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NOUNS are everywhere! You have learned about nouns before and probably think you know all about them. Hold on! In this lesson, you may learn some new things about nouns. Read on and let's see!
Are all nouns the same?
No! There are different types or classes of nouns. Let's take a look at all of them.
Remember the rule!
Notice that none of these nouns start with a capital letter! The only time that you capitalize a common noun is at the beginning of a sentence or in a title.
Here are some sentences using common nouns:
1. The little girl liked reading comic books.
2. We live in the yellow house.
3. May I use your new pencil?
Remember the rule!
Notice that all of these nouns begin with a capital letter. Because proper nouns are names, they are always capitalized.
Here are some sentences using proper nouns:
1. Mary was the fastest runner.
2. Howard Elementary School is a new school in our town.
3. I like to wash my hair with Pearl Shampoo.
NOTE: Every proper noun has a common noun, but not every common noun has a proper noun equivalent.
For example:
Here are some sentences using concrete nouns:
1. The nurse wrapped the cut on my finger.
2. The church was very large.
3. The door opened slowly.
Let's look at some examples of feelings that are abstract nouns: love, fear, embarrassment, pride, surprise, trust.
Here are some sentences using abstract nouns:
1. The cat had fear in his eyes as he ran from the dog.
2. Love was mentioned in the song many times.
3.Trust grows in a good friendship.
The next class of nouns are ones that can be counted, or not, but before we talk about them, we need to make sure that you understand singular and plural forms.
Let's look at some examples of noncount nouns: weather, water, poetry, smoking, milk, money.
Remember the rule!
If you can use the word "a/an" in front of the noun in a sentence or a number word in front of it, it is a counting noun. If you can't, then it is a noncount noun. Try it!
Here are some sentences using count nouns:
1. I ate three delicious cookies.
2. The two churches were all on the same street.
Here are some sentences using noncount nouns:
1. The homework was difficult to do.
2. The sunshine was warm on my face.
The next class will be another easy one for you because you already know about compound words. This class of nouns is called compound nouns.
Let's look at some examples of compound nouns:
1. Two words joined = housework, eyelid
2. Two words joined by a hyphen = paper-clip, baby-sitter
3. Two words not joined = fish tank, swimming pool
Here are some sentences using compound nouns:
1. The homework was difficult to do.
2. The sunshine was warm on my face.
3. My time-out seemed so long.
4. The couch potato was too lazy to get up and answer the door.
Note: Have you seen the first two sentences before? That's right! The nouns in the first two sentences are also noncount nouns!
The next class will probably be something that you haven't learned before. Have you ever heard of a gerund? Don't worry! It isn't as hard as it sounds.
Let's look at some examples of gerund nouns: swimming, thinking, dancing
Here are some sentences using gerund nouns:
1. Running is something that I enjoy doing.
2. Laughing with my friends is so much fun.
3. We went whitewater rafting.
The last class of nouns that we are going to learn about are collective nouns.
Let's look at some examples of collective nouns: team, company, choir, club, family, class
Here are some sentences using collective nouns:
1. The team won the state title.
2. The large choir sounded beautiful.
3. My family spends every holiday together.
So, we have learned a lot about nouns! We have learned that there are different types or classes of nouns. Remember, nouns are everywhere!
