Nouns
Unit 2
Nouns
• A noun is a word that names a person, place, thing,
or idea.
farmer
Chicago
flowers
success
People
Alexander Graham Bell
Places
waiting room
Things
keys
Ideas
happiness
Two basic kinds of nouns
Proper noun names a specific person,
place, thing, or idea.
• Alexander Graham Bell
• Tarrytown
• “Rikki-tikki-tavi”
Common noun names any one class of
people, place, thing, or idea.
• inventor
• village
• story
Identify if the noun is a common or a proper
noun. Then, if it is a common noun give an
example of a proper noun. If it is a proper
noun give an example of a class to which
each proper noun belongs.
government
common, Congress
pony express
common, Wells Fargo
postmaster general
common, Benjamin Franklin
United States
proper, country
city
common, Appleton
president
common, Abraham Lincoln
postal service
common, U.S. Postal Service
Benjamin Franklin
proper, inventor
century
common, Victorian Era
history
common, the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
Concrete and Abstract Nouns
Common nouns can be either concrete
or abstract.
Concrete nouns things that you can
see or touch.
Abstract nouns name ideas, qualities,
or feelings that cannot be seen or
touched.
Kinds of Nouns
Common
Abstract
Proper
Concrete
truth
document
Supreme Court
courage
crown
Queen Victoria
time
snow
December
history
museum
Museum of Anthropology
heritage
buffalo
Native American
State if the underlined common noun is abstract or
concrete.
Born in slavery, Fredrick Douglass escaped and
fled to Massachusetts.
– abstract
In 1841 he addressed a meeting and talked about
freedom.
– abstract
After he spoke, he was hired to talk to other
groups.
– concrete
It took courage for him to speak out as he did.
– abstract
After his autobiography was published in 1845, he
went to England.
– concrete
When he returned, he continued to talk about his
beliefs.
– abstract
He helped men, women, and children flee to Canada.
– concrete
Plural and Singular Nouns
Singular Noun: When a noun means one only, it
is said to be singular.
Examples: boy, girl, book, church, box
Plural Noun: When a noun means more than one,
it is said to be plural.
Examples: boys, girls, books, churches
Rule #1
The plural of nouns is usually formed by adding s to a singular noun.
lamp - lamps
cat - cats
fork - forks
flower -flowers pen - pens
dog - dogs
Rule #2
Nouns that end in ch, sh, s, ss, x, z, zz form
the plural form by adding es.
moss - mosses
buzz - buzzes
box - boxes
church - churches
Special Note:
If you add - s to such nouns as fox, bush,
and bench, you will find that you cannot
pronounce them without making an
additional syllable. This is why such nouns
form the plural by adding - es.
• Rule #3
There are several different rules for singular
nouns ending in the letters f, fe or ff when
changing them to the plural form.
• Most nouns ending in the letters f, fe or ff
form the plural by adding the letter s.
surf - surfs
• Some nouns that end in f, fe or ff form the
plural by changing the final f form to ves.
calf - calves
• Rule #4
Most nouns that end in i form the plural by
adding the letter s.
ski – skis
• Some nouns ending with the letter i form
the plural both by adding s and/or es
taxi-taxis-taxies
• Rule #5
If a singular noun ends in y and is preceded by a
consonant, the y is changed to i and es is added.
butterfly - y + i + es = butterflies
• If a singular noun ends in y and is preceded by a
vowel, the letter s is simply added with no other
changes made.
monkey + s = monkeys
• Rule #6
There are some nouns that form the
plurals differently.
• Some nouns change their vowels in the
middle of the singular form when
forming the plural
goose – geese
mouse – mice
woman - women
Spell the plural of each of the following nouns.
chair
– chairs
star
- stars
dress
– dresses
farm
– farms
storm
– storms
brush
– brushes
wish
– wishes
paper
– papers
grass
– grasses
computer
- computers
rock
– rocks
bench
– benches
fox
– foxes
cup
– cups
cross
- crosses
door
– doors
owner
– owners
ax
– axes
shelf
– shelves
man
- men
fly
– flies
day
– days
taxi
– taxis, taxies
dwarf
– dwarfs or dwarves
foot
- feet
loaf
– loaves
lady
– ladies
tail
– tails
Compound Nouns
• A compound noun is a noun made up of two or
more words.
