Writing in Nouns and Verbs

Noun - A content word that can be used to refer to a person, place, thing, quality, or action.
George! Jupiter! Ice cream! Courage! Books! Bottles! Godzilla! All of these words are
nouns, words
that identify the whos, wheres, and whats in language. Nouns name people, places, and things.
Read the
sentence that follows:
George and Godzilla walked to Papa John's to order a large pepperoni pizza.
George is a person. Papa John's is a place. Pizza is a thing. Godzilla likes to think he's a
person, is as
big as a place, but qualifies as another thing.
Persons ohn hunter audience
Places theater !innesota park
!hings car tele"ision hat
Ideas inspiration #oy freedom
a" Common and Proper Noun
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.
$n each of the following sentences, the common nouns arehighlighted:
According to the sign, the nearest to#n is %& miles away.
All the gardens in the neighbourhood were in"aded by beetlesthis summer.
$ don't understand why some people insist on ha"ing si' different kinds of mustard in
their cupboards.
(he road cre# was startled by the sight of three large moosecrossing the road.
!any child-care #orkers are underpaid.
)ometimes you will make proper nouns out of common nouns, as in the following e'amples:
(he tenants in the Garnet $partments are appealing the large and sudden increase in
their rent.
(he meals in the *ouncing Bean %estaurant are less e'pensi"e than meals in ordinary
restaurants.
!any witches refer to the Renaissance as the *urning !imes.
(he &iar' o( $nne )rank is often a child's first introduction to the history of
the *olocaust.
A proper noun is the name of a particular person, place, thing, or idea. (hey are capitali+ed.
,ou always write a proper noun with a capital letter, since the noun represents the name of a
specific person, place, or thing. (he names of days of the week, months, historical documents,
institutions, organisations, religions, their holy te'ts and their adherents are proper nouns. A
proper noun is the opposite of a common noun
$n each of the following sentences, the proper nouns are highlighted:
(he +arroons were transported from Jamaica and forced to build the fortifications
in *ali(a,.
!any people dread +onda' mornings.
Beltane is celebrated on the first of +a'.
$braham appears in the !almud and in the -oran.
-ast year, $ had a Baptist, a Buddhist, and a Gardnerian Witch as roommates.
b" Concrete or $bstract Nouns
A concrete noun is a noun which names anything .or anyone/ that you can percei"e through
your physical senses: touch, sight, taste, hearing, or smell. A concrete noun is the opposite of a
abstract noun.
(he highlighted words in the following sentences are all concrete nouns:
(he .udge handed the (iles to the clerk.
0hene"er they take the dog to the beach, it spends hours chasing #a/es.
(he real estate agent urged the couple to buy the secondhouse because it had
new shingles.
As the car dro"e past the park, the thump of a disco tuneo"erwhelmed the
string 0uartet's rendition of a minuet.
(he book binder replaced the flimsy paper co/er with a sturdy, cloth-co"ered board.
An abstract noun is a noun which names anything which you can notpercei"e through your fi"e
physical senses, and is the opposite of a concrete noun. (he highlighted words in the following
sentences are all abstract nouns:
*uying the fire e'tinguisher was an a(terthought.
(illie is amused by people who are nostalgic about childhood.
Justice often seems to slip out of our grasp.
)ome scientists belie"e that schizophrenia is transmitted genetically.
c" 1ingular or Plural Nouns
1ingular Nouns
1f all the different types of nouns, learning to recogni+e singular nouns and understanding when
to use them is hands down the easiest. (here are no particular rules to follow2you don3t ha"e
to add letters to the end or change the spelling as you do with plural nouns and irregular plural
nouns.
4uite simply, a singular noun is a noun that refers to only one person, one place, one thing, or
one idea.
5or e'ample there is one lamp on my bookcase and one chair at my desk. $n these e'amples
the nouns lamp, bookcase, chair, and deskare all singular because they indicate only one.
Plural Nouns
6reating the plural forms of nouns can be a little tricky. (he good news is once you learn the
rules, changing singular nouns to plural nouns gets much easier. 7ere are the guidelines you
need and a few e'amples to set you on your way.
(he word plural is defined as 8referring to or concerning more than one.9 )o plural nouns are
words that mean more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
:/ !ost nouns can be changed to the plural form by adding 8s9 or 8es9 to the end of the
word.
;/ Another e'ample is words that end in 8y9 < change the 8y9 to 8i9 and add 8es.9
2,amples o( Plural Nouns
)ince the rules can be confusing when changing singular nouns to plurals, here are a few more
e'amples of the different forms plural nouns can take.
