Nouns

Grammar Lesson: Nouns

Introduction

What do you think of when you hear the word “noun”? Maybe you think of a person, a place, a thing, or an idea. Maybe you think of a word that starts with a capital letter. Maybe you think of a word that can have an -s or an -'s at the end. These are all true, but there is much more to nouns than that. In this grammar lesson, you will learn about the different types, characteristics, and uses of nouns in English.

Definition

Nouns are words that name people, places, things, or ideas.

Types of nouns

There are two main types of nouns: common nouns and proper nouns.

• Common nouns are words that name any person, place, thing, or idea. They are not capitalised unless they begin a sentence or are part of a title. Examples: book, girl, gold, information.
• Proper nouns are words that name a specific person, place, thing, or idea. They are always capitalised. Examples: Sarah, Oslo, Microsoft.

Characteristics of nouns

Nouns have the following characteristics:

A. Morphological

Nouns can change their form to show different meanings. They can have:

• Plural number: This means more than one. Most nouns add -s or -es to form the plural. Examples: one book -> two books; one box -> two boxes.
• Genitive case: This shows possession or ownership. Most nouns add -‘s or -’ to form the genitive. Examples: Sarah’s book; the students’ books.
• Some nouns are uncountable, which means they cannot have a plural form or a genitive form. They usually refer to substances or abstract ideas. Examples: gold, information, love.

Nouns can also be formed by combining different parts of speech. They can have:

• Compound nouns: These are nouns that are made up of two or more words. The words can be joined together or separated by a hyphen or a space. Examples: bombshell, bridgehead, clothesline.
• Derivational suffixes: These are endings that are added to other words to make nouns. Examples: sing + er -> singer; bright + ness -> brightness; friend + ship -> friendship.

B. Syntactic

Nouns can function as the main word in a noun phrase. A noun phrase is a group of words that acts like a noun in a sentence. It can have modifiers before and after the noun. Examples: [a new book about the cold war], [the ugliest person you’ve ever seen].

The noun phrase can have different roles in a sentence, such as:

• Subject: This is the person or thing that does the action or is described in the sentence. Example: [The new book] is very interesting.
• Object: This is the person or thing that receives the action or is affected by it in the sentence. Example: I bought [a new book] yesterday.
• Complement: This is the word or phrase that gives more information about the subject or object in the sentence. Example: She is [my best friend].
• Modifier: This is the word or phrase that modifies another noun in the sentence. Example: He works at [the Microsoft office].

C. Semantic

Nouns can have different meanings depending on what they refer to. They can be:

• Concrete: These are nouns that refer to physical entities that can be seen, touched, heard, smelled, or tasted. Examples: book, friend, iron.
• Abstract: These are nouns that refer to non-physical entities that cannot be perceived by the senses. They usually refer to qualities, states, actions, or concepts. Examples: freedom, wish, friendship.

Wrap-up

Nouns are the stars of the show in English. They give names to everything we see, hear, feel, and think. They come in different shapes, sizes, colours, and flavours. They can play different roles and have different meanings. Mastering nouns is the key to unlocking the power of language.