Part of speech:

Noun

By: Hussain Al-ghawi

What is part of speech?

• a category to which a word is assigned in accordance with

its syntactic functions.

• In English the main parts of speech are noun, pronoun,

adjective, determiner, verb, adverb, preposition,

conjunction, and interjection.

Noun Definition

• Noun: is the name of a person, place, thing, or idea.

Whatever exists, we assume, can be named, and that name

is a noun.

Types of noun

• Proper Nouns

• Countable/Uncountable

Nouns

• Common Noun

• Gerunds

• Plural Nouns

• Compound Nouns

• Collective Nouns

• Abstract Nouns

(1)What is a Proper Noun? • Proper nouns have two distinct features: They name

specific one-of-a-kind items, and they begin with capital

letters, no matter where they occur within a sentence.

• Example:

o Mrs. Hacket

o Snoopy

o Oreo

o University of Southern California

(2) Common Noun

• A noun is a word that names a person, animal, place,

thing, or idea. All nouns can be further classified as 

proper or common. Common nouns are words used to

name general items rather than specific ones. 

• Example:

Writer – teacher - cookie

city – restaurant - document

school

(3) Countable/Uncountable Nouns

• countable nouns: are individual people, animals,

places, things, or ideas which can be counted.

• Uncountable nouns: are not individual objects,

so they cannot be counted.

Countable Noun Examples

• There are at least twenty Italian restaurants in Little Italy.

• Megan took a lot of photographs when she went to the

Grand Canyon.

• Your book is on the kitchen table.

• How many candles are on that birthday cake?

• You have several paintings to study in art

appreciation class.

• There’s a big brown dog running around the neighborhood.

Uncountable Noun Examples

• There is no more water in the pond.

• Please help yourself to some cheese.

• I need to find information about Pulitzer Prize winners.

• You seem to have a high level of intelligence.

• Please take good care of your equipment.

• Let’s get rid of the garbage.

(4) What are compound nouns

• Compound nouns are words for people, animals, places,

things, or ideas, made up of two or more words. Most

compound nouns are made with nouns that have been

modified by adjectives or other nouns.

• Compound nouns are sometimes one word, like toothpaste,

haircut, or bedroom. These are often referred to as closed or

solid compound nouns.

compound noun examples

• Compound nouns can be made with two nouns:

o Let’s just wait at this bus stop.

o I love watching fireflies on warm summer nights.

• Compound nouns can be made with an adjective

and a noun:

o Let’s watch the full moon come up over the mountain.

o Please erase the blackboard for me.

More compound noun examples• Compound nouns can be made with a verb and a noun:o Be sure to add bleach to the washing machine.o Let’s be sure to stay somewhere with a swimming pool.

• Compound nouns can be made with a noun and a verb:o He always gets up before sunrise.o I really could use an updated hairstyle.

• Compound nouns can be made with a verb and a preposition:o Checkout is at noon.o Please remember to schedule your dog’s annual check-up.

More Compound nouns examples• Compound nouns can be made with a noun and a

prepositional phrase:• My mother-in-law is the kindest person I know.• Compound nouns can be made with a preposition

and a noun:• Do you believe in past lives?• This city is vibrant, so it’s hard to believe it has a

thriving criminal underworld.• Compound nouns can be made with a noun and an

adjective:• We need a truckful of mulch for the garden.

(5) Plural Nouns

• Plural nouns are words used to indicate that there is more

than one person, animal, place, thing, or idea. The

difference between singular and plural nouns is simple once

you know what to look for.

Singular and Plural Nouns

• The difference between singular and plural nouns is easy to

spot. When a noun indicates one only, it is a singular noun.

When a noun indicates more than one, it is plural.

• Singular Noun Examples

o The boy had a baseball in his hand.

o My horse prefers to wear an English saddle.

o Your mom is going to be upset about that broken lamp.

Plural Noun Examples• The boys were throwing baseballs back and forth

between bases.

• Our horses are much happier wearing lightweight

English saddles.

• Those cats never seem to tire of chasing one another in and

out of those boxes.

• You stole my ideas and didn’t give me any credit.

• I can’t believe you allow your dogs to climb all over

the seats while you are driving.

(6) Collective Nouns

• Collective nouns: are names for a collection or a number of

people or things. Words like group, herd, and array are

collective noun examples.

• Collective nouns: are words for single things that are made

up of more than one person, animal, place, thing, or idea.

Collective Noun Examples

• class

• herd

• jury

• team

• army

• council

• family

• group

• audience

(7) Abstract Nouns

• Abstract nouns are words that name things that are

not concrete. Your five physical senses cannot detect

an abstract noun – you can’t see it, smell it, taste it,

hear it, or touch it. In essence, an abstract noun is a

quality, a concept, an idea, or maybe even an event.

• Abstract nouns and concrete nouns are usually

defined in terms of one another.

Abstract Noun Examples

• Love, fear, anger, joy, excitement, and other emotions are

abstract nouns.

• Courage, bravery, cowardice, and other such states are

abstract nouns.

• Desire, creativity, uncertainty, and other innate feelings are

abstract nouns.

(8) Gerunds

• Gerunds are words that are formed with verbs but act as

nouns.

• the gerund is a common part of speech that most of

us use every day, whether we know it or not.

Examples of Gerunds

• Swimming in the ocean has been Sharon’s passion since

she was five years old.

• Let’s go dancing at the club tonight.

• I’ve been dreaming of summer all winter long.

• Holly decided that flying above the clouds was the most

incredible experience she’d ever had.

• Bill avoided doing his math assignment because the World

Series was on.

Reference

• Ginger:

http://www.gingersoftware.com/content/grammar-

rules/nouns/