1 Noun: Definition, Rules, Examples English nouns! What is a noun? Learn noun definition and useful list of nouns in English with different types and examples. One of the most important types of word within any language, is the noun and this is no different in English. But what are nouns and how are they used? In this article, we are going to be taking a closer look at what a noun is, how it is used and the rules surrounding its use. We are also going to be looking at a variety of examples to demonstrate their use and allow us to gain a greater understanding of their function. What Is A Noun? Noun Definition In order to understand what a noun is, the most simple explanation is that a noun is a word which is used to refer to a person, item, thing or place. In every sentence in English, there must be a subject and that subject will always be a noun. However, the noun can also play other parts within a sentence such as the indirect or direct object, object or subject complement, adjective or appositive. This means that every sentence you create will feature a noun, making this one of the most important aspects within English grammar. What is a noun? Noun is described as words that refer to a person, place, thing, event, substance, quality, quantity, etc. Noun is a part of speech typically denoting a person, place, thing, animal or idea. There are many different types of nouns in English, each designed to serve a different purpose in an English sentence. Nouns Can Name All Sorts! As we mentioned earlier, the noun can be used to name a variety of different things. Let’s take a look a this. Nouns To Name A Person ▪ The prime minister ▪ My sister ▪ A boy ▪ Barack Obama
2 Nouns To Name A Place ▪ The beach ▪ Mount Everest ▪ My kitchen ▪ Australia Nouns To Name A Thing ▪ An idea ▪ The dog ▪ My plate ▪ The movie
3 Concrete Nouns What is a Concrete Noun? A concrete noun is a noun which is real or physical, you might think of it as something which can be perceived by your senses. Look at the following examples and notice how they use a sense to describe the noun, In both examples, the nouns-music and hands are real items which can be sensed. ▪ I hear the music. ▪ Her hands were wet. Concrete Noun Examples ▪ Armchair ▪ Aunt ▪ Ball ▪ Bermudas ▪ Beans ▪ Balloon ▪ Bear ▪ Blouse ▪ Bed ▪ Car ▪ Cow ▪ Cap ▪ Cooker ▪ Cheeks ▪ Crest ▪ Chest ▪ Chair ▪ Dog ▪ Deer ▪ Donkey ▪ Desk ▪ Desktop ▪ Dentist ▪ Fish ▪ Film ▪ Foot ▪ Flag ▪ Guest ▪ Hamburger ▪ Jewelry
4 Common Nouns And Proper Nouns A common noun is a noun which can refer to a general name of an object. This type of noun does not use a capital letter unless it is appearing at the start of a sentence. The common noun is not used to identify a specific person, thing, or place. A good example of a common noun is the word ‘man.’ Using this noun does not allow us to determine a specific man. You can see this in the following sentence. ▪ The man walked down the street. When we read this sentence, all we know is that a man is walking down a street (which is also a common noun) but the identity of the street or the man is not revealed. The other type of noun is a proper noun and this is used to talk about a specific person, item or place. The proper noun always uses a capital letter, whether it appears at the beginning,
5 middle or end of the sentence. A good example of a proper noun would be the name of a person, for example Graham. Look at the following sentence. ▪ Graham is walking down the road. We can see from the use of the proper noun that we are being told about a specific person. Other proper nouns might be the names of towns and countries, for example: ▪ Paris is a large city in France. Both Paris and France are the proper nouns within this sentence. Abstract Nouns What Are Abstract Nouns? The abstract noun is used to refer to something which is not tangible. We are now going to look at some examples of this, as you can see the nouns in the following phrases are not things which can be physically sensed. ▪ He showed a lot of bravery when fighting the lion. ▪ Sarah has a lot of intelligence. Abstract Noun Examples ▪ Awareness ▪ Awe ▪ Beauty ▪ Belief ▪ Childhood ▪ Clarity ▪ Cleverness ▪ Confusion ▪ Contentment ▪ Courage ▪ Crime ▪ Happiness ▪ Hate ▪ Hatred ▪ Insanity ▪ Intelligence ▪ Joy ▪ Justice ▪ Kindness ▪ Laughter ▪ Law ▪ Liberty ▪ Love ▪ Luck ▪ Luxury
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7 Countable and Uncountable Nouns Countable and Uncountable nouns vary from language to language. In some languages, there are no countable nouns. In addition, some nouns that are uncountable in English may be countable in other languages.
