Nouns Introduction

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Everything you can put on a hamburger, visit on vacation, or write fanfic about has a noun that represents it.

Short version: a noun names a person, place, thing, or idea.

Almost all nouns can be singular, meaning one, or plural, meaning more than one.

SingularPlural
skateboardskateboards[Use –s for regular nouns.]
taxtaxes[Use –es when the noun ends in s, x, ch, sh, or z.]
werewolfwerewolves[For nouns that end in f or fe, change the f to v, and add –es.]
citycities[For nouns that end in a consonant + y, change the y to i and add –es.]
childchildren[Irregular nouns don't use –s or –es. They take a totally new form.]

Nouns can also be made possessive to show ownership by slapping an 's on the end… with a few exceptions.

Elaine's dance moves are horrible. (They really are.)

The school's dress code forbids wearing porcupine costumes to class.

Nouns are so versatile that they can even be used to modify other nouns (which would technically makes them adjectives):

Jeff pulled an epic prank on his history teacher. (History is a noun that modifies teacher, which is also a noun.)

There are seven magnificent types of nouns:

  • Proper
  • Common
  • Collective
  • Concrete
  • Abstract
  • Count
  • Noncount

Let's get to it.

Quiz Yourself on Nouns

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Choose the answer that correctly classifies the two underlined nouns in the following sentence: The 18th president of the United States was Ulysses S. Grant.

(A) common, proper
(B) proper, common
(C) common, common
(D) proper, proper

Choose the answer that describes the type of nouns underlined in the following sentence:


The four red stars on the Chicago flag represent Fort Dearborn, the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893, and the Century of Progress Exposition of 1933–34.


(A) abstract
(B) proper
(C) count

Poor Keisha! She's allergic to all of the following things. Which one is a count noun?

(A) dust
(B) wheat
(C) peanut
(D) wool

Choose the answer that describes the type of nouns underlined in the following sentence: The unlucky scout troop was attacked by a swarm of bees.

(A) collective
(B) proper
(C) noncount

Choose the answer that best describes the underlined noun in the following sentence:


Little Mac punched Don Flamenco in the teeth.


(A) singular
(B) plural

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