can be counted in numbers are called countable nouns.

Examples: box, bird, tree, apple, banana, table.

 

UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS

Uncountable nouns are nouns that come in a quantity or state that cannot be counted.

Examples: Water, sugar, oil, milk, butter, ink

 

THE NOUN: NUMBER

A noun that denotes one person or thing is said to be in the singular number. Example: table, chair, grape

A noun that denotes more than one person or thing is said to be plural number. Example: tables, chairs, grapes

 

RULES FOR CHANGING SINGULAR FORM TO PLURAL FORM

  • Most nouns are made plural by adding an –s to the singular form.

Dog – dogs

Bird - birds

Tree - trees 

Book – books

  • The plural of nouns ending in s, ss, sh, ch, x, is made by adding - es to the singular form.

Example: Bus – buses

Kiss - kisses

Brush – brushes

Watch – watches

Tax – taxes

  • Most nouns ending in – o form the plural by adding – es to the singular.

Example: Potato – potatoes

Hero – heroes

Tomato – tomatoes

  • Nouns ending in consonant + y form their plural by dropping y and adding ies.

Example: Baby – babies

Duty – duties

Story – stories

  • Nouns ending in –f or –fe form their plural by dropping –f or –fe and adding ves.

    Example: Leaf – leaves

Thief – Thieves

Wife – Wives

Knife – Knives

  • A few nouns form their plural by changing the inside vowel of the singular.

Examples: Man – men

Foot – feet

Tooth – teeth

Goose - geese

 

THE NOUN: GENDER

 

Masculine Gender

A noun is said to be in the masculine gender, if it refers to a male. Example: Boy, uncle, father man, bull, dog, cock

 

Feminine Gender

A noun is said to be in the feminine gender, if it refers to a female. Example: Niece, woman, girl, sister, mother, hen, lady

 

Common Gender

A noun that denotes either male or female is called common gender. Example: Child, baby, student, parent, bird, animal, friend

Neuter Gender

A noun that denotes a thing that is neither male or female or non-living things is said to be of the neuter gender. Example: Pen, book, tree, chair, table, box, room

RULES FOR CHANGE OF GENDER

  • Words change from masculine to feminine by adding a suffix. The suffix – ess is commonly used to form feminine nouns from the masculine.

Examples: Heir: Heiress, prince: princess

  • Words change from masculine to feminine by adding – ess with some changes to the masculine word such as dropping the vowel of the masculine ending.

Examples: Negro: negress,

  • By using a different word:

Examples: King: Queen, cock: hen, boy: girl

 

INTERESTING FACTS

  • The word noun comes from the Latin word “nomen” which means ‘name’.
  • In English, there are more nouns than any other kind of word.
  • The gender of all Material, Collective and Abstract nouns is always neuter.
  • Collective nouns, even when they denote living beings, are considered to be of the Neuter Gender.
  • Some nouns exist only in plural form, such as, binoculars, spectacles, tongs, scissors.
  • The most commonly used noun is ‘time’.
  • The most common mistake people make is identifying the Abstract noun as against an adjective i.e Bravery is abstract noun, it’s not an adjective; Brave is the adjective.