Noun-An Introduction
DefinitionA noun is a name (of anything). e.g. Ram, elephant, pain, pleasure, cricket, bouquet, rice, etc. Kinds of Nouns Kinds of NounsWay of identificationExamplesExceptionProper NounDenoting a particular person, place or thing.Only one in the worldCannot be made plural.Article a or an cannot be used with them.Always starts with a capital letter.Only singular verb is used with them.Mohan, Italy, the Ganga, etc.Many Egypts can be contained in India.He is a Sachin of our team.Common NounDenoting a class of objects.More than one in the worldCan be made plural.Article a or an can be used with them.Either singular or plural verb can be used.tree, mango, river, country, etc.Man is a social animal. Collective NounDenoting several persons or things regarded as one group.Article a or an can be used with them.Can be made plural.Either singular or plural verb can be used.bunch, jury, class, committee, etc. Material NounDenoting a substance of which things are made. Can be made plural.Article a or an cannot be used with them.Only singular verb is used with them.gold, mud, silk, rice, paper, etc.Many teas are sold in this shop.( Kinds of teas )Please, give me a coffee. (a cup of coffee)Abstract NounDenoting a quality, action or state.Cannot be made plural.Article a or an cannot be used with them. Cannot be seen, touched, etc.Only singular verb is used with them.kindness, goodness, truth, honesty, pain, etc.He has done many kindnesses in his life.(Kind acts) Q. Point out the Nouns in the following sentences, and say whether they are Common, Proper, Collective, Material or Abstract.The crowd was very big.Fish live in water.Fish is good for food.Our class consists of twenty people.Without health there is no happiness.I recognized your voice at once.Tea is a pleasant drink.The Godavari overflows its banks every year.The streets of some of our cities are noted for their crookedness.Tenali Ram was famous for his wisdom. In modern English there are only three kinds of Nouns. They are: ClassificationExamplesWay of identificationCountable Nouns or Count Nounstree, animal, city, bunch, garland, bouquet, etc. Article a or an can be used with them.Can be made plural.Either singular or plural verb can be used.Uncountable Nouns or Uncount Noun or Mass Nounswater, coffee, iron,, furniture, food, pain, etc. Cannot be made plural.Article a or an cannot be used with them.Only singular verb is used with them.Proper NounsDelhi, Ramdhari Singh Dinkar, Mount Everest, etc.Denoting a particular person, place or thing.Cannot be made plural.Article a or an cannot be used with them.Always start with a capital letter.Only singular verb is used with them. Formation of Abstract Nouns Here are some suffixes that are attached with some words to make them Abstract Nouns.SuffixWordsacyprivateagebreak, short marry, pass, carry, wastealarrive, dismiss, bury, tryanceassist, abounddomfree, wiseenceabsent, innocent, patient, excellent, obedient, presenthoodboy, child, false, child, manityequal, moral, real, timid active, clear, generous, noble, human, popular, stupid, able, brief, curious, necessary, stableicecoward, justmentagree, merry, pay, treat, appoint, move, punishnessblind, hard, holy, cheap, largeshipfriend, hardsiondecide, omit, invade, providethbear, deep, grow, long, true, young, broad, die, heal, strong, widetionact, attract, invent, perfect, protect, deceive, destroy, educate, imagine, introduce, invite, receive, repeattycertain, cruel, loyal, anxious OthersWordAbstract Noun bindbond choosechoice do deed feedfood flyflight gogait highheight knowknowledge lendloan loseloss practisepractice proveproof shakeshock strikestroke weighweight believebelief bravebravery departdeparture failfailure flowflood givegift hatehatred hotheat laughlaughter livelife pleasepleasure proudpride seesight sitseat speakspeech thinkthought Abstract Nouns of the same form as VerbsVerbAbstract Nouncrycrydesiredesirefallfallfearfearhopehopelaughlaughlovelovemovemoveorderorderregretregretriderideriseriserunrunsleepsleepsobsobstandstandstaystaystepstepstopstoptastetastetouchtouchwalkwalk Q. Fill in the blanks with the noun form of the words given in the brackets.An ___________________ was signed between the landlord and the tenant. (agree)The spectators burst into _______________ at the ______________ of the clown. (laugh, see)Chandragupta Vikramaditya is famous for his ________________.