A compound noun can be one word, like
storybook; more than one word, like ice cream;
or joined by hyphens, like runner-up.
USE a dictionary if necessary!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Compound Nouns
One Word
Hyphenated
More Than
One Word
housekeeper mother-in-law
dining room
showcase
runner-up
ice cream
bookmark
great-grandmother
maid of honor
football
kilowatt-hour
music box
Identify the compound noun in each sentence.
We definitely need a new football.
- football
Visit the Smithsonian Institution in Washington.
- Smithsonian Institution
How late is the post office open on Saturday?
- post office
Her outlook is always positive.
- outlook
How did your cousin like her new junior high
school?
- junior high school
Paul Simon is my favorite songwriter.
- songwriter
To improve, we will need a lot of teamwork.
- teamwork
No medicine is a complete cure-all.
- cure-all
This cartridge uses an advanced magnetic
tape.
- magnetic tape
We are going to assemble a new mailing list.
- mailing list
Plural Compound Nouns
To form the plural of compound nouns
written as one word, add –s or –es. To
form the plural of compound nouns that
are hyphenated or written as more than
one word, make the most important part of
the compound noun plural.
Forming Plural Compound Nouns
Singular
One word
Follow plural rules.
Hyphenated
Exception:
Make the most
important part of the
compound noun plural.
More than
one word
Make the most
important part of the
compound noun plural.
Plural
footballs
headlights
strongboxes
rosebushes
passersby
great-grandmothers
runners-up
maids of honor
music boxes
Collective Noun
A collective noun names a group of
individuals.
class
staff
herd
team
audience
orchestra
The family struggled through the crowd to
see the band.
Identify the collective noun in each sentence.
An angry crowd assembled in front of the church.
• crowd
My uncle hopes to raise a flock of sheep.
• flock
Our class voted to have a spring picnic.
• class
Melissa applauded the performance of the
orchestra.
• orchestra
What did you think about the reaction of the
audience?
• audience
A company of dancers will entertain us first.
• company
The jury voted to acquit the defendant.
• jury
Later, the trio played three interesting numbers.
• trio
A squadron of soldiers surrounded the building.
• squadron
The bill was sent to a committee for further study.
• committee
Singular and Plural Collective Nouns
Collective nouns can have either a singular
or a plural meaning.
When referring to the group as a unit, the
noun has a singular meaning and takes a
singular verb.
The team works on its defensive plays.
When referring to the individual members of
the group, the noun has a plural meaning
and takes a plural verb.
The team go to their individual lockers.
To help you determine whether a collective
noun in a sentence is singular or plural,
substitute the word it for the collective
noun and any words used to describe it. If
the sentence still makes sense, the
collective noun is singular. If you can
substitute they, the collective noun is
plural.
The team works on its project. (it, singular)
The team work on their separate projects.
(they, plural)
Identify the collective noun in each sentence
and state what verb form in the parentheses
that best completes each sentence.
The book club (discusses, discuss) their
personal opinions of the plot.
- book club, discuss
The class (is, are) going on a bus to the art
museum.
- class, is
The choir from East High School (sings, sing)
the loudest.
- choir, sings
The elephant herd (makes, make) a thundering
noise during a stampede.
- herd, makes
The baseball team (boasts, boast) an excellent
batting average.
-team, boasts
The budget committee (reaches, reach) a final
decision.
- committee, reaches
The theater troupe (come, comes) out
separately at the end of the play.
- troupe, come
The jury (argues, argue) among themselves
over the verdict.
-jury, argue
Possessive Nouns
A possessive noun names who or what
owns or has something.
Possessive nouns can be common nouns or
proper nouns. They can also be singular
or plural. Notice the possessive nouns in
the following sentences.
Rita has a book on history.
Rita’s book is new.
