What are nouns and how are they used? To answer questions about nouns, this article takes a closer look at this oft-used group of words and explores the different types of nouns. It also describes the rules governing their usage and lays out their correct use with examples.
What are Nouns?
A noun is a word used for a person, place, object, or idea. In English, every sentence contains a subject and this subject is always a noun. A noun can also play other roles in a sentence too – adjective, appositive, subject or object complement, direct or indirect object, etc. This means that every sentence in English will have a noun, making it one of the most important parts of speech. Let’s look at some examples.
Nouns that name a person:
- The President
- My brother
- A girl
- Abraham Lincoln
Nouns that name a place:
- The zoo
- The Himalayas
- My living room
- Africa
Nouns that name a thing:
- A thought
- My cat
- The silverware
- A song
Types of Nouns
There are many different types of nouns, and each type serves a different purpose.
- Concrete and Abstract Nouns
Concrete nouns represent persons, places, or things that can be experienced physically by one or more senses.
For example:
- The teacher
- My house
- An apple
Abstract nouns, on the other hand, represent intangible ideas, thoughts, feelings, or characteristics that cannot be perceived by the senses.
For example:
- Justice
- Dignity
- Friendliness
- Jealousy
Some nouns function as both concrete and abstract nouns. A cornerstone, for instance, is a stone that forms a part of a corner or angle in a wall and provides structural support to the edifice. By extension, the word also refers to an abstract concept – an element of great importance that everything else depends on.
As a concrete noun:
- A large group of officials gathered to lay the cornerstone of the new plant.
As an abstract noun:
- In South-East Asia, family still functions as the cornerstone of society.
- Freedom of the press is the cornerstone of a healthy democracy.
- Collective Nouns
A collective noun represents a group or an entity consisting of multiple members. For example:
- Our class took a field trip to the museum.
- Napoleon’s army was finally defeated in the Battle of Waterloo.
- A herd of cows is grazing in the meadow.
- The prisoner anxiously waited for the jury to come to a verdict.
- I saw a pride of lions basking in the dazzling sunlight.
- In view of the circumstances, the cabinet decided to convene an emergency meeting.
- Compound Nouns
A compound noun consists of two or more words. Compound nouns may be:
- Closed (snowball, mailman, grandfather, downstream, makeover, townhouse, sunlight, moonflower)
- Open (peanut butter, ice cream, attorney general, Girl Scouts, real estate, high school, hot dog, post office)
- Hyphenated (merry-go-round, brother-in-law, short-term, three-quarters, over-the-counter, up-to-date, forty-five, check-in)
- Countable and Uncountable Nouns
Countable nouns represent things that can be counted. They appear in the singular as well as plural forms. Singular countable nouns are preceded by the articles a or an; they may also be combined with a numeral. Most nouns are countable. For example:
- There were at least fifty cars in the parking lot.
- The birthday girl blew out the candles on the cake before cutting it.
- Rachel bought a painting of the Grand Canyon.
- I found an orange in the fruit bowl.
Uncountable or mass nouns are a smaller group that represent things that cannot be counted. Uncountable nouns can be concrete or abstract. For example:
- My brother is blessed with great intelligence.
- I need to drink some water.
- The workers have stored all their equipment in the garage.
- This website has exhaustive information about Nobel Prize winners.
Some nouns can be both countable and uncountable.
For example:
- We spent a lot of time at the picnic location. (Countable noun)
- I won’t have time for breakfast before I leave. (Uncountable noun)
- There were several juices on the table – apple, orange, grape, pineapple, and more. (Countable noun)
- There’s some juice in the refrigerator if you want it. (Uncountable noun)
Uncountable nouns can be paired with plural forms of countable nouns to make the sentence more specific. For example:
- There are five bags (countable noun) of trash (uncountable noun) on the curb.
- I try to drink at least eight glasses (countable noun) of water (uncountable noun) every day.
- Could you please buy a loaf (countable noun) of bread (uncountable noun) from the bakery?
- Her mother gave her a useful piece (countable noun) of advice (uncountable noun).
- Proper and Common Nouns
A proper noun is a specific name for a particular person, place, or thing. Proper nouns are always capitalized, regardless of their place in a sentence. For example:
- Buckingham Palace is the official London residence of British monarchs.
- I went to the concert with my friend Cynthia.
- My sister got accepted into the University of Virginia.
- We’re going to play basketball in Pleasance Park this evening.
Nouns that are not proper nouns are called common nouns. It is quite easy to distinguish between the two. Since common nouns do not name anything specific, they don’t need to be capitalized unless they begin a sentence. For example:
- Dogs are always loyal to their owners.
- Doctors often prescribe paracetamol to bring down a fever.
- My friends are waiting for me at the restaurant.
- My favorite newspaper is the New York Times.
