Kinds of Nouns
- A NOUN is a word that names a person, a place, a thing, or an idea.
Ex: sister, lake, boots, pride.
- A COMMON NOUN names ANY person, place, thing or idea.
Ex: school, boy, lake, boots, pride
- A PROPER NOUN names a PARTICULAR/ SPECIFIC person, place, thing or idea.
*** A proper noun is ALWAYS capitalized.
Ex: Our Lady of Lourdes School, Jason, Statue of Liberty
- A SINGULAR NOUN names one person, place, thing or idea.
- A PLURAL NOUN names more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
- To form plural nouns it depends on the ending.
Forming Plural Nouns
See chart from notes
Examples:Identify common and proper nouns: Place a circle around the common nouns
and a box around the proper nouns.
1. Hannah and her sister swam in Lake Michigan on their vacation.
2. Kate pulled her little brother around the yard in their little red wagon.
3. The train ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles took us on a scenic route.
4. The band will be performing at the Circle Star Theatre for two weeks.
5. Magellan was the first explorer to circumnavigate the globe.
Possessive, Plural, and Contractions
- A POSSESSIVE NOUN tells who or what owns or has something.
Ex: Rita's book is about baseball.
Ex: That is the Jones' house.
- To make a singular noun or a plural noun not ending in -s possessive, you add an
apostrophe and s (-'s).
Ex: The girl's name is Sally.
Ex: Who will clean up the children's toys.
- To make a plural noun ending in -s possessive, you add an apostrophe at the end of
the plural noun. (')
Ex: The babies' bottles are inside.
Ex: The dogs' bones are missing.
- A PLURAL NOUN usually ends in s. There is NEVER an apostrophe (') for a plural
noun.
Ex: Books, girls, boxes
- A CONTRACTION is two words put together. The apostrophe (') takes the place of a
letter in the second word.
Ex: Can't, Isn't, I'm
- If there is an 's it could be a contraction of the verb is or has.
- In a sentence a contraction sometimes can look like a possessive noun. Make sure
you read the sentence carefully and can find a subject and a verb.
Ex: Jake's a blue bike.
Ex: Christmas's in a few weeks.
Appositives and Collective Nouns
- An APPOSITIVE is a noun that is placed next to another noun to identify it, or add
information about it.
Ex: James Madison's wife, Dolly, was a famous first lady.
- A COLLECTIVE NOUN names a group of people, animals, or things.
Ex: The team shares the field.
Ex: The team share their jokes with one another.
- A collective noun subject may be followed by a singular verb or a plural verb,
depending on the meaning.
- The subject is singular when the members of the group act as a single unit.
Ex: The swim team travels to Plano.
- The subject is plural when each member of the group acts separately.
Ex: The class present their speeches.
Name: ___________________________________________
POP QUIZ- NOUNS
Identify common and proper nouns: Place a circle around the common nouns and a box
around the proper nouns.
1. Both lions and house cats are members of the scientific family Felidae.
2. The Superdome in New Orleans is the largest indoor arena.
3. All the students want to help out at the local fundraising event.
4. Bill has been saving his money because he wants to buy a new guitar.
5. Egypt is home to some of the most beautiful structures in the world.
6. Crispus Attucks was an American protester killed in the Boston Massacre.
7. The first time we went to Arizona, the temperature was in the hundreds on most
days.
8. Lise and Hillary went as a hedgehog and a raccoon for Halloween.
9. Aunt Mary made soup with vegetables she bought at the vegetable stand in
Matoon.
10. The beaches in Hawaii are great places to swim, snorkel, and surf.
Write the plural form of each noun.
1. Insect > ____________________
2. Toothbrush > ________________
3. Shelf > ______________________
4. Tornado > ___________________
5. Knife > ______________________
Name: ________________________________
Directions: Circle the common nouns and place a box around the proper nouns.
1. Paul discovered the next morning that five sheep had escaped.
2. The family is going to travel around the United States and Mexico in a mobile
home.
3. Is the ozone layer over the Artic thinning as much as the layer over the Antartic?
4. Sunspot Airlines offers more room throughout the cabins of their airplanes than
any other airline.
5. The Alcyon Theatre has a first-come, first-serve policy for seating people.
Directions: Label as a singular or plural noun. On the line, write S for singular and P for
plural.
1. Banks
______________________________
2. Children
______________________________
3. Classroom ______________________________
4. Employees ______________________________
5. Women
______________________________
Directions: Make the noun plural.
