Grammar Basics (Nouns) Resource: Advanced English Grammar for ESL Learners

C/LtCol Genieve M. Martínez

Lesson Objectives Review grammar basics:

Parts of Speech Noun Pronoun Verb Adjective Adverb Preposition Conjunction

Putting words together Sentence

Test Knowledge: Quiz 1

Parts of Speech NOUN a person, place, or thing. Can be the subject or object of a

sentence.

PRONOUN a word that replaces or stands for ("pro" = for) a noun.

VERB an action word.

ADJECTIVE a word that describes or modifies a noun. Answers the questions "how many," "what kind," etc.

ADVERB a word that describes or modifies a verb.

PREPOSITION (literally "pre-position") a word that indicates the relationship of a noun (or noun phrase) to another word.

Nouns

Proper/Common

Noncount/Count Collective Abstract/Concrete

Possessive

Proper• represent a

unique entity (a specific person or a specific place)

• Capitalized

Countable• Common nouns that

can become a plural• can combine with exact

numbers (even one, as a singular) or indefinite numbers (like "a" or "an”)

Name groups consisting of more than one individual or entity

Concrete• you can see,

hear, smell, taste, or feel the item

• names who or what has something

• nouns referring to people, groups of people, countries, and animals

Common• Describe an

entire group of entities (village or women)

• Not capitalized

Noncount• they can't become

plural or combine with number words

Examples "family", "committee", "corporation","faculty", "army", and "school”

Abstract • Refer to ideas

or concepts, like the nouns "politeness" or "hatefulness"

• refers to where someone works or plays or spends their time

Types of nouns:

Spelling of regular nouns Most regular nouns form their plural spelling by adding –s to the

singular form:

If the regular plural ending is pronounced s, x, ch or sh, the regular plural is spelled –es:

Singular PluralBoat boatsPlane planesSki Skis

Singular Plural

Batch batches

Box boxes

Bus buses

Wish Wishes

Spelling of regular nouns The plural of words ending in constant + y change the y to i and

add –es:

If the y follows a vowel, the y is part of the spelling of the vowel and cannot be changed:

Singular PluralBaby BabiesFamily FamiliesLady LadiesStory Stories

Singular Plural

Day Days

Key Keys

Toy Toys

Test your knowledge: Spelling of regular nouns

Write the correct form of the plural in the second column. The first question is done as an example. Singular Plural

Flash Flashes

1. Delay

2. Tool

3. Stone

4. Fly

5. Neck

6. Switch

7. Library

8. Path

9. Guess

10. Valley

Irregular plurals Seven nouns form their plurals by a vowel change alone:

Singular PluralFoot FeetGoose Geese Louse LiceMan MenMouse MiceTooth TeethWoman Women

Irregular plurals Two nouns retain the plural ending –en that in Old English was

standard for regular nouns:

If the noun ends with /f/ the f changes to v and add the –es plural or if the word has /f/ in the middle change the f to v and add –s at the end:

Singular PluralOx OxenChild Children

Singular PluralHalf HalvesLife LivesThief Thieves

Test your knowledge: Irregular nouns Write the correct form of the plural in the second column. The

first question is done as an example. Singular Plural

Deer Deer

1. Tooth

2. Loaf

3. Goose

4. Shelf

5. Ox

6. Trout

7. Knife

8. Mouse

9. Wolf

10. Cliff

Latin plurals Plural of Latin nouns ending in –us change the –us to -i:

Plurals of Latin nouns ending in –um change –um to -a:

Singular PluralAlumnus AlumniFocus FociLocus Loci

Singular PluralAddendum AddendaCurriculum CurriculaDatum Data

Test your knowledge: Latin plurals Write the correct form of the plural in the second column. The

first question is done as an example.

