NOUNSCommon, Proper and Collective

WHAT IS A NOUN?

A noun is a… person, place,

thing, or idea

PROPER NOUNS

Proper nouns are names of people, geographic locations, businesses, etc. They need to be capitalized.

These indicate that there is only one of a special kind of noun.

Example: There are many junior high schools, but only one Rocky Mountain Junior High.

BATTLE OF THE BRAINS

How many proper nouns can you think of on a specific topic?1. Proper nouns: Famous people2. Proper nouns: States3. Proper nouns: Fast food restaurants

COMMON NOUNS

Common nouns are the regular things filling the rest of the world. They do not need to be capitalized (except at the beginning of a sentence.)

Examples: mother, movie theatre, ice cream, and freedom

BATTLE OF THE BRAINS

How many common nouns can you think of on a specific topic?1. Nouns: Items in a jewelry store2. Nouns: Places in your community3. Nouns: Fruits

COLLECTIVE NOUNS

Collective nouns are singular nouns used to indicate a group of people or things, such as army, team, or flock.

These words are NOT collective nouns: parents, friends, deer. They are simply plural nouns. A collective noun is singular.

Some more examples of collective nouns are audience, council, and committee.

COLLECTIVE NOUNS AND SINGULAR/PLURAL VERBS

Use a singular verb when the noun shows the group acting as one. Example: The team IS playing well today.

Use a plural verb when the noun shows members of the group acting alone. Example: The team ARE playing different positions.

Hint: If you can plug in the word “members” before the verb (meaning that each member is doing something different), use the plural verb.

BATTLE OF THE BRAINS

How many collective nouns can you think of?

Writing: Combine your collective nouns with other nouns to make unusual groups or combinations.

Examples: An army of insects; a family of books; a herd of children.