8 Countable Nouns Countable nouns are individual objects, people, places, etc. which can be counted. Countable Noun Examples ▪ Apple ▪ School ▪ Student ▪ Picture ▪ House ▪ Tree ▪ Box ▪ Book ▪ Customer ▪ Friend Uncountable Nouns Uncountable Nouns Definition Uncountable Nouns are substances, concepts, materials, information… that we cannot divide into separate elements. They can’t be counted. Uncountable Nouns Examples ▪ Access ▪ Adulthood ▪ Alcohol ▪ Business ▪ Blood ▪ Botany ▪ Bacon ▪ Chaos ▪ Clothing ▪ Economics ▪ Equipment ▪ Fame ▪ Freedom ▪ Glass ▪ Grass ▪ Jam ▪ Jewelery ▪ Innocence ▪ Iron ▪ Linguistics ▪ Meat ▪ Nurture ▪ Psychology NOTE: Some nouns are both countable and uncountable. They have been put in bold.
9 Collective Nouns What are Collective Nouns? The collective noun is used to refer to a collection of things or people. They are used to refer to a singular verb and make it as though it were one entity. Let’s take a look at some examples of collective nouns. ▪ The pack of dogs ran wild through the town. ▪ The choir sang loudly in the church. Collective Noun Examples ▪ Herd ▪ Pack ▪ Flock ▪ Swarm ▪ Shoal ▪ Group
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11 Compound Nouns Compound Nouns Definition Compound nouns are words for people, animals, places, things, or ideas, made up of two or more words. Most compound nouns are made with nouns that have been modified by adjectives or other nouns. Compound Noun Examples ▪ Airline ▪ Airport ▪ Aircraft ▪ Armchair ▪ Boyfriend ▪ Battlefield ▪ Briefcase ▪ Butterfly ▪ Countdown ▪ Comeback ▪ Background ▪ Cupboard ▪ Chopstick ▪ Classmate ▪ Daredevil ▪ Daydream ▪ Dragonfly ▪ Everybody ▪ Everything ▪ Fireworks ▪ Partnership ▪ Photocopy ▪ Raincoat ▪ Rattlesnake ▪ Ringworm ▪ Skyscraper ▪ Sandcastle ▪ Snowboard ▪ Sunshine ▪ Teardrop ▪ Teacup ▪ Teapot ▪ Thunderstorm ▪ Timetable ▪ Yourself
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13 Possessive Nouns Possessive Nouns Definition Possessive nouns are nouns that show ownership or possession. Normally these words would be a singular or plural noun, but in the possessive form they are used as adjectives to modify another a noun or pronoun. Possessive Noun Examples ▪ Cat’s toy ▪ Charles’s car ▪ Chris’s exam ▪ Children’s clothes ▪ Men’s shoes ▪ Babies’ shoes ▪ Lemons’ acidity ▪ Owls’ eyes ▪ Sister’s room ▪ Jim’s pen ▪ My mom’s bag
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15 Regular Plural Nouns Forming Regular Plural Nouns How to form regular plural nouns in English. ▪ Most singular nouns are made plural by adding -s to the end of the singular form. ▪ When a noun ends in a sibilant sound – /s/, /z/, /ʃ/, /ʒ/, /tʃ/ or /dʒ/ – the plural is formed by adding -es, or -s if the singular already ends in -e. ▪ The plural form of some nouns that end in ‘f’ or ‘fe’ is made by changing the ending to -V(es). ▪ When a noun ends in “o” preceded by a consonant, the plural in many cases is spelled by adding -es. ▪ Nouns that end in ‘o’ preceded by a vowel are made plural by adding -s. ▪ When the ‘y’ follows a consonant, changing ‘y’ to ‘i’ and adding -es. ▪ When the ‘y’ follows a vowel, the plural is formed by retaining the ‘y’ and adding -s. Regular Plural Noun Examples ▪ car – cars ▪ bag – bags ▪ table – tables ▪ house – houses ▪ dog – dogs ▪ kiss – kisses ▪ dish – dishes ▪ witch – witches ▪ judge – judges ▪ half – halves ▪ hoof – hooves ▪ calf – calves ▪ elf – elves ▪ shelf – shelves ▪ leaf – leaves ▪ loaf – loaves ▪ thief – thieves ▪ wolf – wolves ▪ life – lives ▪ knife – knives ▪ scarf – scarves ▪ wife – wives ▪ cuff – cuffs ▪ knockoff – knockoffs ▪ chef – chefs ▪ belief – beliefs ▪ roof – roofs ▪ chief – chiefs ▪ potato – potatoes ▪ tomato – tomatoes ▪ hero – heroes ▪ echo – echoes
