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Nouns
SINGULAR NOUNS

   horse, plow, sky, land, water, sea (or
    ocean), sun, sunset, plowman, shepherd,
    fisherman, sailor, castle, cliff, city,
    clothing, (farm) equipment, wool, dirt
PLURAL NOUNS

   men, sheep, trees, branches, hooves,
    clothes, animals, mountains, clouds, ships,
    sails, waves, islands, plants (shrubs),
    furrows, shadows
ABSTRACT AND MASS NOUNS

   sunlight, air, water, warmth, quiet, serenit
    y, boredom, business, work, weather, life,
    gravity, wind
COLLECTIVE NOUN

   flock or herd (of sheep)
PROPER NOUN

   Icarus is the name (proper noun) of the
    poor fellow falling out of the sky into the
    water (in the lower right-hand corner of
    the painting we see just his legs), as we
    should know from the title of the
    painting, "Landscape with the Fall of
    Icarus."
WHAT ARE NOUNS?

    Nouns are naming words.
    They name people, places and objects.
    They can also name ideas, emotions,
     qualities and activities.
    Here are some examples of nouns:
    Peter, Elizabeth, driver, sister, friend.
    Bristol, Severn, Brazil, pen, dog, money.
    love, beauty, industry, nature, greed,
     pain.
TYPES OF NOUN
 All nouns can be divided into common and
  proper nouns.
 Common nouns can then be divided into
  countable and uncountable nouns.
 Both countable and uncountable nouns can
  then be further divided into concrete and
  abstract nouns.
 We’ll look at each type in turn.
FIRST, LOOK AGAIN AT THOSE
TYPES AND HOW THEY RELATE.

        proper
                               abstract
nouns
                   countable
                               concrete

        common
                               abstract
                 uncountable
                               concrete
PROPER NOUNS
 Proper nouns start with capital
  letters.
 They are the names of
  people, places, times, organisations
  etc.
 They refer to unique individuals.
 Most are not found in the dictionary.
 They often occur in pairs or groups.
 Here are some examples.
Tony Blair                                   The Jam
                       Oxfam
                                   Coronation Street
               Carly
                         Christmas
   Keynsham                                  John
                       President Bush

                Sony                       Thames

   China                       Coca Cola
             Bridget Jones
                                            Portugal
                The Ford Motor Company
                                             King Henry
     Macbeth
                          Saturn
COMMON NOUNS

  All nouns which are not proper nouns
   are common nouns.
  A few examples: cup, art, paper, work,
   frog, bicycle, atom, family, mind.
  Common nouns are either countable or
   uncountable.
COUNTABLE NOUNS
   Use these tests for countable nouns:
   Countable (or just “count”) nouns can be made
    plural: a tree… two trees; a man… men; a pony…
    ponies.
   In the singular, they may have the article a or
    an: a sausage; an asterisk.
   We ask: How many words/pages/chairs?
   We say: A few minutes/friends/chips?
UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS
   Use these tests for uncountable nouns:
   Uncountable (or non-count) nouns cannot be
    made plural. We cannot say: two funs, three
    advices or five furnitures.
   We never use a or an with them.
   We ask: How much money/time/milk?          (Not
    How many?)
   We say: A little help/effort. (Not A few.)
Like articles, quantifiers are words that
precede and modify nouns. They tell us
how many or how much.

The following quantifiers will work with count
nouns:

   many trees
   a few trees
   few trees
   several trees
   a couple of trees
   none of the trees
The following quantifiers will work
with non-count nouns:

   not much dancing
   a little dancing
   little dancing
   a bit of dancing
   a good deal of dancing
   a great deal of dancing
   no dancing
The following quantifiers will work with
both count and non-count nouns:

   all of the trees/dancing
   some trees/dancing
   most of the trees/dancing
   enough trees/dancing
   a lot of trees/dancing
   lots of trees/dancing
   plenty of trees/dancing
   a lack of trees/dancing
There are, further, so called collective
nouns, which are singular when we think of
them as groups and plural when we think of
the individuals acting within the whole
(which happens sometimes, but not often).


      audience    family   kind
      band        flock    lot
      class       group    [the]
      committee   heap     number
      crowd       herd     public
      dozen       jury     staff
                           team
"A dozen is probably not enough."
But if we're talking partying with our
friends, we could say, "A dozen are
coming over this afternoon."
Note that "the number" is a singular
collective noun. "The number of
applicants is steadily increasing."


