Nouns and its types | Basic Grammar for IELTS PDF Download

Noun - Definition 

A noun is a word that identifies a person, place, thing, state, or quality. It can exist in singular or plural form. Nouns are categorized under parts of speech. Nouns play a fundamental role in the structure of English sentences, serving various functions such as subjects, direct objects, indirect objects, or modifiers.

Examples of nouns include:

• Person: Sarah, teacher, doctor
• Place: school, park, city
• Thing: car, book, table
• State: happiness, confusion, excitement
• Quality: beauty, intelligence, kindness

Importance of Nouns

• Nouns play a crucial role in sentence structure, often serving as subjects, objects of verbs, or prepositional objects.
• Understanding different types of nouns enhances clarity and precision in communication.

The term Noun refers to words that name people, places, things, or ideas. Here are some illustrative examples:- Place: Refers to locations such as Goa, Taj Mahal, Sea, River, Planet, Farmhouse, Tourist place, etc.- Person: Includes individuals like John, Biographer, Cardiologist, Cameramen, Actress, Politicians, etc.- Things: Encompasses objects like Grains, Rocks, Trees, Forest, Paper, Glass, Metals, Plastic, etc.- Ideas: Represents abstract concepts like Revolution, Resolution, Invention, Conclusion, Argument, etc.

How are Nouns Used in Sentences?

• Nouns can serve as the main subject and the action in a sentence. The subject, representing a person, place, or thing, is paired with a verb that describes the action performed by the subject.
• Nouns play various roles within sentences, including as subjects, objects, and Subject and Object Complements.

1. Nouns as Subjects

• The subject in a sentence is the noun or pronoun that carries out the action of the verb.
• For instance, in the sentence "The lion chased the goat," the noun "lion" functions as the subject of the verb "chased."

2. Nouns as Objects

• Nouns and pronouns can act as objects in a sentence, playing roles as both direct and indirect objects.
• In the sentence "Raghav is a brilliant student," "Raghav" serves as the Subjective Noun, while "Student" serves as the objective Noun.

• Nouns as a Direct Object

  A noun or pronoun serves as a direct object when it receives the action of the verb.

  For instance, in the sentence, "He gave the keys to her mother," the word "keys" is the direct object of the verb "gave."

• Nouns as an Indirect Object

  A noun or pronoun functions as an indirect object when it is indirectly affected by the action of the verb, typically placed before the direct object.

  For example, in the sentence, "He gave flowers to his mother," the word "mother" is the indirect object of the verb "gave."

• Nouns as Subject and Object Complements

  An object complement is a word or phrase that comes after a direct object or renames it. It can include names, professions, or positions.

  For instance, in the sentence, "I painted the room green," the word "green" is the object complement as it follows and describes the direct object "the room."

  When a noun is used to describe another noun, it acts as a subject complement, which can be a noun or noun phrase.

  For example, in the sentence, "The cookies taste delicious," the word "delicious" serves as a subject complement, following the linking verb "taste" and describing the subject.

Types of Noun

A Proper noun refers to a specific person, place, or thing and is always capitalized. It doesn't need a limiting modifier. It essentially names unique entities.

Examples:

• “John” is a proper noun because it specifies a particular person.
• “Sydney” is a proper noun as it identifies a specific location.
• “Samsung” is a proper noun denoting a particular brand.
• “Lassie” is a proper noun representing a specific pet-animal.
• “The Eiffel Tower” is a proper noun as it names a distinct landmark.
• “The New York Times” is a proper noun as it identifies a specific newspaper.

• It is always written in capital letters.
• We do not use 'a' or 'an' before it.
• It can have genders: Masculine, Feminine, Neuter.

2. Common Noun

The common noun, when paired with a limiting modifier, identifies a group of individuals or objects, or specific entities within that group. It represents a characteristic shared by all.

Examples:

• Tree – The tree in the front yard is over a century old.
• Book – I'm engrossed in a book detailing India's history.
• Dog – My playful dog enjoys chasing tennis balls.
• City – Future plans involve constructing a new park within the city.
• Lake – Last weekend, we swam in the serene lake.
• Person – The individual over there is my college friend.
• Car – The car emits an odd noise upon starting.

Common nouns are categorized as countable or uncountable. 'A' or 'an' is used before singular countable nouns.

• Common Nouns
• Common nouns can be categorized as countable or uncountable.
• We typically use "a" or "an" before singular countable nouns.

3. Collective Noun

Collective Nouns represent a gathering of individuals, objects, or animals.

• Collective Nouns for Groups of Animals:
• A herd of cattle
• A flock of birds
• A pack of wolves
• A school of fish
• Collective Nouns for Groups of People:
• A crowd of people
• A group of friends
• A team of athletes
• A gang of thieves
• Collective Nouns for Things/Objects:
• A pile of rocks
• A stack of books
• A bundle of sticks
• A cluster of grapes

4. Material Noun

A material noun represents a substance utilized in making things, focusing on the fundamental characteristics of materials.

Examples:

• Example: "The desk was crafted from solid oak." (oak signifies a material noun)
• Example: "She adorned a gold necklace for the event." (gold acts as a material noun)
• Example: "The structure of the bridge involved steel girders." (steel is identified as a material noun)
• Example: "He kindled a fire using dry branches and twigs." (branches and twigs serve as material nouns)
• We do not precede it with 'a/an' since it is uncountable.
• We do not form its plural by adding 's/es'.

