Grammar through Writing
Nouns
What do these words have in
common?
Boy
Girl
Man
Woman
Teacher
Student
Principal
Cook
Brother
Sister
Cousin
Uncle
Acrobat
Nurse
Lawyer
clown
What do these words have in
common?
Swamp
beach
street
city
St. Louis
El Paso
Denver
Boise
United States
Ireland
Missouri
Tibet
New Zealand
Idaho
Montana
Oregon
What do these words have in
common?
House
Fence
Grass
Door
Mirror
Lamp
Toothbrush
Watch
Soap
Dish
Book
Desk
Shoe
Pencil
Bucket
telephone
What do these words have in
common?
Happiness
Sadness
Fear
Anger
Truth
Justice
Honesty
Beauty
Pride
Loyalty
Love
Hate
Jealousy
Envy
Courage
peace
What do all the words have in
common?
• They are all NOUNS!
• What is a noun?
 A NOUN is a word that names a PERSON,
PLACE or THING.
 Nouns can name things we can touch, taste,
see, hear, feel and smell. These are called
CONCRETE NOUNS.
 Nouns also name things we cannot touch, taste,
see, hear, or smell. These are ABSTRACT
NOUNS.
Writing Activity 1:
• Complete the following pattern with abstract
and concrete nouns. In the first blank put an
abstract noun; in the second blank put a
concrete noun that tells something about the
abstract noun. EX:
• I can’t see love, but I can see a wedding ring.
• I can’t see chaos, but I can see a tornado.
• I can’t see happiness, but I can see a smile.
• I can’t hear anger, but I can hear yelling.
• I can’t hear peace, but I can hear silence.
Your turn:
• I can’t see joy, but I can see ________.
• I can’t hear sadness, but I can hear _______.
• I can’t hear victory, but I can hear _______.
• I can’t see innocence, but I can see ________.
• I can’t see peace, but I can see _______ .
• I can’t see beauty, but I can see ________.
Now, compare the emotion to an
animal:
• If anger were an animal, it would be a tiger.
• If anger were an animal, it would be a ______.
• If fear were an animal, it would be a _______ .
• If playfulness were an animal, it would be a ______.
• If loyalty were an animal, it would be a ______.
• If beauty were an animal, it would be a ______.
• If boredom were an animal, is would be a ________.
• If speed were an animal, it would be a _______.
• If determination were an animal, it would be a _______.
• If bravery were an animal, it would be a _________.
• If loneliness were an animal, it would be a _________.
Complete the following pattern with
an abstract noun and an –ing phrase.
• FEAR is going into the basement alone at night.
• FEAR is seeing a pit bull charging at you.
• FEAR is singing a song to a room full of
strangers.
• FEAR is admitting that you broke the window.
 Now you try with other emotions.
What do these words have in
common?
Animal
Country
Game
Food
Movie
Book
Group
Building
Plant
City
person
What do these words have in
common?
Bullfrog
Oak tree
Star Wars
George
Washington
Seattle
Chicago
Monopoly
Empire State
Building
Tacos
The Beatles
Australia
Where the Wild
Things Are
CONCRETE NOUNS come in 2
flavors: GENERAL AND SPECIFIC
• Think of three SPECIFIC NOUNS for each
GENERAL NOUN:
• EXAMPLE:
General
Specific
Music
rock ‘n’ roll, jazz, country
Bird
owl, hummingbird, cardinal
dog
collie, Chihuahua, Boxer
Expression
frown, grin, smirk
Your turn:
• City
• Country
• Book
• Person
• Weather
• Clothing
• Game
• Plant
• Author
COMMON and PROPER NOUNS
• Proper nouns are capitalized, common are not.
We capitalize nouns when:
 They refer to specific people: Tom, Mary , the
Smiths, Dr. Einstein, Mr. Jones, Mrs. Cadwell,
Uncle James, Aunt Ellen, William Shakespeare.
 They refer to the days of the week, months, and
holidays: Sunday, October, Christmas.
 They refer to specific places that have names:
Miami, Tennessee, the Missouri River, the
Pacific Ocean, Main Street, the Teton
Mountains, the Washington Monument, Franklin
State Park, Sweden, Italy
Proper nouns cont.
 They refer to people from other countries:
Germans, Japanese, Italians, Tibetans,
Americans.
 They refer to periods in history: the
Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the
Victorian Era.
 They refer to titles of books, plays, articles, or
movies (articles and prepositions are usually not
capitalized): Where the Wild Things Are, The
Wind in the Willows, Hamlet, “Reading Books Is
Good for Your Brains,” Star Wars.
Proper nouns cont.
 They refer to specific teams or organizations: the
St. Louis Cardinals, the Green Party, the
National Council of Teachers of English.
 They refer to schools or businesses: The
University of Texas at El Paso, Apple Computer,
Smith Elementary School.
 They refer to regions of the United States:
Southwest, Midwest, Northeast.
CHALLENGE:
fragment
Villain
Dungeon
Creek
Blimp
Current
Festival
Swamp
Laser
Castle
Elf
Forrest
King
Moat
Lantern
Slipper