Compiled by Group 1

1. Ardiwanton Zai
2. Etika Herniani Gulo
3. Fedirman Hidayat Gulo
4. Junisman Humendru
5. Kasih Riang Nazara
6. Syukur Kasih Kristiani Gea
7. Yael Maranatha Zebua

Class / Sem. : B / VI
Lecturer : Sir. Hasrat Sozanolo Harefa, S.Pd., M.Pd
Subject : Grammar for TOELF

INSTITUTE OF TEACHER TRAINING AND EDUCATION OF GUNUNGSITOLI

FACULTY OF LANGUAGES AND ART EDUCATION
ENGLISH EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM
MARCH 2021
 PREFACE

Praise and worship to the Almighty God only, for His grace and blessing
in our life and for His protection that enables us to live until this day. Only by
grace, group 1 are enabled to compile the material regarding as the presentation
assignment in course of Grammar for TOEFL.
On this occasion, we would like to discuss about noun. The definition,
kinds, and specific strategy related to noun in TOEFL test are elaborated in this
paper. We thank also Mr. Hasrat as the lecturer who gives us the chance to present
this material and guides us in compiling it.
As the beginner in writing, we ask for apology if there are some mistakes
in the paper. we do accept every suggestion even criticism as qualified input for
our writing skill development next time. And hopefully, it can be useful for all of
us in studying about Grammar for TOEFL, specifically about noun. Hopefully this
paper can give a broader insight to the reader, thank you.

Presenter,

Group 1
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preface......................................................................................................................ii

Table of contents.....................................................................................................iii

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION

A. Background ...............................................................................................1

B. Formulation of the Problems .....................................................................1

C. Purposes ....................................................................................................1

CHAPTER II DISCUSSION

A. Defenition of Noun ...................................................................................2

B. Kinds of Noun ...........................................................................................2

C. Grammatical Distinction and Number ......................................................3

D. Problems with Nouns in TOEFL Test.......................................................7

CHAPTER III CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION

A. Conclusion .............................................................................................10

B. Suggestion ...............................................................................................10

References..............................................................................................................11
 CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION

A. Background
A noun is a word that functions as the name of a specific object or set of
objects, such as living creatures, places, actions, qualities, states of existence, or
ideas. However, noun is not a semantic category, so that it cannot be characterized
in terms of its meaning. Thus, actions and states of existence can also be
expressed by verbs, qualities by adjectives, and places by adverbs. Linguistically,
a noun is a member of a large, open part of speech whose members can occur as
the main word in the subject of a clause, the object of a verb, or the object of a
preposition. Lexical categories (parts of speech) are defined in terms of the ways
in which their members combine with other kinds of expressions. The syntactic
rules for nouns differ from language to language. In English, nouns are those
words which can occur with articles and attributive adjectives and can function as
the head of a noun phrase. "As far as we know, every language makes a
grammatical distinction that looks like a noun verb distinction."

B. Formulation of the Problems

a. What is defenition of Noun ?
b. What are the kind of Noun ?
c. How about grammatical Distinction and Number ?
d. What are the problems with Nouns in TOEFL Test?

C. Purposes
a. To know what is defenition of Noun
b. To understand the kind of Noun
c. To understand about grammatical Distinction and Number
d. To know what are the problems with Nouns in TOEFL Test
 CHAPTER II
DISCUSSION

A. Definition of Noun
A noun is a part of speech that names a person, place, or thing. By a thing
here, it means that it comprises something which can be perceived by human
senses, or that which cannot be perceived but can be thought of.

B. Kinds of Noun
According to their kinds, nouns can be classified into proper and common
nouns.
1. A proper noun is, referring to Maurer (2000:105), a name of a particular,
individual person, place, or thing who/which is usually unique. It is written is a
capital letter.
2. A common noun is, according to Wren and Martin (1990:5), “a name
given in common to every person or thing of the same class or kind”. Different
from proper nouns, this sort of nouns is not written in a capital letter. The
following chart shows how these two categories work in practice.

proper nouns common nouns

Harry girl
Jhon boy
Yogyakarta city
Indonesia country
SarjanaWiyata university

When classified into their particular details, common nouns can be divided into 3
classes, i.e. abstract, individual, and collective nouns.
a) An abstract noun, which belongs to uncountable nouns, is a word used
to name an idea, activity, action, a quality, or state which is “considered apart
from the object to which it belongs” (Wren & Martin, 2000:6), for example of this
noun category is kindness, theft, boyhood, and grammar.
 b) An individual noun, which belongs to countable nouns, is a word that
represents a typical member of a group and may include most of the concrete
nouns, i.e. words which can be perceived by human senses. This category can be
exemplified by these words: student, lawyer, flower, and plant.
c) A collective noun names a group, number, or collection of persons,
objects, or things “taken together and spoken f as one whole” (Whren& Martin,
2000:5), for example, fleet, police, and crowd. Noticed how they are used in the
followings.
1) A fleet may mean a number of warships or vessels, under one
commander. For example, Admiral Sudomo led the Indonesian combat
fleet to attack the Dutch fleet.
2) Police is “men and women belonging to a department of government
concerned with the keeping of public order: Several hundred police were
on duty at the demonstration” (Hornby, 1974:644).
3) A crowd means “a large number of people together, but without order
or organization : He pushes his way through the crowd” (Hornby,
1974:206).