16 ▪ veto – vetoes ▪ domino – dominoes ▪ mosquito – mosquitoes ▪ volcano – volcanoes ▪ piano – pianos ▪ photo – photos ▪ halo – halos ▪ soprano – sopranos ▪ radio – radios ▪ stereo – stereos ▪ video – videos ▪ country – countries ▪ family – families ▪ cherry – cherries ▪ lady – ladies ▪ puppy – puppies ▪ party – parties ▪ holiday – holidays Irregular Plural Nouns Irregular Plural Nouns Definition Irregular plural nouns are nouns that do not become plural by adding -s or -es, as most nouns in the English language do. For example, the plural form of man is men, not mans. The plural form of woman is women, not womans. Irregular Plural Noun Examples ▪ Aircraft – aircraft ▪ Barracks – barracks ▪ Deer – deer ▪ Gallows – gallows ▪ Moose – moose ▪ Salmon – salmon ▪ Hovercraft – hovercraft ▪ Spacecraft – spacecraft ▪ Series – series ▪ Species – species ▪ Means – means ▪ Offspring – offspring ▪ Deer – deer ▪ Fish – fish ▪ Sheep – sheep ▪ Offspring – offspring ▪ Trout – trout ▪ Swine – swine ▪ Person – people
17 ▪ Ox – oxen ▪ Man – men ▪ Woman – women ▪ Caveman – cavemen ▪ Policeman – policemen ▪ Child – children ▪ Tooth – teeth ▪ Foot – feet ▪ Goose – geese ▪ Mouse – mice ▪ Louse – lice ▪ Penny – pence ▪ Index – indices /indexes ▪ Matrix – matrices ▪ Vertex – vertices ▪ Appendix – appendices ▪ Alumnus – alumni ▪ Corpus – corpora ▪ Census – censuses ▪ Focus – foci ▪ Genus – genera ▪ Prospectus – prospectuses ▪ Radius – radii ▪ Campus – campuses ▪ Succubus – succubi
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19 Using A Noun in English Grammar Using A Noun As A Subject Or An Object Each sentence that we speak or write must feature a subject and this will always be a noun. When we talk about the subject, we are referring to the place, person or thing which is completing the action (verb) within the sentence. Look at the following examples: ▪ John is tall. ▪ The ball bounced. John and the ball are the subjects of these sentences and are both nouns. However, the noun can also be used as the object of a sentence. This can be either as a direct object, which is the noun that is on the receiving end of the action that was performed by the subject, or as an indirect object which is a noun that is a recipient of the direct object. Let’s take a look at some examples of this. ▪ Hand the bags to him. ▪ Move the plate towards the baby. In this case, the words him and baby are both nouns being used as the object of the sentence. Nouns Used As Object And Subject Complements A noun can be used as a subject complement and this usually occurs when using a linking verb such as seem, to be or become. An example of this is the sentence “John is a builder.” The noun builder is the subject complement as it is detailed what John is. Further Uses Of Nouns There are many more ways in which a noun can function, let’s take a look at some of these now. ▪ When serving as an appositive noun, the noun will come directly after another noun as a way of defining it further. An example of this can be seen in this sentence, “My mother, Angela, is a nurse.” The noun Angela is the appositive noun as it gives us further information on the first noun, mother. ▪ A noun may also be used as an adjective in some cases as well. Consider the word ‘light.’ This is a noun when talking about the light or a light, however it can become an adjective, as seen in this sentence, “The house has a light kitchen.” ▪ When using a possessive noun, in other words, a noun which is used to denote possession of something, an apostrophe should be used. For example, “These are the baby’s things.”
