ENGLISH NOUNS
NOUNS
These are names given to people, places, thing etc.
KINDS OF NOUNS
1. Proper NOUNS
2. Common NOUNS
3. Collective NOUNS
4. Material Nouns
5. Pronouns
6. Abstract Nouns
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(1). PROPER NOUNS
Proper Nouns - a proper noun is a name given to a particular person, place or thing.
Examples
Kismayo is a Somali City.
Kamal is the school headteacher.
I am called Farah
Words like Kismayo, Kamala, Somalia, Farah, George, Mark are proper nouns.
Other examples
Mogadishu, New York, Doha, Nairobi, North America are examples of proper nouns.
(b) Some common nouns become proper nouns when they are used to name a particular thing.
Words like war, nation, sea, revolution, university, organisation, are all common nouns but they become proper nouns in the following names:
World War I.
United Nations Organisation.
Red Sea.
University of Nairobi.
(c) Some proper nouns may be used as a common noun when we use proper nouns to describe persons or things.
Einstein is a proper noun. But look at the following sentences.
Einstein is the Newton of modern times ( Einstein is the greatest scientific of modern times ).
(2). COMMON NOUNS: A COMMON NOUN IS A NAME WHICH WE GIVE TO ANY PERSON OR THINGS OF THE SAME KIND OR CLASS.
Examples
1. King - Solomon was a wise king.
2. Famous- Nile is a famous river.
3. The Holy-Quran is a holy book.
Therefore
King, famous, river holy are common nouns.
These are not particular to anyone.
Other Examples
Dove, son, stone, plant, chair, plane etc.
COLLECTIVE NOUNS-a collective noun is the given to a group of persons or things considered as a whole.
Examples
Police, public, committee, jury, cattle, government etc.
Uses:
(a) nouns like people, cattle, police are singular in form but are used with a plural verb.
Examples
There are a lot of people in our country.
The leader told the people to remain united.
The meeting hall was crowded with people.
Material Nouns - a material noun is used to name the matter of substance of which things are made.
Examples
Milk, meat, gold, air, cloth etc.
Abstract Nouns- an abstract nouns is a name given to anything you can't touch anc see. like: happiness, care, love, laugh, poverty, honest,slavery, beauty.
NOUN FORMATION
(a)Abstract Nouns From Adjectives:
Adjectives Abstract Nouns
Absent absence
Bitter bitterness
Broad breadth
Clean cleanliness
Cruel cruelty
Dark darkness
Deep depth
Great greatness
Just justice
Near nearness
Popular popularity
Proud pride
Poor poverty
Sad sadness
Safe safety
Short shortness
High height
Honest honesty
Hot heat
(b) Abstract Nouns From Verbs
Verbs abstract nouns
Admit admission
Add addition
Advise advice
Agree agreement
Behave behaviour
Believe belief
Betray betrayal
Choose choice
Combine combination
Convert conversion
Improve improvement
Lose loss
Mix mixture
Please pleasure
Press pressure
Note/ abstract nouns are also formed by adding -ing to verbs
E.g
Dance dancing
Cheat cheating
Teach teaching
(c)Abstract Nouns From Common Nouns
Common Nouns Abstract Nouns
Agent agency
Bankrupt Bankruptcy
Boy boyhood
Diplomat diplomacy
Friend friendship
Father fatherhood
Judge judgement
King kingship
Leader Leadership
Man manhood
Product production
Slave slavery
(d)Abstract Nouns From Verbs Without Change Of Form
Verb abstract nouns
Build build
Catch catch
Cry cry
Doubt doubt
Fear fear
Fight fight
Hate hate
Hope hope
Love love
(e) Some nouns are formed by combining two nouns
Butter+fly = Butterfly
Back+bone = backbone
Chair+man = chairman
Class+room = classroom
Head+ache = headache
Head+master = headmaster
House +wife = housewife
Land+Lord = landlord
News+paper = newspaper
Note+book = notebook
Pan+cake = pancake
Rain+bow = rainbow
Rail+way = railway
(f) Nouns formed other parts of speech
Verb+noun or noun + verb
Hangman
Showman
Killjoy
Snakebite
Stopcock
Stopwatch
Adjective+ noun or noun +Adjective
Spoonful
Handful
Hardcover
Verb+adverb or adverb+verb
Comeback
Inflow
Outflow
Outlook
Output
Flyover
Outcry
Fallout
Income
Breakthrough
Upkeep
Intake
Uplift
Particle +noun
Indoors
Inside
Outline
Outside
Outdoors
Outcast
Background
1. COUNTABLE AND UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS
These are names of objects which can be counted. They have singular and plural.