5. Abstract Noun

An abstract noun represents intangible and conceptual ideas, such as emotions or qualities, that cannot be perceived through the senses. It signifies states of mind, emotions, and feelings.

Abstract nouns are those that cannot be experienced through the five senses. They denote things that exist as ideas or concepts rather than physical objects.

• Love: She experienced profound affection for her family.
• Courage: His bravery in challenging situations was commendable.
• Intelligence: She possesses a high degree of mental acuity.
• Success: His achievements in the business realm were a result of his dedication.

• We should not use 'a' or 'an' before 'it' because it is an uncountable noun.
• We do not make the plural of 'it' by adding 's' or 'es'.
• Abstract nouns can be formed by converting verbs and adjectives.

6. Singular Noun

Singular nouns refer to one person, place, or thing.

Examples:

• "The cat slept on the windowsill." (Here, the singular noun 'cat' refers to one animal.)
• "She read a novel before bed." (In this case, the singular noun 'novel' denotes one book.)
• "He took a single cookie from the jar." (The singular noun 'cookie' refers to one baked good.)
• "The apple was red and shiny." (Here, the singular noun 'apple' signifies one piece of fruit.)
• "The car needs an oil change." (The singular noun 'car' denotes one vehicle.)

• We use 'a' or 'an' before a singular noun.
• To make a singular noun plural, we can add 's' or 'es'.

Singular nouns represent a single person, place, or thing. They always denote a quantity of one.

7. Plural Noun

A plural noun denotes multiple people, places, animals, or things. Plural forms are created by adding 's' or 'es' to singular nouns or by modifying the spelling.

Examples of plural nouns:

• Dogs: "The dogs barked loudly."
• Eggs: "She bought a dozen eggs."
• Children: "The children played in the park."
• Deer: "We saw several deer in the woods."

Characteristics of plural nouns:

• Always written in uppercase.
• Do not require 'a' or 'an' before them.
• Have genders: Masculine, Feminine, Neuter.

8. Compound Noun

A compound noun is formed by combining two or more words to create a single noun. For example:

• Bookshelf (Book + Shelf) – The bookshelf was filled with old books.
• Raincoat (Rain + Coat) – I am going to wear my raincoat because it's going to rain.
• Haircut (Hair + Cut) – He got a new haircut.
• Bedroom (Bed + Room) – I am going to sleep in my bedroom tonight.

Compound nouns are not limited to using nouns; they can be formed using various parts of speech.

• It's not necessary for both words in a compound word to be nouns.
• A compound word is formed using more than one part of speech.

9. Countable Noun

Countable nouns are those that can be counted individually, whether singular or plural.

Countable nouns are identifiable entities that can be quantified. They can be singular or plural.

• "I have two cats." (cats - countable noun)
• "She bought a loaf of bread." (loaf - countable noun)
• "He owns several cars." (cars - countable noun)
• "We need to buy some eggs." (eggs - countable noun)
• "The class has only five students." (students - countable noun)
• "I have two cats." (cats - countable noun)
• "I have "two "cats." (cats - countable noun)
• "She bought a loaf of bread." (loaf - countable noun)
• "She bought "a loaf "of bread." (loaf - countable noun)
• "He owns several cars." (cars - countable noun)
• "He owns "several "cars." (cars - countable noun)
• "We need to buy some eggs." (eggs - countable noun)
• "We need to buy "some "eggs." (eggs - countable noun)
• "The class has only five students." (students - countable noun)
• "The class has only "five "students." (students - countable noun)

10. Possessive Noun

A possessive noun demonstrates ownership or possession of something by adding an apostrophe followed by "s" to the noun. A possessive noun indicates ownership, such as "The dog's bone" or "The children's toy."

• These nouns can be singular or plural, showing possession by one or more entities.
• For example, "The company's profits" illustrates ownership by the company.
• They establish a relationship between two entities, like in "the dog's ball."
• When forming possessive nouns, add an apostrophe and "s" to the noun or just an apostrophe if the noun is already plural and ends in "s."
• Possessive pronouns like "its," "hers," "yours," "theirs," "ours," and "mine" do not require apostrophes.

11. Concrete Noun

A concrete noun is a type of noun that represents a physical object that can be perceived through the five senses: sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell. Concrete nouns include objects like a dog, building, tree, chair, and more.

Examples

• The dog barked at the mailman. (dog - concrete noun)
• The building was made of red bricks. (building - concrete noun)
• Roses in the garden are beautiful. (Roses - concrete noun)
• The tree was so tall that it touched the sky. (tree - concrete noun)

Noun Phrases

A Noun Phrase refers to a collection of words functioning as a single noun. There are four main types of Noun phrases:

• Determiners: Words like "A," "my," "the," "his," "her," etc.
• Possessive Determiners: Examples include "Your," "My," "His," "Her," etc.
• Quantifiers: Such as "Some," "More," "All," "Few," etc.
• Numerals: Like "One," "Two," "Three," "Four," etc.

Here are some illustrative examples:

• "The red sports car" - This noun phrase is utilized as the subject in the sentence "The red sports car is fast."
• "The little girl with the curly hair" - This noun phrase functions as the subject in the sentence "The little girl with the curly hair is singing a song."
• "My favorite book" - This noun phrase indicates possession in the sentence "I am reading my favorite book."
• "The city of Paris" - This noun phrase is employed as the subject in the sentence "The city of Paris is known for its art and culture.