Nouns

A noun is a person, place, thing, quality or state.

Types
Plurals
Categories
Grammar Rock

There are five types of nouns:

  • Common: A person or thing that can be touched; does not require a capital letter. Examples: log, person, chair

  • Proper: The name of a person or place; always uses a capital letter. Examples: Rebecca, England, Canada

  • Compound: Two nouns joined to make a new noun. Examples: post office, textbook, bookcase, classroom, suitcase

  • Abstract: Something that cannot be touched that we experience as an idea. Examples: beauty, intelligence, democracy

  • Collective: The name of a group of individuals used as if it were on individual. Examples: family, flock, herd, jury, committee

Plurals of nouns are normally formed by adding an s to the end of the word. Exceptions to this rule are:

  • If the noun ends in ch, sh, x, s, the plural is normally formed by adding es to the end of the word.

  • If a noun ends in a consonant plus y, the plural is formed by changing the y to an i and then adding es.

  • If a noun ends in f, the plural is formed by replacing the f with a v and then add es.
The plural form of some nouns do not follow any of the rules above:
  • Teeth becomes tooth
  • Child becomes children
  • Man becomes men
  • Woman becomes women
  • Sheep and Moose are both the plural and singular forms of the nouns

There are several categories of nouns:

  • Proper vs. Common: Proper nouns are unique, such as John or London. In these examples, it represents a specific person or place. Common nouns describes a being or place, for example person or city.
  • Countable vs. Uncountable: Countable nouns can be counted and uncountable nouns can't. Countable nouns can be preceded by an article whereas uncountable nouns cannot. In addition.
  • Concrete vs. Abstract:
  • Collective:

A Noun is a Person, Place or Thing

Music & Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens
Performed by Lynn Ahrens
Animation by Phil Kimmelman and Associates

Well every person you can know,
And every place that you can go,
And anything that you can show,
You know they're nouns.

A noun's a special kind of word,
It's any name you ever heard.
I find it quite interesting,
A noun's a person, place or thing.

Oh...
I took a train, took a train to another state.
The flora and fauna that I saw were really great.
I saw some bandits chasin' the train.
I was wishin' I was back home again.
I took a train, took a train to another state.

Well every person you can know:

Like a bandit or an engineer
And every place that you can go:
Like a state or a home
And anything that you can show:
Like animals and plants or a train
You know they're nouns. You know they're nouns.

Oh...
Mrs. Jones is a lady on Hudson Street.
She sent her dog to bark at my brother and me.
We gave her dog a big fat bone
And now he barks at Mrs. Jones.
She's a lady who lives on Hudson Street.

Well every person you can know:
Mrs. Jones, a lady or a brother
And every place that you can go:
Like a street or a corner
And anything that you can show:
Like a dog or a bone
You know they're nouns. You know they're nouns.

Oh...
I took a ferry to the Statue of Liberty.
My best friend was waitin' there for me.
He took an early ferry.
We went for a walk on the island you know
And in the middle of summer it started to snow
When I took a ferry to the Statue of Liberty.

Well every person you can know:
Like a friend or the captain of a ship
And every place that you can go:
An island or a sea
And anything that you can show:
Like a statue, a ferry, or snow
You know they're nouns. You know they're nouns.

Oh...
I put a dime in the drugstore record machine.
Oldies goldies started playing if you know what I mean.
I heard Chubby Checker, he was doin' the twist
And the Beatles and the Monkees, it goes like this!
I put a dime in the drugstore record machine.

Well every person you can know:
The Beatles and the Monkees, Chubby Checker
And every place that you can go:
Like a neighborhood or a store
And anything that you can show:
Like a a dime or a record machine
You know they're nouns.

A noun's a special kind of word
It's any name you ever heard.
I find it quite interesting,
A noun's a person, place or thing.

A noun is a person, place or thing.