Noun Types & Examples

NOUN

NOUN TYPES AND EXAMPLES

Mrs.S.Kamaleswaran

Nouns

What is a Noun?

The simplest definition of a noun is a thing and nouns are the basic building
blocks of sentences. These things can represent a person, animal, place, idea,
emotion – almost anything that you can think of. Cat, Tom, love, phone, Chicago,
courage and spaceship are all nouns. The more nouns you know in a language,
the better you will be able to communicate your ideas. Here, we’ll take a closer
look at what makes a noun a noun, and we’ll provide some examples of how
nouns are used.

Noun examples: respect, faith, apple, seashore, peanut, motorcycle

1. The boy and girl were holding hands as they crossed the bridge on
the way to town.

2. I love watching my cat play with the pink yarn.
3. It is raining! Everyone, grab your umbrella and rain hat and watch out for

the puddles!

What Do Nouns Do?

They come with articles:

If it follows "a," "an" or "the" fairly closely, it's probably a noun. If there's an
adjective in there, it'll be between the article and the noun, so you'll have to
ask yourself, "Is this something I can feel, see, smell, taste or touch? Or does
it describe something I can feel, see, smell, taste or touch?" If it's the former,
it's a noun. If it's the latter, it's probably an adjective.

They're modified by adjectives:

If something is described as old, blue, shiny, hot, or wonderful (all adjectives),
it's probably a noun.

They act as subjects:

Generally, the subject of a sentence is the thing that comes right before the
verb. When you say, "The dog ate your food," the subject is "the dog." It comes
right before the verb (ate).

All names of all things (people, cities, buildings, monuments, rivers, natural
disasters, books, magazines, songs, etc.) are nouns.

Task Education Last update : 15-Dec-19

Types of Nouns

Clearly, nouns do a lot and they're a part of nearly every sentence we utter.
Now that we've addressed what they do, their gender, and their plural forms,
let's take the, "What is a noun?" question one step further by exploring the
different types of nouns.

Common Nouns

Common nouns are simply things that exist in mass quantities. For example,
"building" is a common noun. There are millions of them in the world. They're
common.

Common noun examples are in bold for easy identification.

• Cathy loves the weekends in the country.
• We enjoy swimming after breakfast.
• The cup fell and broke.

Proper Nouns

Proper nouns name specific people, places, or things. For example, the Empire
State Building is the name of one specific building. While common nouns
aren't capitalized (unless they begin a sentence, of course), proper nouns are
always capitalized.

Proper noun examples in the following sentences are in bold for easy
identification.

• Emily loved spending time with her Aunt Nancy in Paris.
• Buick and Jeep are two important carmakers.
• We visited Lake Erie, which separates the United States and Canada.

Concrete Nouns

Concrete nouns are those that can be perceived with the five senses. If you can
see, taste, smell, touch and/or hear it, it's a concrete noun.

Concrete noun examples in the following sentences are in bold for easy
identification.

• The person threw the rock across the yard.
• My dog, Oreo, jumped in the air and caught the ball!
• Can you smell the soup, John?

Task Education Last update : 15-Dec-19

Abstract Nouns

Abstract nouns refer to a concept or idea that can't be physically perceived,
like love, peace, hate, and justice.

Abstract noun examples in the following sentences are in bold for easy
identification.

• Love and friendship are equally important.
• Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
• Your mind can know a million things.

Countable Nouns

Countable nouns can be counted and therefore can made plural. You can have
just one eye, but more likely, you have two eyes. One eye, two eyes - you can
count them.

• There are five dogs in the street.
• I bought three tons of coal.
• Margaret has six pairs of blue sandals.

Uncountable Nouns

Uncountable (or non-countable) nouns are those that we do not generally
pluralize. Things like liquids, powders, and grains fall into this category. Even
though there are many corn flakes in your bowl, you say you eat cereal for
breakfast, not cereals. And you put sugar on it, not sugars.

• Love is in the air.
• The four elements are air, earth, fire and water.
• Her humor knows no bounds.

Collective nouns:

Collective noun refer to a group of people or things: audience, team, bunch,
family, class. When speaking of collective nouns, both singular verbs and
plural verbs might be used, as in the group dance crazily before the Queen.

Collective noun examples: government, jury, team, bunch, school, class, and
room (the people in the room or building)

Collective noun examples in the following sentences are in bold for easy
identification.

• The team threw confetti when it was over.
• Steve buys the band some sandwiches.
• Meredith told the class she was getting married.

As mentioned above, when we talk of categories of nouns, some nouns can be
described as being in more than one category. Some nouns are concrete and
countable, for example, such as raindrops and wedding rings, while some are
proper and uncountable, such as the Atlantic Ocean and Alaska.

Task Education Last update : 15-Dec-19

Forms of Nouns

What is a Plural Noun?

The answer is a relatively easy one, as grammar goes. A plural noun is a word
that indicates that there is more than one person, animal place, thing, or idea.
When you talk about more than one of anything, you’re using plural nouns.
When you write about more than one of anything, you usually use the same
word, simply adding an s, es, or ies to the end. There are a few exceptions to
this rule, but not many – one of the best is that a single moose is a moose, and
a group of moose are still moose.

