Download Your turn. Exercise 1

NOUNS
COMMON +
PROPER
NOUNS
SINGULAR
+ PLURAL
NOUNS
COLLECTIVE
NOUNS
COUNTABLE +
UNCOUNTABL
E NOUNS
USING
POSSESIVES
WITH
NOUNS
ABSTARCT
NOUNS
Common + Proper Nouns
• Common
– general item
– not capitalized unless they begin a sentence or
are part of a title
– can be countable or uncountable nouns
• Proper
– name of particular people, things or places –
specific
– requires capitalization
– most are singular
– not usually preceded by articles
Common
Nouns
Proper
Nouns
man
Bill Gates
coffee shops
Starbucks
jeans
Levi’s
country
Malaysia
river
Sungai Pahang
mountain
Mount Kinabalu
day
Sunday
Countable + Uncountable
Nouns
• Countable nouns - something that can be counted
• Uncountable nouns
– cannot be counted
– E.g.: water , salt , flour (can be counted if we put
into something)
– Takes a singular verb – This milk has expired.
– Many uncountable nouns are abstract –
violence, happiness
– But some are concrete – sand , glue
Singular + Plural Nouns
• Singular – refer to one
• Plural
– refer to more than one
– Most countable nouns add –s
– Nouns ending whit ch, sh, s,ss or x add –es
– Some words can take both –s or –es
– Eg: mangos / mangoes volcanos / volcanoes
– For a –ve or unknown quantity , we normally use
the plural
– Eg: There were no passengers on the bus. / Have
you ever read good books lately?
Collective Nouns
• Refer to groups of things that are regarded as one
• Collective nouns can be replaced by both singular
and plural pronouns, depending on their meaning.
– When the members are doing the same thing
together, the collective noun is singular and requires
singular verbs and pronouns.
– When the members are acting as individuals, the
collective noun is plural and requires plural verbs and
pronouns.
• Examples:
– Every afternoon the baseball team follows its coach
out to the hot field for practice.
– After the three-hour practice under the brutal sun,
the team shower, change into their street clothes,
and head to their air-conditioned homes.
Examples
team
audience
staff
committee
army
colony
gang
flock
herd
tribe
panel
board
pack
troupe
group
crew
choir
band
stack
basket
family
string
pair
Abstract Nouns
• Idea, event, quality, experience, trait,
quality, state of being, feeling or
concept (things which are intangible
and cannot be counted)
• Your five senses cannot detect this
group of nouns.
Nouns with the following suffixes
are often abstract:
- tion
-ism
-ity
-ment
-ness
-age
-ance/-ence
-ability
-acy
-ship
-hood
Examples
integrity
respect
efficiency
admiration
bravery
joy
kindness
creativity
freedom
wisdom
happiness
fairness
In contrast…
• Concrete words refer to things we
can touch, see, hear, smell, and
taste,
• Example: sandpaper, soda, trees,
mobile phone, cow, car, rocking
chair, and pancake.
Common Abstract Nouns
Emotions/Feelin
gs
States/Attribute
s
Ideas/Concepts/Id
eals
Movements/Event
s
Love
Success
Truth
Progress
Hate
Loyalty
Knowledge
Education
Anger
Honesty
Culture
Friendships
Peace
Charity
Trust
Trouble
Pride
Beauty
Information
Relaxation
Don't confuse an abstract noun
with a concrete noun.
Abstract
nouns
•dedication
•curiosity
•motivation
Concrete
Nouns
•teacher
•cat
•motivator
• In many cases abstract nouns are
derived from an addition of a suffix or
alteration in the root word.
• Example: Child vs. Childhood
Child is a concrete noun, for example,
but childhood is an intangible state, so
it is abstract.
Possessive Forms of Nouns
The possessive
apostrophe (’) is
added to a noun to
show possession or
ownership
The rules for forming possessive
nouns
Singular
Noun
• Add ‘s
• Example:
the girl’s
umbrella,
Kenny’s
voice
Plural Noun
not ending in
–s
• Add ‘s
• Example:
children's
wear,
policemen’
s car
Plural Noun
ending in -s
• add ‘
• Example:
girls’
umbrella,
students’
voice
A name
ends in -s
• Usually add
‘s Example:
Jonas’s
book or
Jonas’ book
• * In formal
writing, just
add ‘ Example:
Charles’
reign, Keats’
poetry
Your turn.
Exercise 1
Categorise the following nouns
according to their classes
Samsung
Sheikh
Muzaffar
physics
herd
opportunity
mobile-phone
commitment
Atlantic
Ocean
entertainment
game
excellence
news
committee
photograph
German
Universiti
Malaysia
Pahang
band
crew
magnificence
board
Answers
Common
Nouns
Proper
Nouns
Collective
Nouns
Abstract
Nouns
Nouns as subjects
• The noun as the subject: the person,
animal, place or thing we are talking
about in the sentence
• Who or what did something (verb) /
performs the action in the sentence
Examples
1. The boy fell in the drain.
Who fell in the
drain? The boy.
2. The bell rang at 12 o’clock.
3. Farid and Ismail decorated the room.
4. The Titanic struck an iceberg.
What makes a man?
5. Bravery makes a man.
Bravery.
6. The distinguished guests left the room.
21
Nouns as objects
• Comes after a verb
• Receives the action of the verb
• Answers the question ‘what’ or ‘whom’ after
the verb.
• Examples:
• 1. Tom visited the dentist. (visited whom?)
• 2. The student lost a book. (lost what?)