Study Guide for Nouns Quiz
Name ____________________
Directions: Use this study guide to help you study for the quiz, and remember that
you have practice sheets in the grammar section of your binder that you can also
use for help.
Common and Proper Nouns
Common – a noun that names any one of a group of persons, places, things, or ideas
Examples: friends, river, house, city, potato, finger, bottle, pets, cell phone, movie
Proper – a noun that names a particular person, place, thing, or idea and begins with
a capital letter
Examples: Alfred, Eloise, Ohio River, White House, Lexington, Ironman,
Industrial Revolution, Civil War, Sponge Bob, Star Wars
Concrete and Abstract Nouns
Concrete – a noun that is physical (it can be touched or seen)
Examples: Apple, dog, fork, book, computer, scissors, bird, towel, calculator
Abstract – a noun that names something you can think about but cannot see or
touch
Examples: humor, kindness, danger, patience, love, generosity, sorrow, dedication
Collective Nouns
Definition: a noun that names a group of persons or things; they are singular in
nature.
Examples: crowd, flock, committee, team, society, herd, crowd, jury, army
Example sentence: The flock of birds was flying south. (“flock” is singular and it is
the subject of the sentence, so it must be followed by a singular verb.)
Singular and Plural Nouns
Singular Noun – a word for 1 noun
Plural Noun – a word for 2 or more of that noun
Rules for changing a singular noun into a plural noun:

Most nouns form their plurals by adding “s.”
Examples: dogs, footballs, buildings, stadiums, girls

Nouns that end in “s”, “sh”, “ch”, or “x” form their plurals by adding “es”.
Examples: dresses, dishes, witches, boxes

Nouns that end in a consonant and “y”, form their plurals by changing the
“y” to “i”, and adding “es”. Examples: cities, daisies

Some nouns ending in “o” form their plurals by adding “es”.
Examples: hero=heroes, echo=echoes, tomato=tomatoes

Some nouns ending in “o” form their plurals by adding “s”.
Examples: radio=radios, piano=pianos, solo=solos

Some nouns ending in “f” or “fe” change the “f” to “v”. Then they add “es”
to form their plurals.
Examples: life=lives, leaf=leaves, knife=knives

Some nouns make a new word when they are made plural.
Examples: ox=oxen, woman=women, goose=geese, mouse=mice
Count and Non-Count Nouns
Count – a person, place, or thing that can be counted (There can be more than one
of them.) TIP: Ask yourself, “How many ______ are there?” If the plural form
of the noun makes sense in that sentence, then it is a count noun!
Examples: books, pen, table, student, building, house, answer, exam, shoe, stadium
Non-Count – a person, place, or thing that you cannot count
Examples: water, rice, clothing, air, luggage, intelligence, love, leather, air,
homework