In a world where communication is part of our daily life, we use nouns all the time! But what is a noun? Let’s see how to recognize it and what are its different variants.
| Table of contents | ||
| What Is a Noun? | Exercices | Frequently Asked Questions |
What Is a Noun?
A noun is a word that names something such as people, places, objects, feelings, ideas, etc. It can play many roles in a sentence: subject, direct object, indirect object, subject complement, appositive or modifier. The following chart will help you differentiate the different types of nouns. Understanding how nouns interact with verbs is essential, especially when working with irregular verbs in English grammar.
Examples of Nouns:
| Nouns naming a person | Nouns naming a place | Nouns naming things |
| Alicia | Disneyland | Volleyball |
| Megan | My bathroom | Faith |
| Nancy | Alberta | Blanket |
Proper Vs. Common Nouns
A proper noun is a specific name of a person, place, or thing. It always has a capital (ex: Paris). A common noun, also known as generic, names an item in a class or group (ex: lake). It only has a capital if it is the first word in a sentence or if it is part of a title.
Common nouns can be concrete, abstract or collective. A definite article (the, this) or an indefinite article (as, a, an) may precede them.
Concrete noun: describes something that is perceived by the senses (something physical or real).
Ex: My computer is slow.
Abstract noun: refers to something that cannot be perceived by the senses.
Ex: The love she has for him keeps growing every day.
Collective noun: denotes a group or collection of things or people.
Ex: The basketball team wins the tournament every year.
Nouns and Number
Nouns can be singular or plural, just as in French. Usually, the plural is formed by adding an -s or -es at the end of the word like in the following examples:
- Hat → hats
- Pillow → pillows
- Tax → taxes
Countable Nouns Vs. Uncountable Nouns
Countable nouns can be counted. They can be singular or plural and can be used with numbers and modifiers such as a/an, the, some, many, any and a few.
Examples:
I see a deer in the woods.
I see a few deer in the woods.
I see seven deer in the woods.
Uncountable nouns are impossible to count. That can be due to the fact that they name intangible concepts such as information and wealth. A noun can also be uncountable if it characterizes things as a whole or homogeneous physical substance.
Examples:
The streets are full of snow.
I haven’t had much homework lately.
We just got new furniture.
Whales are an impressive species.
Nouns as Subjects
Very often, nouns play the role of the subject in a sentence (it can be a place, a person, a thing, etc.). For example, in the sentence Laurence went to Starbucks to grab coffee, Laurence is the subject, which informs us of who’s completing the action described by the phrase’s verb.
Nouns as Objects
A noun can also be a transitive verb’s object: it can either be direct (receives the action described by the verb) or indirect (receives direct object).
Examples
| Direct Object | Indirect Object |
| She bought flowers. (flowers is a direct object because it receives the action of the verb bought) | She bought flowers for her aunt. (her aunt is the indirect object because it indicates who the flowers were bought for) |
| He teaches English. (English is a direct object because it receives the action of the verb teaches) | He teaches English to a class of 25 students. (to a class of 25 students is the indirect object because it indicates whom he teaches) |
What is a gerund?
Nouns as Subject Complements
A subject complement usually follows a linking verb (such as be, become, seen…) and it adds supplementary information about the subject itself. In the sentence Trevor is a firefighter, firefighter is a subject complement because it brings additional information about Trevor (the subject).
Nouns as Appositives
A noun can be considered an appositive when it immediately follows another noun. This is used to define or identify the followed noun. For example, in the sentence My hairstylist, Mary, is taking two months off, Mary is an appositive because it immediately follows the noun hairstylist, identifying who my hairstylist is.
Nouns as Modifiers
Nouns can also modify other nouns. In that case, they play the same role as adjectives. Modifiers are commonly named attributive nouns because they attribute information to the previous noun. In the sentence My boyfriend bought me a leather purse, leather is a modifier because it usually is a noun, but in this context it acts like an adjective to purse.
Need help?
Do you need help with the subclass of nouns? Does your child need help distinguishing proper nouns from personal pronouns? Do they need help understanding the complete sentence structure? Our English tutors can help with a wide array of activity worksheets and clear explanations, whatever the subject.
Exercices
To put this knowledge into practice, here are some exercises followed by the correction.
- In the following sentences, highlight the nouns.
-
- My dog is always barking.
- Her neighbour is always complaining.
- Jessie’s favourite colour is orange.
- My computer is brand new.
- Elizabeth is always late.
- Indicate if the underlined nouns in the following sentences are direct or indirect complements.
| Sentences | Direct or indirect |
| The class is learning English. | |
| Mary eats cake. | |
| I bought her a present. | |
| Ask him a question. | |
| My burger is delicious. |
Answers
- In the following sentences, highlight the nouns.
- My dog is always barking.
- Her neighbour is always complaining.
- Jessie’s favourite colour is orange.
- My computer is brand new.
- Elizabeth is always late.
- Indicate if the underlined nouns in the following sentences are direct or indirect complements.
| Sentences | Direct or indirect |
| The class is learning English. | Direct |
| Mary eats cake. | Direct |
| I bought her a present. | Indirect |
| Ask him a question. | Indirect |
| My burger is delicious. | Direct |
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is an Example of a Noun?
Cat, car, sky, feelings and Canada are all examples of nouns. As a reminder, a noun can be a thing, a tangible object, a proper noun, an idea, a concept and so on.
What Are All the Types of Nouns?
There is a wide range of nouns: concrete nouns, abstract nouns, collective nouns, proper nouns, common nouns, countable nouns (count nouns), uncountable nouns (mass nouns), singular nouns, compound nouns, attributive nouns, possessive nouns, generic nouns, appositive nouns, prototypical nouns. Some noun categories overlap.
What Is a Noun Phrase?
A noun phrase is a group of words that functions like a noun in a sentence, consisting of a noun and its modifiers. It’s often a sentence preceded by a pronoun, a common noun and a proper noun.
How Do You Identify a Noun?
Typically nouns describe a thing, a place, a feeling, an idea and so on. Therefore, all words that describe these things can be nouns. Another way to tell if a word is a noun is to precede it with a definite article, such as “the”. If the result makes sense, then it’s a noun.
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