CHAPTER ONE:
NOUNS.
A noun is a naming word. Nouns refer to names of things, ideas, or situations.
There are several ways of classifying nouns.
(a) Countable and uncountable nouns
(b) Concrete or abstract nouns
(c) Common or proper nouns
(d) Collective nouns
(e) Compound nouns
(A) Countable and uncountable nouns
Look at the lists below
List A List B
Pen water
Man Ink
Poem wool
Son Mud
Pin Darkness
The items in list A can be described using numerals, e.g. one pen, five men, six
poems e.t.c.
List B consist of items that would be impossible to quantify numerically.
We cannot say one water, five muds e.t.c.
The items in list A are countable and those in B are uncountable.
Nouns for materials such as glass, wood e.t.c and those for liquids e.g. milk, oil,
e.t.c, are usually uncountable. Other uncountable nouns are the class called
abstract nouns. These include such nouns as love, excitement, concern e.t.c.
B. CONCRETE AND ABSTRACT NOUNS
,Concrete nouns are those that are appreciated with any of the five senses. These senses are sense of
touch, sight, smell, taste and sense of hear.
Examples
1. Wood
2. Dust
3. Smoke
4. Fire
5. Book
6. Water
7. Love
8. Justice
9. Understanding
10Humour
C. COMMON AND PROPER NOUNS
Common nouns are names that are shared by common classes of things. For instance, the term ‘boy’ is a
noun which refers to ‘male youth’. All male youths share this common term.
Proper nouns are specific names of people, things or places. All abstract nouns are common nouns
unless they are given names for certain stylistic purposes.
Proper nouns are names given to specific entities. For example, Peter, Monday, June, English e.t.c
The first letter of all proper nouns is capitalized in writing. Proper nouns do not have plural forms but
common nouns are pluralized.
D. COLLECTIVE NOUNS
These nouns are (collectively) identified as a group.
Some collective nouns are, Audience, Congregation, Crowd, Swarm, Class, Group, Staff, School e.t.c.
E. COMPOUND NOUNS
These are nouns, which are formed by more than one word, i.e two, or more words are compounded to
, form a noun.
Compound nouns may be formed by: -
(i) Noun + noun
e.g. Kitchen table, riverbank, bedroom.
(ii) Gerund + noun
e.g. waiting list, dining room, swimming pool e.t.c
(iii) Noun + Gerund
e.g. name calling, weight lifting, sight seeing e.t.c
(iv) Noun + preposition + noun
e.g. mother – in – law
Sister – in – law
(v) Noun + preposition + gerund
e.g. Doctors – in – waiting
NUMBER IN NOUNS
Singular and Plural.
In the previous topic, we looked at the different ways of classifying nouns. We shall now look at ways of
deriving plurals from singular nouns.
(i) The plural of a noun is usually made by adding S to the singular.
e.g. Book - books
Cow- cows
Shoe – shoes.
(ii) Nouns ending in ‘O’ ‘ch,’ ‘sh’, ‘ss’ or ‘x’ form their plurals by adding
‘es’.
e.g. Singular Plural
Tomato tomatoes
Church churches
NOUNS.
A noun is a naming word. Nouns refer to names of things, ideas, or situations.
There are several ways of classifying nouns.
(a) Countable and uncountable nouns
(b) Concrete or abstract nouns
(c) Common or proper nouns
(d) Collective nouns
(e) Compound nouns
(A) Countable and uncountable nouns
Look at the lists below
List A List B
Pen water
Man Ink
Poem wool
Son Mud
Pin Darkness
The items in list A can be described using numerals, e.g. one pen, five men, six
poems e.t.c.
List B consist of items that would be impossible to quantify numerically.
We cannot say one water, five muds e.t.c.
The items in list A are countable and those in B are uncountable.
Nouns for materials such as glass, wood e.t.c and those for liquids e.g. milk, oil,
e.t.c, are usually uncountable. Other uncountable nouns are the class called
abstract nouns. These include such nouns as love, excitement, concern e.t.c.
B. CONCRETE AND ABSTRACT NOUNS
,Concrete nouns are those that are appreciated with any of the five senses. These senses are sense of
touch, sight, smell, taste and sense of hear.
Examples
1. Wood
2. Dust
3. Smoke
4. Fire
5. Book
6. Water
7. Love
8. Justice
9. Understanding
10Humour
C. COMMON AND PROPER NOUNS
Common nouns are names that are shared by common classes of things. For instance, the term ‘boy’ is a
noun which refers to ‘male youth’. All male youths share this common term.
Proper nouns are specific names of people, things or places. All abstract nouns are common nouns
unless they are given names for certain stylistic purposes.
Proper nouns are names given to specific entities. For example, Peter, Monday, June, English e.t.c
The first letter of all proper nouns is capitalized in writing. Proper nouns do not have plural forms but
common nouns are pluralized.
D. COLLECTIVE NOUNS
These nouns are (collectively) identified as a group.
Some collective nouns are, Audience, Congregation, Crowd, Swarm, Class, Group, Staff, School e.t.c.
E. COMPOUND NOUNS
These are nouns, which are formed by more than one word, i.e two, or more words are compounded to
, form a noun.
Compound nouns may be formed by: -
(i) Noun + noun
e.g. Kitchen table, riverbank, bedroom.
(ii) Gerund + noun
e.g. waiting list, dining room, swimming pool e.t.c
(iii) Noun + Gerund
e.g. name calling, weight lifting, sight seeing e.t.c
(iv) Noun + preposition + noun
e.g. mother – in – law
Sister – in – law
(v) Noun + preposition + gerund
e.g. Doctors – in – waiting
NUMBER IN NOUNS
Singular and Plural.
In the previous topic, we looked at the different ways of classifying nouns. We shall now look at ways of
deriving plurals from singular nouns.
(i) The plural of a noun is usually made by adding S to the singular.
e.g. Book - books
Cow- cows
Shoe – shoes.
(ii) Nouns ending in ‘O’ ‘ch,’ ‘sh’, ‘ss’ or ‘x’ form their plurals by adding
‘es’.
e.g. Singular Plural
Tomato tomatoes
Church churches