20 Gender of Nouns in English Learn the Gender of Nouns and List of Masculine and Feminine Words in English: ▪ Masculine – Feminine ▪ Sir – Madam ▪ Uncle – Aunt ▪ Nephew – Niece ▪ Wizard – Witch ▪ Hart – Roe ▪ Drake – Duck ▪ Lion – Lioness ▪ Priest – Priestess ▪ Prophet – Prophetess ▪ Patron – Patroness ▪ Host – Hostess ▪ Viscount – Viscountess ▪ Shepherd – Shepherdess ▪ Steward – Stewardess ▪ Heir – Heiress ▪ Baron – Baroness ▪ Peer – Peeress ▪ Abbot – Abbess ▪ Emperor – Empress ▪ Traitor – Traitress ▪ Actor – Actress ▪ Benefactor – Benefactress ▪ Hunter – Huntress ▪ Tempter – Temptress ▪ Master – Mistress ▪ Tiger – Tigress ▪ Duke – Duchess ▪ Enchanter – Enchantress ▪ Songster – Songstress ▪ Hero – Heroine ▪ Sultan – Sultana ▪ Czar – Czarina ▪ Signor – Signora ▪ Manservant – Maidservant ▪ He-goat – She-goat ▪ Cock-sparrow – Hen-sparrow ▪ Bull-calf – Cow-calf ▪ Grandfather – Grandmother ▪ Landlord – Landlady ▪ Milkman – Milkmaid ▪ Peacock – Peahen ▪ Giant – Giantess ▪ Count – Countess
21 Conclusion The noun is an integral part of the English language, in fact, you cannot make a sentence without one. By understanding their use and the rules surrounding them, you will be able to form grammatically correct sentences. Adapted from https://7esl.com/nouns/
Verb: Definition, Rules and Examples English verbs! What is a verb? Learn verb definition and different types of verbs in English grammar with useful verbs list and examples of verbs. The verb is a very essential type of word in any language and in English, this is no different. You must have a verb in order to create a sentence and so understanding their function is vital to being able to speak the language. In this article, we are going to be looking at what a verb is and how it is used. We will also be looking at some example sentences to further gain an understanding on what the verb is used for. What Is A Verb? What is a verb? In the most simple terms, a verb is a word which describes an action, often known as a ‘doing’ word. In the English language, the verb is the only kind of word which will change to show whether the past or present is being spoken about. The verb is considered to be the most vital part of any sentence, without it you would be left literally speechless. A verb is a word or group of words that describes an action, experience or expresses a state of being. Verb examples: Walk, is, seem, run, see, swim, stand, go, have, get, promise, invite, listen, sing, sit, … ▪ He speaks English ▪ I don’t know how to spell the word ▪ She studies hard There are many different types of verbs in English grammar: irregular verb, modal verb, dynamic verb, stative verb, auxiliary verb, causative verb,…
Types of Verbs & Verb Examples Learn different types of verbs in English with useful grammar rules and verb examples. Irregular Verbs Irregular verbs are common verbs in English that do not follow the simple system of adding “d” or “ed” to the end of the word to form the past tense (the past simple and/or the past participle). Irregular Verb Examples ▪ Fall – fell – fallen ▪ Feed – fed – fed ▪ Feel – felt – felt ▪ Fight – fought – fought ▪ Find – found – found ▪ Fly – flew – flown ▪ Forbid – forbade – forbidden ▪ Forget – forgot – forgotten ▪ Forgive – forgave – forgiven ▪ Freeze – froze – frozen ▪ Get – got – got ▪ Give – gave – given ▪ Go – went – gone ▪ Grind – ground – ground ▪ Grow – grew – grown ▪ Hang – hung – hung ▪ Have – had – had ▪ Hear – heard – heard ▪ Hide – hid – hidden ▪ Hit – hit – hit ▪ Hold – held – held ▪ Hurt – hurt – hurt ▪ Keep – kept – kept ▪ Kneel – knelt – knelt ▪ Know – knew – known ▪ Lay – laid – laid ▪ Lead – led – led ▪ Lean – leant/ leaned – leant/ leaned ▪ Learn – learnt/ learned – learnt/ learned ▪ Leave – left – left ▪ Lent – lent – lent ▪ Lie (in bed) – lay – lain ▪ Lie (not to tell the truth) – lied – lied ▪ Light – lit/ lighted – lit/ lighted