Singular and Plural Nouns

The difference between singular and plural nouns is easy to spot. When a noun
indicates one only, it is a singular noun. When a noun indicates more than
one, it is plural.

Singular Noun Examples

The following sentences contain singular nouns examples.

▪ The boy had a baseball in his hand.

▪ My horse prefers to wear an English saddle.

▪ That cat never seems to tire of jumping in and out of the box.

▪ You stole my idea and didn’t give me any credit.

▪ Your mom is going to be upset about that broken lamp.

▪ It’s not difficult to grow a tree as long as you give it plenty of water.

▪ I can’t believe you let your dog stick his head out the window while you

drive.

Plural Noun Examples

The following sentences contain plural noun examples.

▪ The boys were throwing baseballs back and forth between bases.
▪ Our horses are much happier wearing lightweight English saddles.
▪ Those cats never seem to tire of chasing one another in and out of those

boxes.
▪ You stole my ideas and didn’t give me any credit.
▪ Our moms are going to be upset that we stayed out all night going to

parties.
▪ It’s not too difficult to grow trees as long as you provide them with plenty

of water.
▪ I can’t believe you allow your dogs to climb all over the seats while you are

driving.

Task Education Last update : 15-Dec-19

RULE 01:

sThe plural of nouns is usually formed by adding to a singular noun.

Example:

Singular Plural
lamp lamps
cat cats
fork forks
flower flowers
pen pens

RULE 02:

Nouns ending in s, z, x, sh, and ch form the plural by adding es.

Example:

Singular Plural
moss mosses
buzz buzzes
box boxes
dish dishes
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 03:

Nouns ending in y preceded by a consonant is formed into a plural by
changingy to ies.

Examples:

Singular Plural
lady ladies
city cities
army armies
fly flies
baby babies

Task Education Last update : 15-Dec-19

RULE 04:

Nouns ending in y preceded by a vowel form their plurals by adding s.
Example:

Singular Plural
boy boys
day days
toy toys
essay essays
pay pays

RULE 05:
Most nouns ending in o preceded by a consonant is formed into a plural by
adding es.
Example:

Singular Plural
hero heroes
grotto grottoes
motto mottoes
volcano volcanoes

NOTE:

Mosquito , halo , tornado , buffalo , portico , canto , solo , piano , lasso ,
halo, memento , albino , sirocco are uncommon and may add s or es

Most nouns ending in o preceded by a vowel is formed into a plural by
adding s

Singular Plural
folio folios
cameo cameos
studio studios
portfolio portfolios

RULE 06:

Some nouns ending in f or fe are made plural by changing f or fe to ves.

Example: Plural

Singular beeves
beef wives
wife

Task Education Last update : 15-Dec-19

IRREGULAR PLURALS

"There are no easy rules, unfortunately, for irregular plurals in English. They
simply have to be learnt and remembered."

Not all nouns conform to the standard pattern. In fact, some of the most
common English nouns have irregular plural forms, such as woman/women
and child/children. In addition, several nouns have alternative plurals, one
regular and the other irregular.

Singular Plural
woman women
tooth teeth
louse lice
child children
ox oxen
goose geese

man men
foot feet

PLURAL - ONLY NOUNS (no singular form)

There is a small group of nouns that exist only in the plural form, for example:

scissors oats tongs cattle
pinchers bellows snuffers tweezers
measles mumps dregs trousers
shears vespers

These nouns do not exist in the singular form and are usually described as
"plural-only nouns".

Plural-Only Nouns with Two Parts

Many plural-only nouns are tools or items of clothing that have two parts (like
trousers, which have two legs).

Clothing :panties, boxers, briefs, tights, jeans, pants, pyjamas, shorts,
trousers

Tools: headphones, pliers, scissors, tongs, tweezers, binoculars, glasses,
goggles, sunglasses

pair of: Because the above examples have two parts, we can refer to them as
"pair of" or "pairs of" to quantify them.

To talk about one item, we can say a pair of, one pair of, my pair of, this pair of
etc. To specify more than one item we can say two pairs of, three pairs of etc.

Task Education Last update : 15-Dec-19

SINGULAR - ONLY NOUNS (no plural form)

Some nouns are always singular. Some of these nouns may be used in the
plural when different kinds are meant as,

gold silver corn molasses
copper sugar cotton news
gallows mathematics ethics coffees

Singular nouns use this and that.
Plural nouns use these and those.

