What is a noun?
Noun definition: Nouns are words that are used to identify a person, place, thing, or idea. In other words, naming words are called nouns.
These are important components of English Grammar and refer to the main subject in a sentence.
Nouns can refer to
A person:
Example
- Mahatma Gandhi
- The Principal
- He/ She
- Father/ Mother
A place:
Example
- New Delhi
- My school
- Hospital
- The library
Things:
Example
- Computer
- Books
- Flower
- Table
Idea:
Example
- Freedom
- Bravery
- Love
- Friendship
- Strength
Types of noun
Nouns form the largest class of words in English vocabulary and can be categorized into various types:
- Common noun: Concrete, Abstract, Collective
- Proper noun
- Singular noun
- Plural noun
- Compound noun
- Countable noun
- Uncountable noun
Common noun
These types of nouns refer to non-specific people, places, things, or ideas in general terms.
Examples:
- Friend
- Man
- State/ City/ Country
- Religion
- Freedom
Sentence: “My friend lives in a city far away from here.”
Concrete noun
These refer to things that can be perceived by our senses such as sight, hearing, smell, touch, taste, etc. Concrete nouns are real or physical things.
Examples:
- Apple
- Books
- Bed
- Table
Sentence: “I like to read books in bed while eating an Apple.”
Abstract noun
These refer to the things that cannot be perceived with any of our senses. To put it more simply, it refers to the feelings or theoretical concepts that cannot be touched or experienced physically.
Examples:
- Love
- Hate
- Happiness
- Pride
- Power
Sentence: “Love and hate are two strong emotions that give you power.”
Collective noun
This refers to a group or collection of things, people or animals s one whole. Moreover, these are used to signify something in particular. They are often used as a single entity.
Examples:
Family
Bunch
Herd
Crowd
Audience
Flock
Sentence: “Our family saw a flock of birds!”
“He owns a herd of cattle in the countryside.”
Proper noun
These are used to refer to specific people, places, things, or ideas and are not used in general references. In simpler words, specific names are proper types. Not to forget these are always capitalized.
Examples:
- Mahatma Gandhi
- New Delhi
- Delhi University
- The Golden Temple
Sentence: “Mahatma Gandhi was born in India and educated in England.”
Singular noun
By definition, It refers to a person, thing, place, or idea.
Examples:
- Boy
- Bird
- House
- Leaf
- Bench
Sentence: “The boy with a bird lives in that house.”
Plural types
These refer to more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
Example:
- Boys
- Birds
- Houses
- Leaves
- Benches
Sentence: “The houses on the left are all on sale.”
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Compound noun
These are made up of two or more words joined together to form a single type. The two words that are joined are written as one type. Compound types can also have hyphens. Some words are paired in a way to show a certain meaning that also comes under compound types.
Example:
Two or more words joined as one:
- Greenhouse
- Lifespan
- Toothpaste
- Notebook
Hyphenated word forms:
- Self-confidence
- Five-year-old
- Daughter-in-law
- Ice-cream
Word pairs in an open form:
- Living room
- Upper class
- Post office
- Air conditioner
- Fish tank
Countable noun
It refers to things that can be counted. They can be in singular or plural forms. These can be altered by numbers and can be paired with some quantifiers such as all, some, most, many, various, etc.
Examples:
A bike/ 3 bikes/ many bikes/ several bikes
Sentence: “There were several bikes at the showroom we checked.”
Uncountable noun
types that cannot be used in plural forms are termed uncountable, non-countable, or mass. As a matter of fact, these cannot be counted.
Examples:
- Air/ water
- Beauty
- Cash
- Data
- Coffee
- Clothing
Sentence: “There was water everywhere after the flood.”
In your sentence, Nouns will make any subject or object invisible, which is as good as communicating nothing essentially.
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