Add an apostrophe and an –s to show the
possessive of most singular nouns.
father’s car
Dave’s book
Add just and apostrophe to show the
possessive case of plural nouns ending in
–s or –es.
dogs’ owner churches’ congregations
Add an apostrophe and –s to show the
possessive case of plural nouns that do not
end in –s or –es.
the four men’s car
the geese’s honking
Add an apostrophe and –s (or just an
apostrophe if the word is a plural ending in
–s) to the last word of a compound noun to
form the possessive.
high school’s mascot
Boy Scouts’ trip
Spell the possessive case of the plural
nouns in the following sentences adding
apostrophes as needed.
The gold seekers need for money led them
to the Yukon.
- gold seekers’
At that time, many countries economies
were suffering.
- countries’
The prospectors haste to reach the Yukon
began in 1896.
- prospectors’
It was many travelers belief that they could
find gold.
- travelers’
Many prospectors would seek a guide
assistance.
- guide’s
Explorers depended on the native peoples
knowledge.
- people’s
Settlers lives were eased by friendships with
the Chinook people.
- Settler’s
The dogs lives were not altogether
unpleasant, although they worked hard.
- dogs’
Using Apostrophes with Pronouns
Use an apostrophe and –s with indefinite
pronouns to show possession.
another’s preference
nobody else’s business
Do not use an apostrophe with possessive
personal pronouns.
my, mine, your, yours, his, her, hers, its,
our, ours, their, and theirs
The following sentences contain possessive
pronouns. If a possessive is written
incorrectly, spell it correctly. If all
pronouns in the sentence are used
correctly, say they are correct.
In the new claim, the lake was his and the
island was their’s.
- his/correct; theirs
Once prospectors reached the Klondike,
they had only to find open land and stake
their claims.
- correct
If a prospector took anothers claim, it was
called “claim jumping.”.
- another’s
Imagine the disappointment of surviving the
trip to the Klondike only to lose what was
yours’ to claim jumping!
- yours
Finally, the Miners’ Association was formed
to protect everyones legal claims.
- everyone’s
The association had its first building in
Discovery, the tent city of the Pine Creek.
- correct
Distinguishing Plurals,
Possessives, and Contractions
Most plural nouns, most possessive nouns,
and certain contractions end with the letter
–s. As a result they sound alike and can
be easily confused. Their spellings and
meanings are different.
Noun Forms and Contractions
Example
Plural Noun
Meaning
The students wrote a more than one
play.
student
Plural
The students’ play is
Possessive Noun good.
the play of the
students
Singular
I saw the student’s
Possessive Noun play.
the play of one
student
Contraction
The student’s the
author.
The student is the
author.
Contraction
A contraction is a word made by combining
two words into one and leaving out one or
more letters. An apostrophe shows where
the letters have been omitted.
is not – isn’t
you are – you’re
I would – I’d
could not – couldn’t
we will – we’ll
where is – where’s
Each sentence contains a word group that
can be written as a contraction. Spell the
new contraction.
Who is the new student representative?
- Who’s
I am not certain whether he is upstairs or
downstairs.
- I’m, he’s
This pen will write if you will just keep
shaking it.
- you’ll
You are ignoring what I am saying.
- You’re, I’m
Glenda is the one I would like to invite.
- Glenda’s, I’d
There cannot be any doubt about who will be
invited.
- can’t, who’ll
You will enjoy looking at these old pictures of the
class of 1956.
-You’ll
They were not sure who would be on the
committee.
- weren’t, who’d
Plural nouns do not have an apostrophe. The
plural possessive nouns end with an
apostrophe, The singular possessive nouns end
with an apostrophe and an –s. You can tell
these words apart by the way they are used in a
sentence.
Plural Nouns Contractions
Singular
Possessive
Nouns
Plural
Possessive
Nouns
speakers
speaker’s
speaker’s
speakers’
women
woman’s
woman’s
women’s
countries
country’s
country’s
countries’
Identify if the underlined word is a plural
noun, a plural possessive noun, a singular
possessive noun, or a contraction.
That kitten’s sure cute.
The kitten’s fur is the color of taffy.
I wonder how many kittens were in the litter.
The kittens’ owners must be thrilled!
In each sentence, add apostrophes to the
possessive noun and the contractions.
Woodrow Wilson was Americas twentyeighth president.
- America’s
As a student at Princeton, he joined the
schools debating society.
- school’s
Before becoming president, he served as
Princeton Universitys president.
