THE NOUNS

THE NOUNS

          

                                 

Kinds of Nouns:

Common Nouns – They are names of people (e.g.

man), things (e.g. books), animals (e.g. monkey) and

places (church).

Proper Nouns – They are special names of people (e.g. George ), things (e.g. Financial Times), animals (e.g. King Kong) and places (e.g. Paris). A propernoun begins with a Capital Letter.

Abstract Nouns – An abstract noun is the name of something that we can only think of or feel but cannot see (e.g. friendship).

Collective Nouns – They are names used for a number of people, things or animals together and treated as one. For example: a group of friends, a bunch of bananas, a litter of puppies.

Countable and Uncountable Nouns – Countable nouns are nouns which can be counted (e.g. trees).

Uncountable nouns are nouns which cannot be counted. (e.g. smoke).

Nouns have four genders:

1. Masculine Gender – The masculine gender is used for all males. Example: boy, man

2. Feminine Gender – The feminine gender is used for all females. Example: girl, woman

3. Common Gender – The common gender is used where the noun can be both male and female.

Example: cousin, friend, person, child, student

4. Neuter Gender – The neuter gender is used for things which have no life or sex.

Example: table, chair.

Singular and Plural Nouns – A noun that shows only one person (e.g. a girl), thing (e.g. pencil), animal (e.g. tiger) or place (e.g. market) is called a singular

noun.

A noun that shows more than one person (e.g. girls), thing (e.g. pencils), animal (e.g. tigers) or place (e.g. markets) is called a plural noun.

Plural nouns are formed.

By adding –s. ‘es’ to nouns ending in –ch, –s, –sh and –x.

beach  beaches peach peaches

branch branches speech speeches

ditch ditches watch watches

boss bosses glass glasses

bus buses lens lenses

chorus choruses pass passes

brush brushes fish fishes

bush bushes lash lashes

dish dishes wish wishes

box boxes hoax hoaxes

fax faxes six sixes

fox foxes tax taxes

By adding ‘es’ to nouns ending in –o.

buffalo buffaloes potato potatoes

cargo cargoes mosquito mosquitoes

echo echoes tomato tomatoes

By adding ‘s’ to nouns ending in –o.

banjo banjos patio patios

bamboo bamboos photo photos

radio radios video videos

By replacing ‘y’ with –ies.

baby babies lorry lorries

fly flies navy navies

hobby hobbies puppy puppies

By adding ‘s’ to nouns ending in –y.

boy boys key keys

day days toy toys

donkey donkeys turkey turkeys

By replacing ‘f’ or ‘fe’ with –ves.

calf calves loaf loaves

half halves self selves

life lives wife wives

By adding ‘s’ to nouns ending in –f or –fe.

chief chiefs hoof hoofs

dwarf dwarfs reef reef

gulf gulfs roof roofs

By changing vowels.

foot feet louse lice

goose geese tooth teeth

mouse mice woman women

Some nouns have same words for plural and singular.

aircraft aircraft music music

crossroads crossroads series series

furniture furniture sheep sheep

Exceptional plural.

child children ox oxen

crisis crises passer-by passers-by

mouse mice radius radii