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NOUN
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Nouns are naming words for people, places, things and animals. |
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1.1 |
COMMON NOUNS AND PROPER NOUNS |
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Nouns can be grouped as common nouns and proper nouns. |
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a. Common Nouns
Definition: Words for people, places, things and animals in general.
For example:
- girl (people)
- cat (animal)
- mountain (place)
- computer (thing)
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b. Proper Nouns
Definition: A special name for a person, an animal, a place or a thing.
For example:
- Sarah (people)
- Angel (animal)
- Mount Everest (place)
- Macbook (thing)
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Tip! Proper nouns must begin with capital letters. |
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1.2 |
COUNTABLE AND UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS |
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a. Countable nouns are nouns that can be counted. |
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i. Singular Nouns
Definition: Nouns with one object.
For example:
- One cup
- A bicycle
- An apple
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ii. Plural Nouns
Definition: Nouns with more than one object.
For example:
- Six cups
- Two bicycles
- Four books
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Add '-s' to singular nouns to change them into plural forms.
For example:
i. boy - boys
ii. tree - trees
iii. house - houses
iv. car - cars
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Add '-es' to words that end in '-s', '-x', '-sh', '-ss' or '-ch'.
For example:
i. glass - glasses
ii. box - boxes
iii. brush - brushes
iv. dress - dresses
v. match - matches
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By changing '-y' to '-ies'
For example:
i. Fly = Flies
ii. Cry = Cries
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By changing '-f' or '-fe' to '-ves'
For example:
- Knife = Knives
- Wife = Wives
Exceptions:
- Roofs
- Hoofs
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By changing the vowels (a, e, i, o, u) in the middle
For example:
- Foot = Feet
- Man = Men
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Some nouns are the same in both singular and plural forms
For example:
- Deer = Deer
- Cattle = Cattle
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A number of nouns only appear as plurals
For example:
- Clothes
- Glasses
- Scissors
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Irregular nouns have different spelling.
For example:
- Cactus -> Cacti
- Ox -> Oxen
- Mouse -> Mice
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EXTRA NOTES |
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Do not use 'a' or 'an' with some plural nouns for clothes and tools such as binoculars, glasses, tweezers, shorts, trousers. You must use plural verbs with these words.
For example:
- He is wearing shorts. The shorts are expensive. (CORRECT)
- He is wearing a shorts. The shorts is expensive. (WRONG)
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b. Uncountable nouns are nouns that cannot be counted.
For example:
- Flour, hair, milk, rice, etc.
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We use certain words or phrases before countable nouns and uncountable nouns. |
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a. For countable nouns
♦ one, two
♦ many
♦ a few
♦ several
♦ a number of
For example:
- I have several cookies
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b. For uncountable nouns
♦ a little
♦ much
♦ a bit of
♦ a large amount of
♦ a great deal of
For example:
- How much broccoli did you have? I had a little broccoli.
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c. For both countable and uncountable nouns
♦ some
♦ any
♦ a lot of
♦ plenty of
For example:
- I did not have any broccoli.
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Gender is a category of noun. There are four types of genders. |
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a. Masculine Gender
- The names of all male persons or animals are said to be of the Masculine Gender.
For example:
- Man, actor, uncle, hero, king, lion etc.
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b. Feminine Gender
- The names of all female persons or animals are said to be of the Feminine Gender.
For example:
- Woman, aunt, daughter, actress, queen, lioness etc.
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c. Neuter Gender
- Things without life cannot be distinguished either as male or female; hence the names of such things are said to be of the Neuter Gender.
For example:
- House, knife, tree, chair, table, book, ball etc.
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d. Common Gender
- Names that can be used for both males and females are said to be of the Common Gender.
For example:
- Child, parent, student etc.
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EXTRA NOTES |
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a. Though Collective Nouns refer to living-beings but are used as Neuter-Noun.
For example:
The army is called to tackle the situation.
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b. Objects known for their power, strength, and violence are used as Masculine Gender Noun.
For example:
The death is cruel. He is as certain as tomorrow.
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c. Objects known for their beauty, gentleness and grace are used as Feminine Gender Noun.
For example:
The earth is a unique planet. Her beauty is adorable.
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d. We refer to an animal as it when we are unsure of its gender.
For example:
It is a crocodile.
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e. We refer to our pets as she or he because we love our pets.
For example:
Sammy is my dog. He is a great companion.
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A collective noun is a word or phrase that represents a group of people, animals or things but is treated as a singular entity. Collective noun is also known as denoting group.
For example:
a. Army of soldiers
b. Bunch of bananas
c. A pair of shoes
d. A fleet of ships
e. A herd of cattle
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Even though you can count the individual members of the group, you usually think of the individuals as a group, a whole, or as one unit. Try to memorise as many collective nouns as possible. |
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