SPECIAL CASES Plural
brothers – in – law
Singular by – ways
brother – in – law cupfuls
by – way hangers-on
cupful men-of-war
hanger-on bye-laws
man-of-war
bye-law mouse-traps
mouse-trap passers-by
passer-by sons-in-law
son-in-law spoonfuls
spoonful

Task Education Last update : 15-Dec-19

COLLECTIVE NOUN

Noun has different Group names (Collective noun)

• A group of ants call : army, colony, nest, swarm.
• A group of apes call : shrewdness, troop
• A group of asses (number of donkey) call: herd,
• A group of bees call: swarm,dove, pace of asses, drift, Hum, grist.
• A group of birds call: flight,pod
• A group of butterflies call : Swarm, flutter, kaleidoscope
• A group of cats call: clowder, glaring, pounce, destruction
• A group of crows call: murder, horde, wake ( when feeding)
• A group of ducks call: baling, padding, plump, raft
• A group of fish call: shoal, school
• A group of flamingos call: stand, flamboyance, colony, regiment
• A group of geese call: flock, gaggle, skein
• A group of giraffes call: herd, tower
• A group of horses call: haras, string, stud, team
• A group of kangaroos call: mob, troop, kindle
• A group of monkeys call: barrel, troop, wilderness
• A group of oxen call: drove, team, yoke
• A group of parrots call: company, pandemonium
• A group of peacocks call: muster, ostentation, pride
• A group of penguins call: colony, convent, tuxedo
• A group of rabbits call: colony, nest, herd, litter
• A group of sheep call: flock, drove, herd, hurtle, pack
• A group of snakes call: bed, den, knot, nest, pit
• A group of swans call: flight, game, bank, bevy, herd, wedge
• A group of tigers call: ambush, streak
• A group of turtles call: bale, dole/dule, nest
• A group of whales call: gam, herd, mob, pod
• A group of zebras call: herd, dazzle, zeal

Task Education Last update : 15-Dec-19

Group Name “Herd”

A herd of antelope A herd of elephants A herd of ponies
A herd of boar A herd of elk A herd of sea horses
A herd of buffaloes A herd of fairies A herd of seals
A herd of caribou A herd of giraffes A herd of swans
A herd of cattle A herd of gnus A herd of swine
▪ A herd of chamois A herd of goats A herd of walruses
A herd of horses A herd of whales
A herd of chinchillas A herd of llamas A herd of wolves
A herd of cows A herd of moose A herd of wrens
A herd of cranes A herd of oxen A herd of yaks
A herd of deer A herd of pigs A herd of zebras
A herd of donkeys

Group Name “Pack”

▪ A pack of bears (polar bears) ▪ A pack of mules
▪ A pack of coyotes ▪ A pack of rats
▪ A pack of dogs ▪ A pack of sharks
▪ A pack of grouse ▪ A pack of stoats
▪ A pack of gulls ▪ A pack of weasels
▪ A pack of hounds ▪ A pack of wolves
▪ A pack of mongooses

Group Name “Flock”

▪ A flock of birds ▪ A flock of pigeons
▪ A flock of bustards ▪ A flock of seagulls
▪ A flock of camels ▪ A flock of sheep
▪ A flock of chickens ▪ A flock of swifts
▪ A flock of geese ▪ A flock of tourists
▪ A flock of goats ▪ A flock of turkeys
▪ A flock of parrots

Group Name “Swarm”

▪ A swarm of ants ▪ A swarm of flies
▪ A swarm of bees ▪ A swarm of gnats
▪ A swarm of butterflies ▪ A swarm of insects
▪ A swarm of eels ▪ A swarm of rats

Group Name “Shoal”

▪ A shoal of bass ▪ A shoal of pilchards
▪ A shoal of salmon
▪ A shoal of fish

▪ A shoal of herrings

Task Education Last update : 15-Dec-19

Group Name “Group”

A group of guinea pigs
A group of islands
A group of people
A group of dancers
A group of engineers

Group Name “Crowd”

▪ A crowd of onlookers
▪ A crowd of people

Group Name “Gang” ▪ A gang of criminals
▪ A gang of crooks
▪ A gang of hoodlums ▪ A gang of hoodlums
▪ A gang of laborers ▪ A gang of prisoners
▪ A gang of slaves
▪ A gang of thieves

Group Name “Mob”

▪ A mob of emus ▪ A mob of sheep
▪ A mob of kangaroos ▪ A mob of kangaroos
▪ A mob of meerkats ▪ A mob of rioters
▪ A mob of thieves

Group Name “Staff”

▪ A staff of employees
▪ A staff of servants

Group Name “Crew”

▪ A crew of sailors

Group Name “Choir” - A choir of angels

Group Name “Orchestra” - An orchestra of musicians

Task Education Last update : 15-Dec-19

Group Name “Panel” - A panel of experts Last update : 15-Dec-19

Group Name “Board”

▪ A board of directors
▪ A board of trustees
▪ A board of chess players

Group Name “Troupe”

▪ A troupe of monkeys
▪ A troupe of shrimp
▪ A troupe of dancers
▪ A troupe of minstrels
▪ A troupe of performers

Group Name “Bunch”

▪ A bunch of seals
▪ A bunch of pigeons

Group Name “Pile” -A pile of books

Group Name “Heap”- A heap of trash

Group Name “Set”

▪ A set of bowls
▪ A set of utensils

Group Name “Stack” -A stack of books

Group Name “Series”

▪ A series of events
▪ A series of photos

Group Name “Shower”- A shower of bastards

Group Name “Fall”

▪ A fall of lambs
▪ A fall of woodcock

Task Education