Examples
Chair - chairs
Bird birds
Star stars
Team teams
2. UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS
Uncountable nouns are names given to objects that cannot be counted. These nouns donot form plurals.
Examples
Water, honey, wheat, rice, sugar, soil etc.
Such names are not counted in terms of numbers but we count them in terms of quantity or mass. We measure them by using a unit which can be counted.
Examples
A glass of water a few grains of sand
A litre of oil two quintal of wheat
Bottle of milk a brick of gold
A cup of tea a cylinder of oxygen
A dose of medicine aloaf of bread
A bag of rice a kilogram of sugar
Natural phenomenon like , cold, light, darkness are also uncountable names. Names of ideas, state, qualities, actions and also branches of knowledge are uncountable nouns:
Honest, slavery, punishment, beauty, music, philosophy, geography.
Abstract nouns:
Honesty.
A tale of misery.
Memories of childhood.
A branch of knowledge.
Some uncountable nouns like water, advice can be used as a countable nouns but in such cases their plural forms have different meanings.
Examples
The waters of Africa ( the rivers, lakes etc of Africa).
Advices from our main office ( information from our main offices to smaller branches).
PLURALS
(a )Regular plurals.
We generally form plurals of nouns by adding "s" to the singular.
Singular plural
Boy boys
Pencil pencils
Chair chairs
Table tables
Egg eggs
Seat seats
(b) nouns which end in-s, -sh, -ch, -x form plurals by adding -es.
Singular plural
Class classes
Dish dishes
Watch watches
(c) nouns ending in -o form plurals in two (¡) -s (¡¡) es
(¡)
Singular plural
Photo photos
Dynamo dynamos
Solo solos
Ratio ratios
(¡¡) -es
Motto mottos
Mango mangoes
Mosquito mosquitoes
(d) Some nouns ending in -f or -fe form plurals by changing-f/-fe into -ves
Singular plural
Leaf leaves
Thief thieves
Knife knives
Wife wives
Exceptions
Chief chiefs
Roof roofs
Dwarf dwarfs
Proof proofs
Belief beliefs
(e) nouns that end in -y and are preceded by a consonant form plurals by changing -y into I and adding -es.
Singular plural
Baby babies
Lady ladies
City cities
Army armies
(f) Irregular plurals
Some nouns form their plurals by changes other than adding-s or -es
Singular plural
Children children
Oxen oxen
Foot feet
Tooth teeth
Goose geese
Louse lice
Mouse mice
Man men
Woman women
Brother hrothers (brethren old form)
(g) Foreign words of foreign origin form plurals in different ways.
Singular plural
Analysis analyses
Basis bases
Bacillus bacilli
Bacterium bacteria
Dictum dicta
Datum data
Erratum errata
Formula formulae
Focus foci, focuses
Locus loci
Nucleus nuclei
Phenomenon phenomena
Syllabus syllabi
Thesis theses
Tableau tableaux
(h) Compound nouns form plurals by adding -s yo the main word or by making some changes in the main word.
Singular plural
Son-in-law sons-in-law
Daughter-in-law daughter-in-law
Commander-in-chief Commanders-in-chief
Passer-by passers-by
Mid-servant mid-servants
Man-of-war men-of-war
Man-eater man-eaters
Man-hour manhours
(i) Some Compound nouns form plurals by making plural both the parts of the compound noun.
Singular plural
Woman-servant women-servants
Man-servant men-servants
Woman-studant women-students
(j) Usage of some special nouns
As singular
He killed a sheep.
Ali caught a big Solomon.
His only means of livelihood is selling flowers.
As plural
There are many sheep in the shed.
They caught many Solomon last week.
What are the means of transport in our country?
Other examples
Deer, series, swine, hare.
(k) Some nouns are only used as plural
E.g
The staff are working.
The gentry of the town were present.
Other examples are
Poultry, vermin.
(l) some nouns are in plural form only and are used only as plural.
Examples
This pair of trousers does not fit me.
Scissors are used for cutting small things.
Many thanks for your gift.
Are thses spectacles?
Other examples are
Goods, riches, gallows, alms, bellows,
(m) Some nouns are plural in form but are always used as singular.
These include names of subjects.