Modal Verbs Modal verbs are a small class of auxiliary verbs used to express possibility, obligation, advice, permission, ability, … Modal Verb Examples ▪ Will ▪ Shall ▪ Would ▪ Should ▪ Ought to ▪ Must ▪ Mustn’t ▪ May ▪ Might ▪ Can ▪ Could ▪ Have to/ Has to ▪ Don’t/ Doesn’t have to
Modal Verbs To Express Ability Learn how to use Modals of Ability in English ▪ Be able to ▪ Can/Can’t ▪ Be able to ▪ Could/Couldn’t ▪ Managed to ▪ Be able to ▪ Can/can’t
Modals for Asking Permissions Learn useful Modals for Asking Permissions in English ▪ Can ▪ Could ▪ May ▪ Would
Perfect Infinitive with Modals The structure “have + past participle” is called a perfect infinitive. Learn how to use perfect infinitive with modal verbs in English: must have, can’t have, should have, shouldn’t have, needn’t have, ought to have, may have, might have, could have, would have.
Dynamic Verbs A dynamic verb is a verb that shows continued or progressive action on the part of the subject. This is the opposite of a stative verb. Dynamic Verb Examples ▪ Eat ▪ Walk ▪ Learn ▪ Grow ▪ Sleep ▪ Talk ▪ Write ▪ Read ▪ Go Stative Verbs Stative verbs are verbs that express a state rather than an action. They usually relate to thoughts, emotions, relationships, senses, states of being and measurements. Stative Verb Examples Mental State ▪ Suppose ▪ Recognise ▪ Forget ▪ Remember ▪ Imagine ▪ Mean ▪ Agree ▪ Disagree ▪ Deny ▪ Promise ▪ Satisfy ▪ Realise ▪ Appear ▪ Astonish Possession ▪ Have ▪ Own ▪ Possess ▪ Lack ▪ Consist ▪ Involve
Emotions ▪ Like ▪ Dislike ▪ Hate ▪ Adore ▪ Prefer ▪ Care for ▪ Mind ▪ Want ▪ Need ▪ Desire Measure, cost, others ▪ Measure ▪ Weigh ▪ Owe ▪ Seem ▪ Fit ▪ Depend ▪ Matter Auxiliary Verbs We briefly mentioned the auxiliary verb when discussing the verb to be, however other verbs can function as auxiliary verbs and this means that they cannot create a sentence alone but requires the use of another verb and can help it to demonstrate various conditions, states or tenses. Let’s look at some examples of this. ▪ When I got there, she had finished the lesson. ▪ After he arrived home, we had eaten dinner. An auxiliary verb is a verb that adds functional or grammatical meaning to the clause in which it appears, such as to express tense, aspect, modality, voice, emphasis, etc. An auxiliary verb is most generally understood as a verb that “helps” another verb by adding grammatical information to it. Auxiliary Verb Examples ▪ Do: I do not feel like going out tonight. ▪ Have: I have just received his reply. ▪ Be: A model railway mart will beheld on Friday. ▪ Will: He will not play volleyball.
Causative Verbs Causative verbs are verbs that show the reason that something happened. They do not indicate something the subject did for themselves, but something the subject got someone or something else to do for them. Causative Verb Examples ▪ Have: I had the mechanic check the brakes. ▪ Get: I couldn’t get the engine to start. ▪ Make: I like him because he makes me laugh. ▪ Let: If you accept, please let me know.
