All about Nouns

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

Common Nouns name kinds of people, places or things (not specific ones)

Examples

girl, valley, continent, cave, city, school, bat, company

Proper Nouns name specific people, places, or things

Examples

Bob Smith, Mount Rushmore, Texas, Black Sea, Nike, Leaning Tower of Pisa

Abstract Nouns are nouns that you can't perceive with your five senses such as ideas or qualities

Examples

peace, poverty, sorrow, self-esteem, hate, terror, dreams, social studies, freedom, hope

Countable Nouns are nouns that you can count

Examples

chair, puppy, game, truck, city, novel, iPad, cup, voice, radio,

marker, Stan, piano, strawberry

Non-count Nouns are nouns that can’t be counted

Examples

grass, sand, hair, grain, snow, trash, art, ice

Compound Nouns are made up of two or more words (words may or may not be hyphenated)

Examples

whiteboard, eyelash, New Jersey, baseball, ponytail, sunbeam, granddaughter, raindrop

Collective Nouns refer to things or people as a unit or group

Examples

committee, police, government, board, class, team, swarm, congregation, herd, pack, brood

Singular Nouns name one person, place, thing, or idea

Examples

TV, telephone, bench, lamp, fork, rug, cabinet, teacher, surgeon, valley, school, pride, silence

Plural Nouns name two or more people, places, things, or ideas

Examples

tents, canaries, oxen, foxes, teeth, valleys, knives, geese, waltzes, fish, trees, joys

Rules for Plural NounsGenerally add “s” = cat > cats

Ends in “s” add “es” = glass > glasses

Ends in “ch” add “es” = church > churches

Ends in “sh” add “es” = bush > bushes

Ends in “x” add “es” = fox > foxes

Ends in “z” add “es” = waltz > waltzes

Ends in vowel “y” add “s” = boy > boys

Ends in consonant “y” change to “ies” = fly > flies

Note: there are some irregular plurals

Possessive Nounsshow ownership or possession

Examples

Nancy’s, bird’s, birds’, strawberry’s, strawberries’, fox’s, foxes’, child’s, children’s

Singular Possessive Nouns

show ONE person, place, thing, or idea owning or possessing something

Forming a singular possessive noun:

No matter what the ending of the noun is, just add an apostrophe and then an “s”

Examples

Fred’s dog, teacher’s pen, dog’s bone, toy’s battery

Plural Possessive Nounsshow TWO or MORE people, places, things, or ideas owning or possessing something

Forming a plural possessive noun:

1. make the noun plural

2. check the ending

3. if the plural form ends in “s”, only add an apostrophe EX: cats = cats’

4. if the plural does NOT end in “s”, add both an apostrophe and then an “s” EX: mice = mice’s

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