"A number," on the other hand, is a plural
form: "There are several students in the
lobby. A number are here to see the
president."
Collective nouns are count nouns
which means they, themselves, can
be pluralized:

a university has several athletic
teams and classes.

the immigrant families kept watch
over their herds and flocks.
a colony of ants
a brood of chickens
a host of angels
a business of ferrets
a murder of crows
a parliament of owls
a school/shoal of fish
a flock of birds
a gaggle/flock of geese
a mob of kangaroos
a fleet of ships
a shiver of sharks
a herd of cows
a flock of sheep
a swarm of bees
a pod of dolphins
a crowd of people
a cloud of gnats
an army of ants
a troop of baboons/monkeys
a bench of magistrates
a flight of stairs
a bunch of bananas
a string of pearls
DUAL CATEGORY NOUNS

    Some nouns may be countable or
     uncountable, depending on how we use
     them.
    We buy a box of chocolates (countable) or
     a bar of chocolate (uncountable).
    We ask: How much time? but How many
     times? (where times = occasions).
    We sit in front of a television (set) to
     watch television (broadcasting).
FIELD-SPECIFIC NOUNS
   Uncountable nouns are often turned into
    countable nouns by specialists in a particular
    field.They become part of the jargon of that
    specialism.
   Grass is usually uncountable but botanists and
    gardeners talk about grasses.
   Linguists sometimes talk about Englishes.
   Financiers refer to moneys or even monies.
   Teas may be used to mean types of tea.
CONCRETE NOUNS
   Concrete nouns are the words that most people
    think of as nouns.
   They are mostly the names of objects and
    animals (countable) and substances or materials
    (uncountable).
   Cake, oxygen, iron, boy, dog, pen, glass,
    pomegranate, earthworm and door are all
    concrete nouns.
ABSTRACT NOUNS
 Abstract nouns name ideas, feelings and
  qualities.
 Most, though not all, are uncountable.
 Many are derived from adjectives and
  verbs and have characteristic endings
  such as –ity, -ness, -ence, and -tion.
 They are harder to recognise as nouns
  than the concrete variety.
ABSTRACT NOUN OR ADJECTIVE
 You won’t confuse abstract nouns with
  adjectives, as long as you apply a few
  tests.
 Happy is an adjective. It behaves like one:
  very happy; so happy; happier; as happy as
 Happiness behaves like a noun: The
  happiness I feel; her happiness; great
  happiness.
A few more examples
Verb or adjective     Abstract noun
We were different     The difference
from each other.      between us.
My work is precise.   I work with precision.

The air is pure.      The purity of the air.
I composed this       This tune is my
tune.                 composition.
It is so beautiful.   It has such beauty.
You support me.       The support you give me.
IRREGULAR PLURALS
   Some nouns retain plural endings from Old
    English:
   Men, geese, mice, oxen, feet, teeth, knives.
   Loan words from Latin, Greek, French and
    Italian sometimes keep their native ending:
   Media, bacteria, formulae, larvae, criteria,
    phenomena, gateaux.
   Graffiti, an Italian plural, is now an uncountable
    noun in English.
Sources:

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/noun_exercise2.htm

www.worldofteaching.com

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Nouns

  • 2. SINGULAR NOUNS  horse, plow, sky, land, water, sea (or ocean), sun, sunset, plowman, shepherd, fisherman, sailor, castle, cliff, city, clothing, (farm) equipment, wool, dirt
  • 3. PLURAL NOUNS  men, sheep, trees, branches, hooves, clothes, animals, mountains, clouds, ships, sails, waves, islands, plants (shrubs), furrows, shadows
  • 4. ABSTRACT AND MASS NOUNS  sunlight, air, water, warmth, quiet, serenit y, boredom, business, work, weather, life, gravity, wind
  • 5. COLLECTIVE NOUN  flock or herd (of sheep)
  • 6. PROPER NOUN  Icarus is the name (proper noun) of the poor fellow falling out of the sky into the water (in the lower right-hand corner of the painting we see just his legs), as we should know from the title of the painting, "Landscape with the Fall of Icarus."
  • 7. WHAT ARE NOUNS?  Nouns are naming words.  They name people, places and objects.  They can also name ideas, emotions, qualities and activities.  Here are some examples of nouns:  Peter, Elizabeth, driver, sister, friend.  Bristol, Severn, Brazil, pen, dog, money.  love, beauty, industry, nature, greed, pain.
  • 8. TYPES OF NOUN  All nouns can be divided into common and proper nouns.  Common nouns can then be divided into countable and uncountable nouns.  Both countable and uncountable nouns can then be further divided into concrete and abstract nouns.  We’ll look at each type in turn.
  • 9. FIRST, LOOK AGAIN AT THOSE TYPES AND HOW THEY RELATE. proper abstract nouns countable concrete common abstract uncountable concrete
  • 10. PROPER NOUNS  Proper nouns start with capital letters.  They are the names of people, places, times, organisations etc.  They refer to unique individuals.  Most are not found in the dictionary.  They often occur in pairs or groups.  Here are some examples.
  • 11. Tony Blair The Jam Oxfam Coronation Street Carly Christmas Keynsham John President Bush Sony Thames China Coca Cola Bridget Jones Portugal The Ford Motor Company King Henry Macbeth Saturn
  • 12. COMMON NOUNS  All nouns which are not proper nouns are common nouns.  A few examples: cup, art, paper, work, frog, bicycle, atom, family, mind.  Common nouns are either countable or uncountable.
  • 13. COUNTABLE NOUNS  Use these tests for countable nouns:  Countable (or just “count”) nouns can be made plural: a tree… two trees; a man… men; a pony… ponies.  In the singular, they may have the article a or an: a sausage; an asterisk.  We ask: How many words/pages/chairs?  We say: A few minutes/friends/chips?
  • 14. UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS  Use these tests for uncountable nouns:  Uncountable (or non-count) nouns cannot be made plural. We cannot say: two funs, three advices or five furnitures.  We never use a or an with them.  We ask: How much money/time/milk? (Not How many?)  We say: A little help/effort. (Not A few.)
  • 15. Like articles, quantifiers are words that precede and modify nouns. They tell us how many or how much. The following quantifiers will work with count nouns: many trees a few trees few trees several trees a couple of trees none of the trees
  • 16. The following quantifiers will work with non-count nouns: not much dancing a little dancing little dancing a bit of dancing a good deal of dancing a great deal of dancing no dancing
  • 17. The following quantifiers will work with both count and non-count nouns: all of the trees/dancing some trees/dancing most of the trees/dancing enough trees/dancing a lot of trees/dancing lots of trees/dancing plenty of trees/dancing a lack of trees/dancing
  • 18. There are, further, so called collective nouns, which are singular when we think of them as groups and plural when we think of the individuals acting within the whole (which happens sometimes, but not often). audience family kind band flock lot class group [the] committee heap number crowd herd public dozen jury staff team
  • 19. "A dozen is probably not enough." But if we're talking partying with our friends, we could say, "A dozen are coming over this afternoon."
  • 20. Note that "the number" is a singular collective noun. "The number of applicants is steadily increasing." "A number," on the other hand, is a plural form: "There are several students in the lobby. A number are here to see the president."
  • 21. Collective nouns are count nouns which means they, themselves, can be pluralized: a university has several athletic teams and classes. the immigrant families kept watch over their herds and flocks.
  • 22. a colony of ants a brood of chickens a host of angels a business of ferrets a murder of crows a parliament of owls a school/shoal of fish a flock of birds a gaggle/flock of geese a mob of kangaroos a fleet of ships a shiver of sharks
  • 23. a herd of cows a flock of sheep a swarm of bees a pod of dolphins a crowd of people a cloud of gnats an army of ants a troop of baboons/monkeys a bench of magistrates a flight of stairs a bunch of bananas a string of pearls
  • 24. DUAL CATEGORY NOUNS  Some nouns may be countable or uncountable, depending on how we use them.  We buy a box of chocolates (countable) or a bar of chocolate (uncountable).  We ask: How much time? but How many times? (where times = occasions).  We sit in front of a television (set) to watch television (broadcasting).
  • 25. FIELD-SPECIFIC NOUNS  Uncountable nouns are often turned into countable nouns by specialists in a particular field.They become part of the jargon of that specialism.  Grass is usually uncountable but botanists and gardeners talk about grasses.  Linguists sometimes talk about Englishes.  Financiers refer to moneys or even monies.  Teas may be used to mean types of tea.
  • 26. CONCRETE NOUNS  Concrete nouns are the words that most people think of as nouns.  They are mostly the names of objects and animals (countable) and substances or materials (uncountable).  Cake, oxygen, iron, boy, dog, pen, glass, pomegranate, earthworm and door are all concrete nouns.
  • 27. ABSTRACT NOUNS  Abstract nouns name ideas, feelings and qualities.  Most, though not all, are uncountable.  Many are derived from adjectives and verbs and have characteristic endings such as –ity, -ness, -ence, and -tion.  They are harder to recognise as nouns than the concrete variety.
  • 28. ABSTRACT NOUN OR ADJECTIVE  You won’t confuse abstract nouns with adjectives, as long as you apply a few tests.  Happy is an adjective. It behaves like one: very happy; so happy; happier; as happy as  Happiness behaves like a noun: The happiness I feel; her happiness; great happiness.
  • 29. A few more examples Verb or adjective Abstract noun We were different The difference from each other. between us. My work is precise. I work with precision. The air is pure. The purity of the air. I composed this This tune is my tune. composition. It is so beautiful. It has such beauty. You support me. The support you give me.
  • 30. IRREGULAR PLURALS  Some nouns retain plural endings from Old English:  Men, geese, mice, oxen, feet, teeth, knives.  Loan words from Latin, Greek, French and Italian sometimes keep their native ending:  Media, bacteria, formulae, larvae, criteria, phenomena, gateaux.  Graffiti, an Italian plural, is now an uncountable noun in English.