(just)The factory faced an acute _________________ of raw material. (short)There is no ______________________ in this office. (vacant)She listened to the whole story with great ___________________. (patient) After the wedding they gave a grand ______________________. (receive)The country cannot progress unless there is _________________ among citizens. (union)__________________ can be achieved only through _________________. (perfect, practice)When I was passing from the street I heard a ____________________. (cry) Collective NounsAn album of photographsAn army/troop/battalion/regiment of soldiersA bench of judgesA bevy of beautiful girls/ladiesA board of examiners, directorsA brood of chickens (hatched at the same time)A bunch / bouquet of flowersA bunch of grapes/bananas/keysA bundle of sticksA catch of fish ( taken in the net)A chain of events / mountainsA chest of drawersA clump of treesA clutch of eggsA constellation / galaxy of starsA congregation of pilgrims/worshippersA crew of sailorsA fleet of ships / carsA flight of birds / stairsA flock of sheep/birdsA gang of burglars / dacoitsA gaggle of geeseA grove of treesA herd of cattle / swine / goatsA library of booksA litter of pigs / puppiesAn orchard of fruit treesA pack of hounds/ wolves/ thieves / cardsA pride of lionsA set of toolsA sheaf of arrowsA shoal of fishA stack of wood / hay / booksA string of pearlsA stock of goods A suite of rooms A swarm of bees A team of players / oxen / horses A troupe of artists / dancers / acrobats A tuft of grassGender There are four kinds of genders in English. They are:Nouns denoting Males - Masculine Gender Nouns denoting females - Feminine Gender Nouns denoting animals or man of either sex - Common GenderNouns denoting things of neither sex, i.e. without life - Neuter Gender GenderExamplesMasculineman, horse, brother, father, uncle, husband, etc.Femininewoman, mare, sister, mother, aunt, wife, etc.Commonteacher, student, president, child, cousin, enemy, person, monarch, baby, servant, friend, etc.Neuterwood, rock, hill, pen, book, table, etc. MasculineFemininebachelorspinster or maidboarsowboygirlbrothersisterbuckdoebull or oxcowbullockheifercockhencoltfillydogbitchdrakeduckdronebeefathermothergandergoosegentleman ladyhorsemarehusbandwifekingqueenlordLadyman womannephewniecepapamammaram ewesirmadamsondaughterstaghinduncleauntwizardwitchbull-calfcow-calfbuck-rabbitdoe-rabbitcock-sparrowhen-sparrowhe-goatshe-goatjack-assshe-ass, jenny-assman-servantmaid-servantgrand-fathergrand-mothergreat-unclegreat-auntland-lordland-ladydairy-mandairy-maidwasher-manwasher-womangodgoddesslionlionessheirheiresspoetpoetessactoractressdirectordirectresswaiterwaitressabbotabbessmaster (boy)miss (girl)dukeduchessMr. Mrs.governorgovernessladlassmastermistresssorcerersorceressbridegroombridewidowerwidowfoxvixenczarczarinahero heroine Gender of Personified ThingsInanimate objects or qualities are sometimes spoken of as if they were persons. They are then said to be ‘personified’. Such things are regarded as male or female, and hence the nouns expressing them can be Masculine or Feminine. As a general rule things remarkable for strength, greatness, superiority, etc. are regarded as males; as, the Sun, Summer, Winter, Ocean, Thunder, Wind, Death, War, Time, etc.The Sun sheds his bright light on all alike.Death lays his icy hand on kings. On the other hand, states or qualities expressed by Abstract Nouns and whatever is supposed to possess beauty, fertility, grace, inferiority, etc., are regarded as females, as, the Earth, Spring, Hope, Virtue, Truth, Justice, Pride, Mercy, Peace, Modesty, liberty, Jealousy, etc.Love virtue, she alone is free.The ship lost all her crew.Case The relation in which a noun or noun equivalent stands to some other word or the change of form by which this relation is indicated, is called the Case. There are five cases in English. They are: CaseWay of identificationExamplesNominative CaseThe subject to a verb