Unit-1

Nouns
Content
Structure
1.0 Objective
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Definition of Nouns
1.3 Noun and Noun Phrase

1.4 Kinds of Nouns

1.4.1 Proper nouns
1.4.2 Common nouns
1.4.3 Collective nouns
1.4.4 Material nouns
1.4.5 Abstract nouns

1.5 Nouns: Count ability

1.5.1 Countable nouns
1.5.2 Uncountable nouns

1.6 Nouns: Gender

1.6.1 Masculine and Feminine forms
1.6.2 Common/dual gender

1.7 Conclusion
1.8 Unit End Questions
1.0 Objectives
This unit will give you a fairly good idea about the most common of
the parts of speech-Nouns.
1.1 Introduction
Nouns are naming words. Every language has its own set of nouns and
the list is open ended i.e. newer nouns one added to the older ones with
the changing times.
1.2 Definition of Nouns
A Nouns is the name of a person place or thing. A thing includes a
quality (fear) a material (gold), a collection (herd, army), a state
(adherence) and an action (cheat, mock, movement)
1.3 Noun and Noun Phrase
A noun is often called a noun phrase. A noun phrase can be a single
word noun:
Teachers love their pupils. (noun phrase: teacher)
But a noun phrase is usually longer than a single word because it
consists of an adjective or a determiner plus a noun.
A good teacher loves his pupils. (noun phrase: a good teacher)
1.4 Kinds of Nouns
Nouns can be classified into five kinds:
1. Proper Nouns
2. Common Nouns
3. Collective Nouns
4. Material Nouns
5. Abstract Nouns
1.4.1 Proper nouns
A proper noun is the name of a particular person or thing, i.e. a name
used for an individual person or place, river, or mountain etc.:
Mary, Rahul, Godavari, India, Everest
1.4.2 Common nouns
A common noun refers to any and every person or thing of the same
kind or class, not to a particular person or thing:
Cow, dog, girl, boy, man, woman
Common nouns Proper nouns
Girl Latha
Dog Rover
Man Aslam
1.4.3 Collective nouns
A collective noun is the name of a collection, group of people, or things
of the same kind: class, team, government jury, federation
1.4.4 Material nouns
A material noun is the name of a material, substance, or ingredient
things are made of. They can be articles of food or drink as well:
Iron, copper, steel, gold, coal, silver, rice, wheat, milk, water, tea, sugar
Note: A material noun is a type of common noun but a distinction is
made between the two. A common noun is usually a countable noun
but a material noun is an uncountable noun.
The cow gives us milk.
Cow is a common noun (countable), but milk is a material noun
(uncountable).
1.4.5 Abstract nouns
An abstract noun is the name of a quality, state, or concept:
Beauty, sweetness, childhood, love
Note: Concrete nouns are names of material things, i.e. things having
a material form, shape or size. Abstract nouns are the names of qualities
found in various kinds of objects. Since they have no material form,
they cannot be seen or touched.
We can know of them only through our mind:
Concrete nouns Abstract nouns
Sugar wetness
Book beauty
Milk hatred
Patna fear
We can see sugar but cannot see sweetness, so sugar is a concrete noun
and sweetness an abstract noun. In short, concrete nouns refer to
physical properties and abstract nouns to mental properties.