Name: Nguyễn Thị Phương Anh

Class:TA24.05

NOUN
1.What is a noun ?
- Nouns make up the largest class of words in most languages, including
English. A noun is a word that refers to a thing (book), a person (Betty
Crocker), an animal (cat), a place (Omaha), a quality (softness), an idea
(justice), or an action (yodeling). It's usually a single word, but not
always: cake, shoes, school bus, and time and a half are all nouns.

- There are a number of different categories of nouns. It’s   common

nouns and  proper nouns .

+ A common noun refers to a person, place, or thing but is not the name
of a particular person, place, or thing.
Examples are animal, sunlight, and happiness.
+  A proper noun is the name of a particular person, place, or thing; it
usually begins with a capital letter: Abraham Lincoln, Argentina,
and World War I are all proper nouns.
2. Functions of nouns
A, Noun as subject in a sentence
When being the subject, the noun usually comes at the beginning of the
sentence and before the verb in the sentence.

Example: English is my favorite subject.

-> “English” is the noun and the subject.

B, Noun as an indirect/direct object of a verb

- When acting as the object of a verb, the noun comes after the verb.

- When the noun is the direct object:

Ex: I want to buy a birthday cake.
-> “A birthday cake” is the noun and the object of the verb “buy”.

- When a noun is an indirect object:

Ex: He gave his girlfriend a ring.
-> "His girlfriend" is the noun and the object of the verb "give"

Noun as object of preposition

- When acting as the object of a preposition, the noun will come after the
preposition.

Ex: I have talked to Mrs.Hoa several times.

-> “Mrs Hoa” is a noun and is the object of the preposition “to”
C, Noun as a complement to the subject
When acting as a complement to the object, the noun comes after the linking
verbs such as tobe, become, seem, etc.
Example: John is an excellent student.
-> “An excellent student” is a noun and a complement to the subject “John”
D, Noun as a complement to the object
When acting as a complement for the object, the noun will come after some
verbs such as make , elect , call , consider , appoint , name , declare , recognize ,
etc.
Example: Board of directors recognizes Tommy the best staff of the year.
-> “The best staff of the year” is a noun and a complement in English for the
object “Tommy”.
3. The position of the noun in the sentence
- In addition to understanding the function of nouns, you should know the signs
that distinguish a noun from other types of words in a sentence, through some of
the following characteristics:
+ After the article
Nouns can come after articles like a, an, the. However, in between articles and
nouns, there can be additional modifiers.
For example: a beautiful girl, a lovely cat, …
+ After possessive adjectives
Nouns can come after some possessive adjectives such as my, your, his, her, its,
our, their, etc. Between possessive adjectives and nouns can have additional
modifiers.
For example: my new computer , her pink T-shirt…
+ After the word quantity
Nouns can come after some quantity words such as few, little, some, any, many,
all...
Ex: I need some coffee.
+ After the preposition
Nouns can come after prepositions such as in, of, for, under, etc. to modify
prepositions.
Example: This case is under investigation.
+ After the determiner
Nouns can come after some determiners like this, that, these, those, both, etc.
For example: these new clothes , both you and I , …

4. Types of nouns in English

How many types of nouns are there in English? Depending on different criteria,
there are 5 common ways of classifying nouns in English as follows:
a. Number of nouns: Singular nouns and plural nouns
- A singular noun is a countable noun with a count of one or can be an
uncountable noun.
For example: apple, cake, table,..
- Plural nouns are countable nouns whose numeric units are equal to or
greater than two.
For example: apples, cakes, tables,…
b. Classifying Nouns by Counting: Countable Nouns and Uncountable Nouns
- Countable nouns are nouns that we can count with numbers and can add a
count directly before it.
For example: three pens , five books , …
 - Uncountable nouns are nouns that we cannot count directly and cannot
add a count before it.
For example: water , money , experience , ...

c. Classification of nouns by meaning: Common nouns and proper nouns in

English
- Common nouns in English are nouns that refer to things and phenomena
around us.
For example: student , children , …

- Proper nouns in English are nouns that indicate the proper name of a
thing (name of person, name of place, name of phenomenon, ...)
For example: Bella, Japan, Red River, …

d. Classification of nouns according to their characteristics: concrete nouns and

abstract nouns
- Concrete nouns are nouns used to refer to people and things that exist in the
form of matter that we can see, touch, and feel.
For example: Anna, mom, pie, …
- Abstract nouns are nouns used to refer to things that cannot be seen but
can only be felt.
For example: happiness, love, hope, …

e. Classification of nouns according to their constituent elements: Simple Nouns

and Compound Nouns
- A simple noun is a noun consisting of only one word.
For example: baby , tree , job , ...
- A compound noun is a noun that consists of two or more words joined
together. Compound nouns when combined can be written as two
separate words or combined into one word.
For example: greenhouse , bedroom , toothpaste , …