📚 What is a Noun?
A noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea.
- Person: teacher, Sarah, doctor, president
- Place: school, California, park, kitchen
- Thing: book, computer, dog, tree
- Idea: love, happiness, freedom, courage
🎯 Types of Nouns
Common Nouns
General names for people, places, or things (not capitalized unless at the beginning of a sentence)
The dog played in the park with a ball.
Proper Nouns
Specific names for particular people, places, or things (always capitalized)
Max played in Central Park on Saturday.
Singular vs. Plural Nouns
Singular (one)
cat, child, box, mouse
Plural (more than one)
cats, children, boxes, mice
Concrete Nouns
Things you can see, touch, hear, smell, or taste
Pizza, music, flowers, puppy, thunder
Abstract Nouns
Ideas, feelings, or qualities you cannot physically touch
Love, bravery, justice, patience, friendship
Collective Nouns
Names for groups of people, animals, or things
A team of players, a flock of birds, a bunch of grapes
✏️ Practice Exercise
Identify the nouns in each sentence. Click to reveal the answer!
1. My sister loves reading books in the library.
Nouns: sister, books, library
2. Mr. Johnson teaches mathematics at Lincoln High School.
Nouns: Mr. Johnson (proper), mathematics, Lincoln High School (proper)
3. The children showed great courage during the storm.
Nouns: children, courage (abstract), storm
4. A swarm of bees flew around the garden.
Nouns: swarm (collective), bees, garden
5. Happiness and friendship are important in life.
Nouns: happiness (abstract), friendship (abstract), life
📝 Plural Noun Rules
- Most nouns: Add -s (cat → cats, book → books)
- Ends in s, x, z, ch, sh: Add -es (box → boxes, dish → dishes)
- Ends in consonant + y: Change y to i and add -es (baby → babies)
- Ends in vowel + y: Just add -s (toy → toys)
- Ends in f or fe: Change to -ves (knife → knives, leaf → leaves)
- Irregular: Learn special forms (child → children, mouse → mice)
🎯 Key Takeaways
- Nouns name people, places, things, or ideas
- Common nouns are general; proper nouns are specific and capitalized
- Concrete nouns can be sensed; abstract nouns cannot
- Collective nouns name groups
- Plural forms usually add -s or -es, but some are irregular