or Subjective ComplementRain falls. Mr. Sharma is a doctor. Accusative CaseDirect Object or the object of a prepositionThe cat killed a rat. Dative CaseIndirect ObjectMr. Gomes gave me a pen.Vocative Case The nouns that are addressedSit down, boys.Ram, come here.Genitive / Possessive CaseThe nouns that shows some relationship or ownership. It is normally formed by adding apostrophe s (‘s)Gopal’s bookA day’s journeyGirls’ college Use of the Genitive Case1. The Genitive or Possessive Case is now used chiefly with the names of living things; as, the Governor’s bodyguard; the lion’s mane2. Nouns denoting inanimate objects are seldom put in Genitive Case.The table’s legs ( incorrect ); the legs of the table ( correct )The house’s roof ( incorrect ); the roof of the house ( correct )The garden’s fruit ( incorrect ); the fruit of the garden ( correct )3. After all Plural Nouns ending in s the apostrophe s ( ‘s ) is omitted as,Horses’ tails; boys’ school; the Teachers’ Day, etc.4. When the noun is plural but does not end in s, the Possessive sign is formed by adding ‘s, as,Men’s club; children’s book, etc.5. The Genitive or Possessive Case was once used with any kind of Noun; but it is now usually restricted to those shown below:Nouns denoting persons, as, Gopal’s book; a man’s foot, etc.Nouns denoting any kind of living thing, as,A cat’s tail; a horse’s head; a bird’s feathers, etc.Nouns denoting Personified things, as, Sorrow’s tears; India’s heroes; nature’s laws, etc.Nouns denoting time or space, or weight or value, as,Time – a day’s journey; a month’s holiday; three weeks’ leave; a year’s absence, etc.Space – a boat’s length; a hair’s breadth; a razor’s edge; a stone’s throw, etc.Value – a shilling’s worth; five pounds’ worth, etc.Nouns signifying some dignified objects, as,Earth’s creatures; the soul’s delight; heaven’s will; the law’s delays; the mind’s eye, etc.In some common phrases, as,Out of harm’s way; at his wit’s end; for mercy’s sake; to his heart’s content; at his finger’s end, etc. 6. When one Genitive or Possessive Case is in apposition with another, the apostrophe s is added only to one of the nouns, not to both, as, Kabir, the captain’s century, guided our team to victory.7. When two nouns are closely connected, the apostrophe is added only to the second; as,It happened during William and Mary’s reign.8. The ’s is added to the last word of a phrase when the phrase is regarded as a Compound Noun and denotes some person or persons, as, The Government of India’s order; my son-in-law’s house; the King of Bhutan’s speech, etc.9. A noun denoting some kind of place or building is sometimes omitted after a Noun in the Genitive Case, as,I will see you at the barber’s. ( barber’s shop )Tonight I am dining at my uncle’s. ( uncle’s house )He attends St. Xavier’s. ( St. Xavier’s School )10. ‘A picture of Sir Winston Churchill’ means a picture presenting a likeness of Sir Winston Churchill. But ‘ a picture of Sir Winston Churchill’s’ means:A picture owned by him;A picture painted by him.Number An English Noun exhibits a two-way distinction of Number: a Singular form, denoting one of something, and a Plural form, denoting two or more. Here are the guidelines for creating Plural Nouns. Add –s to form the plural of most nouns. boy : boys girl : girls computer : computersAdd –es if the noun ends in –s, -sh, -ch, or –x. class : classes wish : wishes inch : inches box : boxesIf a noun ends in consonant + y, change the –y to –i, and add –es. city : cities lady : ladiesIf a noun ends in vowel + y, add –s. Words ending in –quy don’t follow this rule (as in soliloquies) essay : essays monkey : monkeysAdd –s to most nouns ending in –f. brief : briefs chief : chiefs proof : proofsExceptions: In some cases, change the –f to –v and add –es self : selves wolf : wolves leaf : leavesTo change a Singular Compound Noun into its Plural form, we add –s to the Principal word. With some Compound Nouns, -s is added to the first part. Examples are given below. commander-in-chief : commanders-in-chief father-in-law : fathers-in-law sister-in-law : sisters-in-law son-in-law : sons-in-law lady-in-waiting : ladies-in-waiting looker-on : lookers-on man-of-war : men-of-war hanger-on : hangers-on knight-errant : knights-errant Some Compound Nouns form their Plurals by adding –s to the last part. Examples are given below. fountain pen : fountain pens boy friend : boy friends maid-servant : maid-servants poet-laureate : poet-laureates step-son : step-sons assistant director : assistant directors lieutenant-governor : lieutenant governors Names and their polite titles have the following plural forms: miss Smith : the Miss Smiths OR the Misses Smith Mr. Brown : the Mr. Browns OR the Messrs Brown Mr. : Messrs There are four Compound Nouns which take a double Plural; as, man-servant : men-servants woman-servant : women-servants knight-templar : knights-templers lord-justice : lords-justices Note: The words spoonful and handful becomes spoonfuls and handfuls in Plural and are written without hyphen. Foreign Plurals alumnus : alumni analysis : analyses agendum : agenda appendix : appendices, appendixes focus : foci, focuses formula : formulae, formulas index : indices, indexes axis : axes basis : bases crisis : crises criterion : criteria curriculum : curricula datum : data ellipse : ellipses gymnasium : gymnasia terminus : termini, terminuses memorandum : memoranda phenomenon : phenomena radius : radii, radiuses syllabus : syllabi, syllabuses thesis : theses analysis : analyses axis : axes bacterium : bacteria parenthesis : parenthesesIrregular PluralsSome nouns change their spelling when they become plural. child : children foot : feet goose : geese louse : lice man : men mouse : mice ox : oxen tooth : teeth woman : women Plural of figuresThe only plurals formed with apostrophes are the plurals of numbers, letters, and words highlighted as words.Here are some examples: How many 3’s are there in 32333? Mind your p’s and q’s. Expressions that take singular verbsSome common expressions take singular verbs even though they may contain a plural noun. Examples are: bacon and eggs; cheese and biscuits; fish and chips, etc. Bacon and eggs was served for breakfast. Where is cheese and biscuits? Fish and chips is popular in England. Nouns that do not have a plural formNot all nouns have a plural form: for example, furniture, wheat, dust, news, advice, information, luggage, bread, trouble, scenery, etc. normally have only a singular form. The scenery here is good. (NOT The sceneries here are good.)I have lost my furniture. (NOT…my furnitures.)We have received no information. (NOT … no informations)He told his mother this news. (NOT … these news)There is no bread in this shop. OR There are no loaves in this shop. (NOT …There are no breads in this shop.)Please excuse me for the trouble I have caused. (NOT ….for the troubles I have caused.)He wrote very good poetry. (NOT….very good poetries or a very good poetry) These four children are my offspring. (NOT…offsprings)He covered me abuse without any provocation. (NOT…abuses)The old folk have gone. (NOT… old folks)He had no issue. (NOT… issues) Note: when ‘abuse’ is used in the sense of wrong use, the plural is ‘abuses’. When more than one language is spoken of, the plural of ‘alphabet’ is ‘alphabets’. When ‘issue’ means result, its plural is ‘issues’. We also say ’legal Issues’. In the sense of relations the plural of ‘folk’ may be ‘folk’ or ‘folks’, ‘my own folk’- ‘the old folks at home’. Nouns Singular in form but used in Plural SenseThere are some nouns which are Singular in form but used in Plural Sense, as, Cattle : These cattle are mine. Gentry : The landed gentry were once wealthy. People : Nearly all the people have returned home. Swine : Herds of swine lived in the forest. Vermin : These vermin do much harm. Police : The police have caught the notorious thief last night.Note: When ‘people’ is used in the sense of ‘nation’, the plural is ‘peoples’; as, Many different peoples live in Europe. Nouns plural in form but used in Singular SenseThere following nouns are plural in form but used in singular sense; as, means, news, innings, politics, mathematics, physics, economics, etc. Means : by this means; This is my one means of escape. News : Ill news runs apace; This news is not true. Innings : Our eleven beat the other by an innings and ten