1. Hero
______________________________
2. Bus
______________________________
3. Leaf
______________________________
4. Chief
______________________________
5. Attorney-at-law
______________________________
Name: ____________________________________
Possessive, Plural, and Contractions
Write the possessive form of the noun in parentheses.
1. The hawk stole the eggs from that (bird) nest. ________________
2. (Dennis) entry in the soapbox derby won first place. _____________________
3. The rose (bush) thorns were very sharp. _____________________________
4. The (lawyers) meeting was cancelled because of schedule conflicts. ____________
5. (France) largest and most celebrated city is Paris._____________________________
6. The (states) position on the matter is clear. _______________________________
7. The (Jacobs) home was not damaged by the tornado. _________________________
8. What is your (brother) shoe size? ___________________
9. The (children) dog was afraid of the fireworks. ____________________________
10. A skeleton supports an (animal) body. _________________________________
Identify the bold word in each sentence by writing plural noun, singular possessive
noun, plural possessive noun, or contraction.
1. The bank teller’s hour began at 8:30 A.M.
2. August’s paintings are becoming very popular.
3. The donkeys walked right up to our window.
4. Peter’s not going to join the swim team.
5. The chef’s secret recipes will be available at the fair.
Name: ______________________________________
Collective Nouns
Directions: Circle each collective noun. Label S if it is singular and P if it is plural.
1. The soccer team travels to California once a month.
2. The marching band buy their own instruments.
3. The bee colony stores honey for the long winter.
4. The class present their poems.
5. The crowd wants to hear the speaker.
6. The art committee vote for their favorite painting.
7. The crew works five days a week.
8. The congregation holds a garage sale or charity.
9. The Ramirez family wants to move to Alaska.
Common and Proper Noun
Directions: Circle the common nouns and place a box around the proper nouns.
1. The soccer team travels to California once a month.
2. The marching band buy their own instruments.
3. The bee colony stores honey for the long winter.
4. The class present their poems.
5. The crowd wants to hear the speaker.
6. The art committee vote for their favorite painting.
7. The crew works five days a week.
8. The congregation holds a garage sale or charity.
9. The Ramirez family wants to move to Alaska.
Name: ____________________________________
Common and Proper Nouns Directions: Circle the common nouns and put a box around the proper
nouns.
1. Paul rolled his wheelchair up the ramp and into the Weston Municipal Building.
2. The Empire State Building in New York City was once the tallest structure in the world.
3. Friendship and loyalty are two qualities most people admire.
4. Buy your fruits and flowers at Friendly Farm market in Clarksville.
5. Abraham Lincoln served as president during the Civil War.
6. Harry bought several souvenirs during his visit to Disney World.
7. The Unite Nations encourages peace and cooperation among nations.
8. My mom sometimes calls Pizza Pantry for a quick delivery.
9. Grandma Faith often describes memories of her youth on a farm in Kansas.
10. The librarian recommended Treasure Island, a book by Robert Louis Stevenson.
Forming Plural Nouns Directions: On the line, write the plural of each noun. Yes, spelling counts.
1. Mailbox: _______________________
2. Belief: _______________________
3. Country: _______________________
4. Banana: _______________________
5. Leaf: _______________________
6. Valley: _______________________
7. Bush: _______________________
8. Mother-in-law: _______________________
9. Potato: _______________________
10. Radio: _______________________
Collective Nouns Directions: Circle the collective noun and label it as S singular or P plural.
1. The science club meets after school.
2. The jury vote by secret ballot.
3. The Sanchez family goes to all the football games.
4. The teaching staff plans the graduation ceremony.
5. The team take their positions on the field.
Possessive Nouns: Write the possessive form of the noun in parenthesis.
1. The teacher read (Doris) composition. _______________________
2. I took my little brother to the (children) story hour at the library. _______________________
3. The (Barkleys) house stands on the corner. _______________________
4. Is (Dallas) climate hot enough for you? _______________________
5. My (parents) cars are parked in the driveway. _______________________
Directions: Identify the cold word in each sentence as a PN (plural noun), SPN
(singular possessive noun), PPN (plural possessive noun), or C (contraction).
1.
The Women’s National Basketball Association allowed women into professional
basketball.
2.
How shall we celebrate Mei-Ling’s birthday?
3.
Edwin’s won three races today.
4.
There will be a dinner for the volunteers on Thursday.
5.
Will you attend the writers’ conference?