NOUN
A noun is a word that refers to a person, place, thing, or idea. Nouns can serve as the subject, direct object, indirect object, subject complement, object complement, appositive, or adjective in a sentence.
Types of Nouns
Nouns make up a large portion of the English vocabulary and come in a variety of forms. Nouns can be used to identify people:
Albert Einstein the president
mother a girl
Nouns can also be used to name places:
Mount Vesuvius Disneyland
my room New York
Nouns can also be used to name things, though they may be intangible things such as concepts, activities, or processes. Some may even be hypothetical or fictitious.
shoe faucet
freedom The Elder Wand
basketball independence
Common Nouns vs. Proper Nouns
A crucial distinction is whether a noun is a proper noun or a common noun. A proper noun is the name of a specific person, place, or thing that is always capitalized.
Tina, do you have a lot of homework to do this evening?
Tina is the name of a specific individual.
I'd like to go to Old Faithful.
The name Old Faithful refers to a geological phenomenon.
A common noun, also known as a generic noun, is the inverse of a proper noun. A common noun is the generic name of a class or group of items that is not capitalized unless it appears at the beginning of a sentence or in a title.
The young lady crossed the river.
Young lady is a common noun; we do not learn the girl's identity from reading this sentence, but we do learn the action she takes. In this sentence, river is also a common noun.
Types of Common Nouns
Concrete nouns, abstract nouns, and collective nouns are the three subtypes of common or generic nouns. A concrete noun is something that can be perceived by the senses; it is something physical or real.
The doorbell rang.
My keyboard has become sticky.
The doorbell and keyboard are real and can be felt.
An abstract noun, on the other hand, is something that cannot be perceived through the senses.
We can't imagine how brave that must have been.
Brave is an amorphous noun. Brave cannot be seen, heard, or felt in any other way, but we are aware that it exists.
A collective noun is a term that refers to a group or collection of people or things.
That pack of lies is disgraceful.
The term "pack of lies" refers to a group of lies. Collective nouns take a singular verb as if they are one entity - in this case, is.
A lion pride prowled the savanna.
A lion pride is also a collective noun.
Nouns as Subjects
Every sentence must have a subject, which must always be a noun. The person, place, or thing doing or being the verb in a sentence is the subject of that sentence.
Maria is pleased.
The subject of this sentence is Maria, and the corresponding verb is a form of to be (is).
Nouns as Objects
In a sentence, nouns can also be the objects of verbs. An object can be either a direct object (a noun that receives the subject's action) or an indirect object (a noun that is the recipient of a direct object).
Give her the books.
Books are the direct object (what is given), and her is the indirect object (who the books are being given to).
Nouns as Subject and Object Complements
A subject complement is another type of noun use. The noun teacher is used as a subject complement in this example.
Mary works as a teacher.
Subject complements are typically used after linking verbs such as be, become, or appear. Mary works as a teacher.
An object complement is a related usage of nouns.
I now declare you husband and wife.
In this sentence, the nouns husband and wife serve as object complements. Making, naming, or creating verbs are frequently followed by object complements.
Appositive Nouns and Nouns as Modifiers
An appositive noun is a noun that comes immediately after another noun to further define or identify it.
Michael, my younger brother, is six years old.
Michael is an appositive here, identifying the sentence's subject, my brother.
Nouns can also be used adjectivally at times.
He has lightning-speed reflexes.
Speed is normally a noun, but here it is used as an adjective to describe a demon.
Plural nouns
Plural nouns, as opposed to collective nouns, necessitate plural verbs. Although there are many exceptions, many English plural nouns can be formed by adding -s or -es to the singular form.
cat—cats
Both of these cats are black.
Take note of the plural verb are.
tax—taxes
house—houses
Countable Nouns vs. Uncountable Nouns
Countable nouns are nouns that can be counted, even if the number is extremely large (like counting all the people in the world). A/an, the, some, any, a few, and many are all countable nouns.
Here's a picture of a cat.
Cat is both singular and countable.
Here are a few pictures of cats.
Here are some pictures of cats.
Uncountable nouns are nouns that exist in an uncountable state or quantity; liquids are uncountable, as are things that behave like liquids (sand, air). They are always singular and can be used with some, any, a little, and a lot.
An IQ test assesses intelligence.
Intelligence is a noun that cannot be counted.
Students appear to have little homework these days.
Because this example refers to an unknown, unquantifiable amount of homework, homework is an uncountable noun.
Possessive Nouns
Possessive nouns are nouns that have something in their possession. The apostrophe distinguishes a possessive noun; most nouns show the possessive with an apostrophe and an s.
The cat's toy had gone missing.
The toy is owned by the cat, as indicated by the's at the end of cat.
The same format is often used when a singular noun ends in the letters s or z. However, this is a matter of style, and some style guides advise leaving out the extra s.
I've been invited to dinner at the boss's house.
Mrs. Sanchez's coat remains on the back of her chair.
To form a possessive, plural nouns ending in s require only an apostrophe.
My nieces' prom gowns were stunning.