5orming plurals by simply adding an 8s9 to the end of the word.
+ore than one dog 3 dogs
+ore than one rake3rakes
+ore than one book3books
+ore than one mitten 3 mittens
+ore than one #all 3 #alls
+ore than one house 3 houses
+ore than one truth 3 truths
Nouns that end in s, ch, or x are made plural by adding an 8es9 to the end of the word.
+ore than one s#itch 3 s#itches
+ore than one a, 3 a,es
+ore than one mass 3 masses
+ore than one church 3 churches
+ore than one ta, 3 ta,es
+ore than one bus 3 buses
0ords that end in 8y9 become plural by changing the 8y9 to 8i9 and adding 8es.9
+ore than one bab' 3 babies
+ore than one kitt' 3 kitties
+ore than one cit' 3 cities
+ore than one lad' 3 ladies
Irregular Plural Nouns
$rregular plural nouns are a little tricky because they don3t follow the rules= $n order to change
irregular singular nouns to the plural form you ha"e to change the spelling. Adding an 8s9 or 8es9
won3t do the trick.
1ne e'ample is the singular foot and the plural form of the word, feet. 5ind out more
aboutirregular plural nouns.
Plural Possessi/e Nouns
$n order to make a plural noun possessi"e that doesn3t end in the letter 8s9 all you ha"e to do is
add an apostrophe and an 8s.9
Women 3 #omen4s
+ice 3 mice4s
$f the plural noun ends in an 8s9 it becomes possessi"e by adding an apostrophe at the end.
Cars 3 cars4
%i/ers 3 ri/ers4
d" Countable and Non5countable Nouns
A countable noun .or count noun/ is a noun with both a singular and a plural form, and it
names anything .or anyone/ that you can count. ,ou can make a countable noun plural and
attach it to a plural "erb in a sentence. 6ountable nouns are the opposite of non-countable
nouns and collecti"e nouns.
$n each of the following sentences, the highlighted words are countable nouns:
0e painted the table red and the chairs blue.
)ince he inherited his aunt's librar', erome spends e"ery#eekend inde'ing
his books.
!iriam found si' sil"er dollars in the toe of a sock.
(he oak tree lost three branches in the hurricane.
1"er the course of twenty-se"en 'ears, !artha *allad deli"ered #ust o"er eight
hundred babies.
A non5countable noun .or mass noun/ is a noun which does not ha"e a plural form, and
which refers to something that you could .or would/ not usually count. A non-countable noun
always takes a singular "erb in a sentence. Non-countable nouns are similar to collecti"e nouns,
and are the opposite of countable nouns.
(he highlighted words in the following sentences are non-countable nouns:
oseph >riestly disco"ered o,'gen.
(he word ?o'ygen? cannot normally be made plural.
6,'gen is essential to human life.
)ince ?o'ygen? is a non-countable noun, it takes the singular "erb ?is? rather than the plural "erb
?are.?
0e decided to sell the (urniture rather than take it with us when we mo"ed.
,ou cannot make the noun ?furniture? plural.
(he (urniture is heaped in the middle of the room.
)ince ?furniture? is a non-countable noun, it takes a singular "erb, ?is heaped.?
(he crew spread the gra/el o"er the roadbed.
,ou cannot make the non-countable noun ?gra"el? plural.
Gra/el is more e'pensi"e than $ thought.
)ince ?gra"el? is a non-countable noun, it takes the singular "erb form ?is.?
e" Collecti/e Nouns
A collecti/e noun is a noun naming a group of things, animals, or persons. ,ou could count the
indi"idual members of the group, but you usually think of the group as a whole is generally as
one unit. ,ou need to be able to recognise collecti"e nouns in order to maintain sub#ect-"erb
agreement. A collecti"e noun is similar to a non-countable noun, and is roughly the opposite of
a countable noun.
$n each of the following sentences, the highlighted word is a collecti"e noun:
(he (lock of geese spends most of its time in the pasture.
(he collecti"e noun ?flock? takes the singular "erb ?spends.?
(he .ur' is dining on take-out chicken tonight.
$n this e'ample the collecti"e noun ?#ury? is the sub#ect of the singularcompound "erb ?is dining.?
(he steering committee meets e"ery 0ednesday afternoon.
7ere the collecti"e noun ?committee? takes a singular "erb, ?meets.?
(he class was startled by the bursting light bulb.