- University’s
Wilsons regarded today as an educational
and political reformer.
- Wilson’s
He was elected New Jerseys governor in
1910.
- Jersey’s
His success in New Jersey brought him to
the Democrats attention.
- Democrat’s
Wilsons first term of office as president
began in 1913.
- Wilson’s
The wars outbreak in Europe kept his
attention on foreign affairs.
- war’s
Appositives
Appositives give information about nouns or
pronouns.
An appositive is a noun or pronoun placed next to
another noun or pronoun to identify, rename, or
explain the preceding word.
Appositives are very useful in writing because they
give additional information without using many
words.
Ron Burns, a dentist, was elected to the City
Council.
Appositive Phrase
An appositive with its own modifiers creates an
appositive phrase.
An appositive phrase is a noun or pronoun with
modifiers. It is place next to a noun or pronoun
and adds information or details.
The appositive phrase can be identified because it
always begins with an article, a noun, or a
pronoun. The noun or pronoun in an appositive
phrase always follows the noun or pronoun that
the phrase modifies.
The modifiers in the phrase can be
adjectives or adjective phrases.
San Juan de los Caballeros, the Spanish
capital of the New Mexico territory, was
moved to a new site in 1610.
The painting, a mural in many bright
colors, highlights the entrance.
Appositives and appositive phrases can also
be compound.
Volunteers, boys or girls, are wanted.
These poems, “The Sea Gypsy” and “Before the
Squall,” are about a love for the sea.
Do not put commas around the appositive
when it is essential information. Without
the appositive, the sentence would be The
popular US president was known for his
eloquent and inspirational speeches. We
wouldn't know which president was being
referred to.
The popular U.S. president John Kennedy
was known for his eloquent and
inspirational speeches.
Grammar Tip
Appositives provide an excellent way to
combine certain types of sentences.
- This antique car is a Studebaker.
- It is worth thousands of dollars.
This antique car, a Studebaker, is worth
thousands of dollars.
Identify each appositive or appositive
phrase. Next identify the noun or pronoun
it renames.
The capital, Santa Fe, was the place from
which the Spaniards ran their territorial
government.
- Santa Fe:
- capital
El Palacio, the Palace of the Governors, was
the building where government business
was carried out.
- the Palace of the Governors
- El Palacio
Pope, a Native American leader, led a revolt
against the Spanish in 1680.
- a Native American leader
- Pope
This revolt drove their enemies, the Spanish, out of
the area.
- the Spanish
- enemies
Twelve years later, the Spanish general Diego de
Vargas returned to conquer the area for the
Spaniards again.
- Diego de Vargas
- General
(The restrictive appositive, Diego de Vargas, is not
set off because it’s needed to make the
sentence clear.)
Combine each pair of sentences by using an
appositive or appositive phrase.
New Mexico is a popular tourist destination.
The state is known for its beauty.
- New Mexico, a popular tourist destination,
is known for its beauty.
After Mexico won its independence in 1821,
it was open to settlement by Americans.
The territory consisted of present-day
Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, and Utah.
- After Mexico won its independence in
1821, the New Mexico Territory, presentday Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, and
Utah, was open to settlement by
Americans.
When trade began with the United States,
the Santa Fe Trail became popular. It
was a route from Santa Fe to Missouri.
- When trade began with the United States,
the Santa Fe Trail, a route from Santa Fe
to Missouri, became popular.
In 1846, the United States declared war on
Mexico, and the capture of northern
Mexico became one of its first objectives.
The area is now known as New Mexico.
- In 1846, the United States declared war on
Mexico, and the capture of northern
Mexico, New Mexico, became one of its
first objectives.
Bibliography
Alfieri, Catherine. "Nounsense." Monroe County Women's
Disability Network. Monroe County Women's Disability
Network. Sept. 2008
<http://www.mcwdn.org/grammar/endsf.html>.
Carroll, Joyce A., Edward E. Wilson, and Gary Forlini.
Prentice Hall Writing and Grammar. Boston,
Massachusetts: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2008.
Royster, Jacqueline J., and Mark Lester. Writer's Choice
Grammar Workbooks : Teacher's Wraparound Edition.
New York: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, 1996.