Notes on Nouns
Definition:
Noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea.
Hints:
1. Nouns can usually be made into plurals or possessive.
For example:
boy boys
Bob Bob’s
computer computers
2. Nouns are the only type of words that sound correct with the word the in front of it.
The cat
The glass
The book
The watch
The camera
The above sound correct by themselves. We know they are not complete sentences, but you don’t anticipate more.
Now look at the following:
The green
The large
The odd
The tiny
The above doesn’t sound right to your ear. They make you feel like there definitely needs to be something following it immediately.
The green hat
Hat is the noun in this phrase.
3. Nouns fill subject slots and object slots.
This hint is helpful only if you already understand what a subject and object is. Come back to this hint after you learn subjects and objects. Unfortunately, pronouns also fill these two slots, so you still need hint 1 & 2 to help distinguish nouns from pronouns.
Types of nouns:
Type of noun |
Definition |
Example |
common noun |
generic name |
School |
proper noun |
specific name |
Argo Community High School |
concrete noun |
names of objects that can be touched, heard, smelled, touched, or tasted |
brick, burrito |
abstract noun |
names of ideas or qualities |
love, joy, happiness |
singular noun |
one person, place, thing, or idea |
desk, microphone |
plural noun |
more than one person, place, thing, or idea |
desks, microphones |
collective noun |
name of a group |
family |
compound noun |
Sing noun formed from two or more words |
toothpaste |
possessive noun |
Noun that shows ownership |
teacher’s desk |
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