C. Grammatical Distinction and Number

When the classification is made on the basis of their grammatical
distinction, as stated above, common nouns may be grouped into 2. They are (1)
countable nouns which are made up from individual and collective nouns and (2)
uncountable nouns which are mostly made up from abstract nouns.
According to their number, these countable nouns can be made into (1)
singular and (2) plural nouns. Although the note on countable and uncountable
nouns in this section is trustworthy, it is not always easy to distinguish countable
from uncountable nouns. Swan (1983:164) states that
It is not always obvious whether a word is countable and uncountable; if
you are not sure, check in the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of
Current English (nouns are marked C or U). Sometimes words can be
uncountable with one meaning and countable with another, ...

1. A countable noun refers to nouns denoting persons or things that can

be counted. Therefore, it is only the nouns in this category which can be made
into the plural form. In their singular form, they are preceded by the indefinite
article ‘a/an’.
The plural form of the singular countable nouns are normally made by
adding –s, as a book books, a pen pens, and a cow cows. However, nouns
ending in –s, –sh, –ch, or –x, and –o, form their plural by adding –es to their
singular form, like a kiss kisses, a match matches, a tax taxes, and a mango
mangoes, except the followings:

a dynamo dynamos a memento mementos

a canto cantos a photo photos
a piano pianos a quarto quartos
a solo solos

But all nouns ending in -o preceded by a vowel take only the –s form, e.g.

a cuckoo cuckoos a radio radios

a bamboo bamboos a ratio ratios
a portfolio portfolios a stereo stereos
a curio curios

Nouns ending in –y, preceded by a consonant, form their plural by

changing –y into –ies, as an army armies, or a story stories, but when the –y
ending is preceded by a vowel, the plural form simply takes –s, e.g. a valley
valleys, a donkey donkeys, a boy boys, or a key keys.
Many nouns ending in –f or –ef form their plural by changing –f or –ef
into –ves, as a thief thieves, or a calf calves, except:
a chief chiefs a serf serfs
a roof roofs a brief briefs
a gulf gulfs a proof proofs
a grief griefs a leaf leaves
a dwarf dwarfs a belief beliefs
a safe safes
But there are words in the category above which have both plural forms.
a scarf scarfs or scarves a staff staffs or staves
a wharf wharfs or wharves a hoof hoofs or hooves

A few nouns form their plural in an irregular away.

a man men a louse lice

a woman women a mouse mice
a datum data a nucleus nuclei
a goose geese an ox oxen
a tooth teeth a child children
a foot feet

Some nouns have the similar singular and plural forms: swine, sheep, deer, fish
(but also fishes) cod, trout, salmon, pair, dozen, score, gross, hundred, and
thousand (when used after numerals).

2. An uncountable noun or a non-count or mass noun, as Maurer

(2000:106) asserts, names “things that cannot be counted in their normal sense
because they exist in a ‘mass’ form” whereas Eckersley and Eckersley (1973:20)
affirm that this noun stands “for substances that cannot be counted” but “can only
be measured”. Therefore, they cannot be made into the plural form, and in their
normal meaning, they cannot be preceded by the indefinite article ‘a/an’. The
nouns of the like normally take a singular verb. The following nouns are usually
uncountable:

accommodation, behaviour, bread, chaos, furniture, luggage, scenery, traffic,

travel, and weather.
An uncountable noun is frequently made into countable by adding such phrases as
a piece of, a cup of, a grain of, a game of, a bolt of, a flash of, a clap of, or five
kilos of.
It should be noted that there are uncountable nouns which take the plural
form but with a singular meaning, and therefore they always take a singular verb.
These words are only a few examples: news, mathematics, economics, physics,
linguistics, measles, and mumps.
Maurer (2000:107) and Murphy (1987:138) advise that there are words
which can be used in either a countable or uncountable sense. Compare the
followings.
a) I bought a paper. (a newspaper)
Each student is asked to submit a paper on grammar. (an essay, esp. one to read
to a learned society)
I need a sheet of paper. (material for writing on)
b) There is a hair in the soup. (one single hair)
She has beautiful hair. (hair on the head)
c) We had many interesting experiences during our holiday. (things that happened
to us)
You need experience for this job. (knowledge of something because you have
done it before)
d) I ate meat for dinner.
Different meats are available at the supermarket. (typesof meat)
e) We need to take water along on the camping trip.
There are carbonated and uncarbonated mineral waters. (brandsof mineral
water)
f) TV is both good and bad.
Yesterday we bought a TV. (informal for a television set)
g) I drink coffee every morning.
Please bring us three coffees. (informal for three cups of coffee)
h) France produces wine.
Cabernet Sauvignon is a wine produced in France. (a brand of wine)
i) It takes work to prepare an elegant meal. (use of bodily or mental powers with
the purpose of doing or making something)
Your meal is a work of art. (a product of the intellect or the imagination)

D. Problems with Nouns in TOEFL Test

The same types of problems with nouns appear often in written expression
questions on the TOEFL test. You should be familiar with these problems so that
you will recognize them easily. You should be able to do the following : (1) use
the correct singular or plural noun, (2) distinguish countable and uncountable
nouns, (3) recognize irregular singular and plural nouns, and (4) distinguish the
person from the thing.

1. Use the correct singular or plural noun.

A problem that is common in written expression questions on the TOEFL
test is a singular noun used where a plural noun is needed, or plural noun used
where a singular noun is needed.

e.g. - On the table there were many dish*

- The lab assistant finished every tests*

In the first example, manyindicates that the plural dishes is needed. In the second
example, every indicates that the singular test is needed.
In written expression question on the TOEFL test, you should watch very
carefully for key words, such as each, every, a, one, and single, that indicate that a
noun should be singular. You should also watch carefully for such key words as
many, several, both, various, and two (or any other number except one) that
indicate that a noun should be plural.

2. Distinguish countable and uncountable nouns.

It is important for you to recognize the difference between countable and
uncountable nouns when you come across such key words as much and many.
e.g. - He has seen much* foreign films.
- He didn’t have many* fun at the movies.

In the first example, much is incorrect because films is countable. This sentence
should say many foreign films. In the second example, manyis incorrect because
fun is uncountable. This sentence should say much fun.

3. Recognize irregular singular and plural nouns.

Many nouns in English have irregular plurals, and these irregular forms
can cause confusion in written expression questions on the TOEFL test. The
irregular forms that are the most problematic are plural forms that do not end in s.

e.g. - Different criteriawas* used to evaluate the performers.

In this example the plural noun criteria looks singular because it does not end in
s; you might incorrectly assume that it is singular because there is no final s.
However, criteria is a plural noun, so the singular verbwasused is incorrect. The
verb should be the plural form were used.
The following chart lists the irregular plurals that you should become
familiar with :
4. Distinguish the person from the thing.
Nouns in English can refer to persons or things. Sometimes in written
expression questions on the TOEFL test the person is used in place of the thing, or
the thing is used in the place of the person.

e.g. - Ralph Nader is an authorization* in the field of consumer affairs.

- There are many job opportunities in accountant*.

In the first example, authorization is incorrect because authorization is a thing

and Ralph Nader is a person. The person authority should be used in this sentence.
In the second example, accountant is incorrect because accountant is a person and
the field in which an accountant works is accounting. The thing accounting
should be used in this sentence.
 CHAPTER III
CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION

A. Conclusion
A noun can be defined as a word used to name a person, place, or thing.
By a thing here, it means that it comprises something which can be perceived by
human senses, or that which cannot be perceived but can be thought of. There are
two kinds of noun are proper noun and commond noun. When the classification is
made on the basis of their grammatical distinction, as stated above, common
nouns may be grouped into two. They are (1) countable nouns which are made up
from individual and collective nouns and (2) uncountable nouns which are mostly
made up from abstract nouns. The same types of problems with nouns appear
often in written expression questions on the TOEFL test. You should be familiar
with these problems so that you will recognize them easily. We should be able to
do the following : (1) use the correct singular or plural noun, (2) distinguish
countable and uncountable nouns, (3) recognize irregular singular and plural
nouns, and (4) distinguish the person from the thing.

B. Suggestion

Hopefully this paper has benefits and meaning for the reader, and if there
are weaknesses and shortcomings of researchers in making this task hopefully it
can be understood and will be corrected to be better going forward, thank you.
 REFERENCES

Hall, Diane and Susan Barduhn. (2016). English for Everyone : English Grammar
Guide.USA : DK

Murphy, Raymond. Fifth Edition, (2019).English Grammar in Use. UK :

Cambridge University Press

Philips, Deborah. (2001). Longman Complete Course for the TOEFL Test :
Preparation for the Computer and Paper Tests. New York : Longman