Nouns

= NOUNS  =

START HERE: username: escanabams password: eskymos __ = What is a Noun? = A **noun** is a word used to name a person, animal, place, thing, and abstract idea. Nouns are usually the first words which small children learn. The**highlighted** words in the following [|sentences]  are all nouns: Late last **year** our **neighbours** bought a **goat**.**Portia White** was an **opera singer**.The **bus inspector** looked at all the **passengers' passes**.According to**Plutarch**, the **library** at **Alexandria** was destroyed in 48 B.C.**Philosophy** is of little **comfort** to the **starving**.
 * BrainPop Videos**
 * Review the parts of speech first:
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 * Now you can review nouns:
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Common Nouns
A **common noun** is a noun referring to a person, place, or thing in a general sense -- usually, you should write it with a capital letter only when it begins a sentence. A common noun is the opposite of a proper noun. In each of the following sentences, the common nouns are **highlighted**: According to the **sign**, the nearest **town** is 60 **miles** away.All the **gardens** in the **neighbourhood** were invaded by **beetles**this **summer**.I don't understand why some **people** insist on having six different**kinds** of **mustard** in their **cupboards**.The road **crew** was startled by the **sight** of three large **moose**crossing the **road**.Many child-care **workers** are underpaid. Sometimes you will make proper nouns out of common nouns, as in the following examples: The tenants in the **Garnet** **Apartments** are appealing the large and sudden increase in their rent.The meals in the Bouncing **Bean** **Restaurant** are less expensive than meals in ordinary restaurants.Many witches refer to the Renaissance as the Burning **Times**.The **Diary of Anne Frank** is often a child's first introduction to the history of the **Holocaust.**

Proper Nouns
You always write a **proper noun** with a capital letter, since the noun represents the name of a specific person, place, or thing. The names of days of the week, months, historical documents, institutions, organisations, religions, their holy texts and their adherents are proper nouns. A proper noun is the opposite of a common noun In each of the following sentences, the proper nouns are **highlighted**: The **Marroons** were transported from **Jamaica** and forced to build the fortifications in **Halifax**.Many people dread **Monday** mornings.**Beltane** is celebrated on the first of **May**.**Abraham** appears in the **Talmud** and in the **Koran**.Last year, I had a **Baptist**, a **Buddhist**, and a **Gardnerian Witch**as roommates.

Concrete Nouns
A **concrete noun** is a noun which names anything (or anyone) that you can perceive through your physical senses: touch, sight, taste, hearing, or smell. A concrete noun is the opposite of a abstract noun. The **highlighted** words in the following sentences are all concrete nouns: The **judge** handed the **files** to the **clerk**.Whenever they take the **dog** to the **beach**, it spends hours chasing**waves**.The real estate **agent** urged the **couple** to buy the second **house**because it had new **shingles**.As the **car** drove past the **park**, the **thump** of a disco **tune**overwhelmed the string **quartet's** **rendition** of a **minuet**.The **book binder** replaced the flimsy paper **cover** with a sturdy, cloth-covered **board**.

Abstract Nouns
An **abstract noun** is a noun which names anything which you can //not//perceive through your five physical senses, and is the opposite of a concrete noun. The**highlighted** words in the following sentences are all abstract nouns: Buying the fire extinguisher was an **afterthought**.Tillie is amused by people who are nostalgic about **childhood**.**Justice** often seems to slip out of our grasp.Some scientists believe that **schizophrenia** is transmitted genetically.Plurals