$n this sentence the word ?class? is a collecti"e noun and takes the singular compound "erb
?was startled.?
(" Compound Nouns
0ords can be combined to form compound nouns. (hese are "ery common, and new
combinations are in"ented almost daily. (hey normally ha"e two parts. (he second part
identifies the ob#ect or person in question .man, friend, tank, table, room/. (he first part tells us
what kind of ob#ect or person it is, or what its purpose is .police, boy, water, dining, bed/
What t'pe 7 #hat purpose What or #ho
>olice man
*oy friend
0ater tank
@ining table
*ed room
!he t#o parts ma' be #ritten in a number o( #a's
:. as one word.
A'ample: policeman, boyfriend
;. as two words #oined with a hyphen.
A'ample: dining-table
B. as two separate words.
A'ample: fish tank.
(here are no clear rules about this - so write the common compounds that you know well as
one word, and the others as two words.
!he t#o parts ma' be 2,amples
noun 8 noun
bedroom
water tank
motorcycle
printer cartridge
noun 8 /erb
rainfall
haircut
train-spotting
noun 8 ad/erb hanger-on
passer-by
/erb 8 noun
washing machine
driving licence
swimming pool
/erb 8 ad/erb9
lookout
take-off
drawback
ad.ecti/e 8 noun
greenhouse
software
redhead
ad.ecti/e 8 /erb
dry-cleaning
public speaking
ad/erb 8 noun
onlooker
bystander
ad/erb 8 /erb9
output
overthrow
upturn
input
6ompound nouns often ha"e a meaning that is different from the two separate words.
1tress is important in pronunciation, as it distinguishes between a compound noun
.e.g.greenhouse/ and an ad#ecti"e with a noun .e.g. green house/.
$n compound nouns, the stress usually falls on the first syllable:
a 'greenhouse C place where we grow plants .compound noun/
a green 'house C house painted green .ad#ecti"e and noun/
a 'bluebird C type of bird .compound noun/
a blue 'bird C any bird with blue feathers .ad#ecti"e and noun/
g" Possessi/e Nouns
(he possessi"e form is used with nouns referring to people, groups of people, countries, and
animals. '*elonging to' or 'ownership' is one of the relationships it e'presses :
ohn owns a car. .'ohn' is the possessor or owner)
$t is John's car.
America has some gold reser"es. .'America' is the owner/
(hey are America's gold reser"es.
It can also e,press other relationships: (or e,ample
#here someone #orks or studies or spends time
ohn goes to this school. (his is John's school.
ohn sleeps in this room. (his is John's room.
a (amil' relationship
John's mother
The Queen's daughter
0ualities
John's patience.
The politician's hypocrisy.
Form
(o form the possessi"e, add 's .'apostrophe -s'/ to the noun.
$f the noun is plural, or already ends in 5s, #ust add:' .an apostrophe/.
)or names ending in 5s
$n speaking we add the sound D+D to the name, but in writing it is possible to use either 's or
#ust '. (he 's form is more common. e.g. Thomas's book, James's shop.
Examples
(he car of ohn C John's car.
(he room of the girls C The girls' room.
6lothes for men C en's clothes.
(he sister of 6harles C !harles' sister.
(he boat of the sailors C The sailors' boat.
(here are also some fi'ed e'pressions where the possessi"e form is used:
!ime e,pressions 6ther e,pressions
a day's work 5or "od's sake=
a fortnight's holiday a pound's worth of apples.
a month's pay the #ater's edge
today's newspaper a stone's throw away .C "ery near/
in a year's time at death's door .C "ery ill/
in my mind's eye .C in my imagination/
(he possessi"e is also used to refer to shops, restaurants, churches and colleges, using the
name or #ob title of the owner.
Examples$
the grocer's the doctor's the vet's
the newsagent's the chemist's Smith's
the dentist's Tommy Tucker's Luigi's
Saint ary's Saint !ames's
:. )hall we go to %uigi's for lunchE
;. $'"e got an appointment at the dentist's at ele"en o'clock.
B. $s &aint ary's an all-girls schoolE
$" Verb - (he word class that ser"es as the predicate of a sentence
References:
- 0ordweb
- http:DDwww.writingcentre.uottawa.caDhypergrammarDnouns.html
- http:DDwww.k:;reader.comDplural-nounsD
- http:DDwww.k:;reader.comDsingular-nounsD
- http:DDwww.edufind.comDenglishDgrammarDnounsF.php
- http:DDwww.edufind.comDenglishDgrammarDpossesi"e:.php