Singular Plural

Stratum Strata

1. Stimulus

2. Memorandum

3. Syllabus

4. Spectrum

5. Consortium

Noncount nouns Are names for categories of things. For example the noncount noun housing is

a collective term that refers to an entire category of places where people temporarily or permanently reside, such as a room, house, dormitory, condo, tent and so on. Category Examples

Abstractions Beauty, faith, luck

Academic fields Chemistry, economics, physics

Food Butter, meat, salt

Gerunds Running, smiling, winning

Languages Arabic, English, Spanish

Liquids and gases Air, blood, gasoline

Materials Cement, paper, wood

Natural phenomena Electricity, matter, space

Sports and games Baseball, chess, soccer

Weather words Fog, rain, wind

Noncount nouns The following words are all noncount nouns. Put each noun into the category

that is most appropriate for it. The first word is done as an example.

Category

Abstractions

Academic fields

Food

Gerunds

Languages

Liquids and gases Beer

Materials

Natural phenomena

Sports and games

Weather words

Beer Charitycheese Chinesecoffee footballgeology glassgold gravityhope knowledgelaughing literatureoxygen pepperpoker riceRussian sleepingsnow sunshinetalking timewool

Possessive nouns and personal pronouns Possessive nouns and pronouns have the same functions but are formed in

very different ways.

The use of the apostrophe signals the possessive use of the plural noun.

Plural –s Possessive -s

Boys Boy’s

Girls Girl’s

Friends Friend’s

Schools School’s

Possessive nouns and personal pronouns

Three forms of possessive nouns: plural –s, singular possessive –’s and plural possessive –s’:

Plural –s Singular Possessive -s Plural possessive –s’Boys Boy’s Boys’Girls Girl’s Girls’Friends Friend’s Friends’Schools School’s Schools’

Possessive nouns and personal pronouns

While it is correct to call –s’ the plural possessive, it is a mistake to think of the –’s as the singular possessive. The problem with this definition arises with the possessive forms of irregular nouns that become plural without adding a plural –s.

Singular Plural

Noun Possessive Noun Possessive

Man Man’s Men Men’s

Woman Woman’s Women Women’s

Datum Datum’s Data Data’s

Sheep Sheep’s Sheep Sheep’s

Test your knowledge: Possessives Fill in the correct forms of the plurals and possessives. An

example is provided. Singular Plural

Noun Possessive Noun PossessiveTeacher Teacher’s Teachers Teachers’1. Mouse2. Thief3. Child4. Goose5. Ox6. Deer7. Foot8. Tooth9. Fish10. Wolf

The common subject pronouns

Pronouns are words that take the place of nouns in a sentence.Pronoun Person Adjectival form Pronominal form

I First person singular My Mine

We First person plural Our Ours

You Second person singular

Your Yours

He Third person singular His His

She Third person singular Her Hers

It Third person singular Its Its

They Third person plural Their Theirs

Our First person plural Our Ours

The possessive form of personal pronouns

The possessive pronoun has:

Two numbers

Three persons Two Forms

Singular First person (Speaker) AdjectivePronoun modifies a following nounThat is my coat.

Plural Second person (Person spoken to)

PronounPronoun stands by itself in place of a nounThat coat is mine.

Third person (person or thing spoken about)

Distinguishing between its and it’s

The simplest way to distinguish the contracted form of it is from the uncontracted possessive pronoun its is to see if you can expand its or it’s to it is. If the expanded two-word expression makes sense, then you know that you should use the contracted form it’s. If the expanded two-word expression makes no sense at all, then you know that you are dealing with the possessive pronoun and that you should not use the apostrophe. Here is a test applied to the two examples: My car lost it’s windshield wiper.

Expanded: My car lost it is windshield wiper. The correct form is

My car lost its windshield wiper.

Test your knowledge: Distinguishing between its and it’s

Expand the its and it’s in the following sentences and then write the corrected form under the expanded form. If the original is already correct, write “OK” under the expanded form.

Our team lost it’s best player. Expanded it is Correction its

It’s a beautiful day for an outing. Expanded it is Correction OK

1. The train just came in. Its on Track 7. ExpandedCorrection

2. The kitchen needs its windows cleaned. ExpandedCorrection

3. The store is cutting back on it’s hours. ExpandedCorrection

4. I think its a big mistake to do it. Expanded Correction

5. The drug will lose it’s effectiveness with extensive use. ExpandedCorrection

6. Its a good investment. ExpandedCorrection