Plural Nouns
Most nouns change their form to indicate [|number]  by adding "-s" or "-es", as illustrated in the following pairs of sentences: When Matthew was small he rarely told the **truth** if he thought he was going to be punished.Many people do not believe that **truths** are self-evident.As they walked through the silent house, they were startled by an unexpected **echo**.I like to shout into the quarry and listen to the **echoes** that return.He tripped over a **box** left carelessly in the hallway.Since we are moving, we will need many **boxes**. There are other nouns which form the [|plural]  by changing the last letter before adding "s". Some words ending in "f" form the plural by deleting "f" and adding "ves," and words ending in "y" form the plural by deleting the "y" and adding "ies," as in the following pairs of sentences: The harbour at Marble Mountain has one **wharf**.There are several **wharves** in Halifax Harbour.Warsaw is their favourite **city** because it reminds them of their courtship.The vacation my grandparents won includes trips to twelve European**cities**.The children circled around the headmaster and shouted, "Are you a**mouse** or a man?"The audience was shocked when all five men admitted that they were afraid of **mice**. Other nouns form the plural irregularly. If English is your first language, you probably know most of these already: when in doubt, consult a good dictionary.

**Possessive Nouns**
In the [|possessive case] , a noun or  [|pronoun]  changes its form to show that it owns or is closely related to something else. Usually, nouns become possessive by adding a combination of an [|apostrophe]  and the letter "s." You can form the possessive case of a [|singular]  noun that does not end in "s" by adding an apostrophe and "s," as in the following sentences: The red suitcase is **Cassandra's**.The only luggage that was lost was the **prime minister's**.The exhausted recruits were woken before dawn by the **drill sergeant's** screams.The **miner's** face was covered in coal dust. You can form the possessive case of a singular noun that ends in "s" by adding an apostrophe alone or by adding an apostrophe and "s," as in the following examples: The **bus's** seats are very uncomfortable.The **bus'** seats are very uncomfortable.The film crew accidentally crushed the **platypus's** eggs.The film crew accidentally crushed the **platypus'** eggs.**Felicia Hemans's** poetry was once more popular than Lord Byron's.**Felicia Hemans'** poetry was once more popular than Lord Byron's. You can form the possessive case of a plural noun that does not end in "s" by adding an apostrophe and a "s," as in the following examples: The **children's** mittens were scattered on the floor of the porch.The **sheep's** pen was mucked out every day.Since we have a complex appeal process, a**jury's** verdict is not always final.The **men's** hockey team will be playing as soon as the **women's**team is finished.The hunter followed the **moose's** trail all morning but lost it in the afternoon. You can form the possessive case of a plural noun that //does// end in "s" by adding an apostrophe: The concert was interrupted by the **dogs'** barking, the **ducks'**quacking, and the **babies'** squalling.The **janitors'** room is downstairs and to the left.My uncle spent many hours trying to locate the **squirrels'** nest.The archivist quickly finished repairing the **diaries'** bindings.Religion is usually the subject of the**roommates'** many late night debates.

Using Possessive Nouns
When you read the following sentences, you will notice that a noun in the possessive case frequently functions as an adjective modifying another noun: The **miner's** face was covered in coal dust. Here the possessive noun "miner's" is used to modify the noun "face" and together with the [|article]  "the," they make up the  [|noun phrase]  that is the sentence's subject. The concert was interrupted by the **dogs'** barking, the **ducks'**quacking, and the **babies'** squalling. In this sentence, each possessive noun modifies a [|gerund]. The possessive noun "dogs"' modifies "barking," "ducks"' modifies "quacking," and "babies"' modifies "squalling." The film crew accidentally crushed the **platypus's** eggs. In this example the possessive noun "platypus's" modifies the noun "eggs" and the noun phrase "the platypus's eggs" is the direct object of the [|verb]  "crushed." My uncle spent many hours trying to locate the **squirrels'** nest. In this sentence the possessive noun "squirrels"' is used to modify the noun "nest" and the noun phrase "the squirrels' nest" is the [|object]  of the  [|infinitive phrase]  "to locate."

RESOURCES:
Nouns Lesson- Nouns Poem: [|nounslesson1.pdf]

Plural Nouns Game: []

Abstract Nouns Assignment:

NOUNS STUDY GUIDE: [|nouns study guide.doc]