Grammar Focus: Nouns
I.
Key Concepts
A. Noun: a person, place, thing, or idea
B. Proper noun: the specific name of a person, place, thing, or idea
1. The first letter of proper nouns should be capitalized.
2. Examples: Abraham Lincoln; Paris, France; Statue of Liberty; Big Bang Theory
C. Common noun: a noun that is not the specific name for a person, place, thing, or idea
1. The first letter of common nouns should not be capitalized.
2. Examples: president; city; statue; theory
D. Collective noun: a noun, which even in its singular form, names a group of people, places, things, or
ideas
1. Singular collective nouns require singular verbs and pronouns: The team is winning its first game.
2. Examples: team; family; group; collection; set; couple; company; faculty; pack
II.
Practice
A. Instructions: Read the following paragraph (and place each noun in the appropriate column within the
chart below.
B.
We watched a documentary about African elephants. The program showed a herd of elephants working
together to raise the young members of their family. The baby elephant was named Dumbo. Often the baby
elephant seemed to call out to its mother, as if to say, “Momma, I’m scared!” Dumbo would get frightened
because, sometimes, a pack of hyenas can threaten and even kill a large elephant. The crew filming the
documentary shot terrific footage of animals on the African plains. The film illustrated how varied the animal
population of Africa truly is.
Proper
Common
Collective
III.
Extended practice
A.
Instructions: Now, read the first five pages of Freak the Mighty and list all of the nouns that you see. Place
the nouns in the appropriate places within the chart below. Note: If you fill up one column before the end of
the five pages, then don’t list anymore of those, and all of the slots in each column may not be used.
B.
Proper
Common
Collective
Editing and revision
I.
Instructions
A. Turn to pages 754 and 755 in the Writing with Power textbook.
B. Complete the following exercises by writing your answers on the blanks below.
II.
Practice Your Skills
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III.
Connect to Writing
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Check Point
V.
Proper
VI.
Now, exchange papers with your partner and list all of the nouns in your partner’s paper on the appropriate
column within the chart below.
Common
Collective
Finally, list any specific mistakes regarding capitalization errors of proper or common nouns or problems
with subject-verb agreement regarding the collective nouns.