Examples
Here is the news read by James.
physics is a difficult subject.
Measles is a bad disease.
Other examples
Mathematics, economics, mumps etc.
GENDER
(a)Gender indicates the sex of objects in nature.
A noun that refers to a male is said to be masculine gender.
A noun that is referred to as female is said to be feminine gender.
Examples
Masculine feminine
Man woman
Boy girl
Brother sister
Dog bitch
Bull cow
(b) There are some nouns which can be referred to either a male or a female.
Eg. Child, student, servant, parent, artist, cousins, baby, person, member, idiot, president etc.
We use the pronoun he/ she for these nouns depending upon whether they are male or female.
Note
We often use the pronoun "it" for a baby or a child.
Example
The child / baby is looking pretty. It is wearing red dress.
(c) Some objects that refer to objects that are either male or female are said to be neuter gender.
Examples
Pencil, books, houses, shoes, tree, plant, water,oxygen, gold etc
FEMININE GENDER FORMATION
(a) By using an altogether different word
Masculine feminine
Boy girl
Husband wife
Father mother
uncle aunt
Son daughter
nephew niece
Gentleman lady
Sir madam
Bachelor maid
Fox vixen
Earl countess
Gander goose
Drake duck
(d) By adding -ss, -s with or without dropping a vowel of the Masculine.
Masculine feminine
Prince princess
Poet posters
Priest priestress
Host hostess
Heir heiress
Shepherd shepherdess
Author authors
Patron patroness
Lion lioness
Actor actress
Hunter huntress
Instructor instructress
Emperor empress
Tempter temptress
Tiger tigress
Waiter waitress
Master mistress
Traitor traitress
(e) Some nouns have special ending in Masculine or feminine gender
Masculine feminine
Hero heroine
viceroy vicereine
Widower widow
Executor executrix
Bridegroom bride
Bean belle
(f) by adding a prefix or change of suffix
Masculine feminine
He-goat she-goat
He-bear she-bear
man-servant maid-servant
Grandfather grandmother
Grandson granddaughter
Landlor landlady
Dairyman dairymaid
Washerman washerwoman
(g) Objects without life are in neuter gender. But sometimes we speak of them as if they were alive , that is, they are regarded as either male or female.
Masculine for objects feminine for objects
Denoting strength , greatness, denoting beauty, fertility, gentleness, grace etc Violence etc.
Sun
Virtue
Mercy
Charity
Peace
Liberty
Earth
Ship
Railway train
Motor-car
summer
Winter
Time
Death
War
Wind
Modesty
Fame
NOUNS AND ITS USES
(a) Noun as subject
The boy came home.
Osman read the book.
He returned the book after reading.
(b) Noun as object of the verb
George broke the window (as direct object ).
He earned some money (as direct object)
I gave George some money (George is indirect object)
(c) Noun as complement of the subject.
In sentence of this type the Noun in the subject and the predicate refer to the same object.
Mary is my sister.
She is very good cook.
(d) Nouns used for addressing someone
Are you coming, Alice?
Hirsi, come here.
(e) Noun as complementary of the verb
He became captain of the team.
The general turned traitor to the country.
The underlined words are necessary to complete the meaning of the verb.
(f) Noun as object of preposition.
The book is in the drawer.
Mother is the kitchen.
(g) Noun used to show possession or source etc.
Alice's dog is barking.
April's boy-friend has come.
Mother's love is selfless.
Possession (or can be expressed by using "of"
The love of a mother is unselfish.
The plays of Shakespeare are well-known.
The phrases of another and of Shakespeare express possession.
Note: we form possessives of nouns by adding -s to them.
Eg this boy's school.
This is Abraham's book.
(h) there is another way in which possessive nouns can be used.
Examples
He is a friend of Hassan.
I have finished a play of Shakespeare's.
Here the phrase of a friend of Hassan means one of Hassan's friends.
A play of Shakespeare's means one play of Shakespeare
(i) There is another if using possessives
We met him at our uncle's.
The servant has gone to the chemist's.
My son studies at Combridge college's.
The phrase at our uncle's means at our uncle's place.
The servant has gone to the chemist's means to the chemist's shop.
My son studies at Combridge College's means Combridge College.
(j) Use Of Noun In Apposition
George , the captain, scored two goals.
Both George and the captain are one and the same.
The second noun merely explain the first noun in apposition.
Other examples
I met your sister, the doctor.
Mark, the great philosopher, was born in Germany.