runs. Mathematics : Mathematics is his favourite subject. Note: But where ‘means’ has the meaning of ‘wealth’, it is always Plural; as, Though my means were small, still I helped her. It is correct to say – My mathematics are bad; What are his politics? The economics of the situation have yet to be explored. Group of words represents a singular subjectWhen a group of words containing a plural noun represents a single subject, we use a singular verb; as, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is my favourite novel.The Crusades is a book that comes in two volumes.Memories of the War is worth reading. Nouns which have only a plural formInstruments or tools: arms (weapons), bellows, fetters, pincers, scissors, tongs, binoculars, etc.Articles of dress: breeches, drawers, trappings, trousers, pants, shorts, etc.Kinds of disease: measles, mumps, staggers, gripes, etc.Parts of the body: bowels, entrails, intestines, etc.Miscellaneous words: annals, dregs, nuptials, statistics, thanks, wages, credentials, alms, riches, odds, etc. Note: We cannot say a pant or a cattle, and we must say instead a pair of pants or a herd of cattle.Pants mean underclothes covering the upper part of the leg. Trousers means outer garment for the legs, reaching from waist to ankles. Employees should wear white trousers. (NOT …white pants) Identical Singular and PluralWith some nouns, the plural is identical to the singular. Examples are: Sheep, deer, swine, fish, yoke, dozen, score, hundred, thousand, salmon, etc. This sheep is hungry; These sheep are hungry. There are six hundred students in our school. I bought this car for ten thousand rupees. I bought four dozen bananas. Collective NounsCollective nouns take a singular verb if you are talking of the group as a whole. They take a plural verb if you are talking about individuals within the group. Compare: The team is on the field; The team are changing. The class is a bright one; The class are a mixed lot. His family is living in that house; His family are living in various parts of Sydney. The jury is in the courtroom; The jury are still debating the case.Countable Nouns as AdjectivesWhen a Countable Noun is used as an Adjective it is always used as Singular; as, a ten rupee note; a three foot rule; a six year old boy; five dozen bananas; twelve kilogram weight, etc. Nouns which have two PluralsNounTwo Pluralsbrotherbrothers (sons of the same mother); brethren (members of the same society)clothcloths (kinds or pieces of cloth); clothes (articles of dress)diedies (stamps for coinage); dice (small cubes used in games)geniusgeniuses (men of genius or talent); genii (fabulous spirits of the air)indexindexes (tables of contents); indices (signs used in algebra)staffstaves (sticks or poles); staffs (departments in the army, or salaried employees)shotshots (little balls discharged from a gun or an attempt to hit by shooting); shots (marksmen or photographic recordings.) Nouns which have one meaning in the Singular and another in the PluralSingularPluraladvice (counsel)advices (information)beef (flesh of ox)beeves (cattle, bulls and cows)compass (range or extent)compasses (an instrument for drawing circles or finding directions)good (benefit) goods (moveable property)iron (a metal)irons (fetters made of iron)return (coming back)returns (the proceeds or profit of an undertaking)vesper (evening)vespers (evening prayers)sand (a kind of matter)sands (a tract of sandy land)force (strength or energy)forces (armed men)air (atmosphere)airs (assumed demeanour)Nouns which have one meaning in the Singular and two in the PluralSingularPluralcolour (colour) colours (kinds of colour; flag or regiment)custom (habit) customs (habits; toll or tax)letter (of alphabet or epistle)letters (of alphabet; epistles; learning)pain (suffering)pains (sufferings; trouble)effect (result) effects (results; goods and chattels)manner (mode or way)manners (modes or ways; behaviours)number (as in counting)numbers (as in counting; metre of poetry)spectacle (anything seen)spectacles (things seen; glasses)premise (statement or proposition)premises (propositions; houses and grounds)quarter (a fourth part) quarters (fourth parts; lodgings)