Transitive Verbs A transitive verb is one which has the ability to have a noun directly attached to it. Examples of this might be: ▪ kick call ▪ write story ▪ answer questions Intransitive Verbs This type of verb cannot have a noun directly attached to it and requires the use of a preposition in order to help it function. Examples of intransitive verbs might be: ▪ run to the shop ▪ proceed with the game ▪ abide by the rules. No Action To Be A no action to be verb means that the verb is not directly referencing an action. The verb to be can function as both an auxiliary verb as well as a main verb. When it is being used as a main verb it will join a subject to an adjective for example She is small. It might also join a subject to another noun, for example James is King. However, when to be functions as an auxiliary verb it will form the progressive tense. An example of this would be; ▪ The book is read by the teacher. ▪ He is watching the TV. Linking Verbs This is a type of verb which is a “non be” verb and is used to link a subject to a noun, a phrase or an adjective. For example: ▪ This looks amazing. ▪ The food tastes beautiful.
The Different Forms Of Main Verbs When we are dealing with main verbs, there are different forms in which they can come. We are now going to take a look at each of these forms in a little more detail. Infinitives The infinitive form of a verb is that state in which it is originally found. In English, this is often with the word ‘to’ in front of the verb, for example to run, to see, to have, to live. A to-infinitive is a verbal consisting of to + a verb, and it acts like a subject, direct object, subject complement, adjective, or adverb in a sentence. We use the infinitive: ▪ To indicate the purpose of an action ▪ As subject of the sentence ▪ As direct object of the sentence ▪ As subject complement ▪ As an adjective ▪ As an adverb ▪ After adjective ▪ After object that is noun or pronoun referring to a person ▪ Used with question word Verbs Followed by Infinitives List of commonly used Verbs Followed by Infinitives ▪ Attempt ▪ Ask ▪ Arrange ▪ Beg ▪ Begin ▪ Care ▪ Choose ▪ Claim ▪ Consent ▪ Continue ▪ Dare ▪ Decide ▪ Demand ▪ Deserve ▪ Dislike ▪ Expect ▪ Fail ▪ Forget ▪ Get ▪ Hesitate ▪ Hope ▪ Hurry
Zero Infinitive We use the Zero Infinitive when: ▪ After modal auxiliary verbs ▪ After the object after certain verbs, such as hear, see, make, let ▪ After verbal idioms would rather and had better ▪ Used with WHY
Gerunds What is a Gerund? Gerunds are verbals that function as nouns and have an –ing ending. The gerund form of verbs is used as follows: ▪ Used as subject of a sentence ▪ Used as direct object of a sentence ▪ Used as a subject complement ▪ Used as an object of a preposition ▪ Used after certain expressions
Verbs Followed by Gerunds Useful list of Verbs Followed by Gerunds in English. ▪ Admit ▪ Advise ▪ Anticipate ▪ Acknowledge ▪ Appreciate ▪ Avoid ▪ Bear ▪ Begin ▪ Complete ▪ Consider ▪ Defer ▪ Delay ▪ Deny ▪ Discuss ▪ Dislike ▪ Enjoy ▪ Entail ▪ Finish ▪ Forget ▪ Hate ▪ Intend ▪ Involve ▪ Justify ▪ Keep ▪ Like ▪ Love ▪ Mention ▪ Mind ▪ Miss ▪ Postpone ▪ Practice ▪ Prefer ▪ Quit ▪ Recall ▪ Recollect ▪ Recommend ▪ Regret ▪ Resist ▪ Risk ▪ Sanction ▪ Start ▪ Stop ▪ Suggest ▪ Tolerate ▪ Try
Finite and Non-finite Verbs Another word for the finite form is the conjugated form. This happens when the verb is being used within a sentence. By conjugating the verb you are allowing it to demonstrate tense, number, mood and person. An example of this might be the sentence ‘he won the tournament.’ The conjugated verb here shows us that this is a past tense sentence in the third person singular. Learn Finite and Non-Finite Verb Forms in English. Finite Verb Forms A finite verb is controlled by the number of the subject. If the subject is singular, the verb is singular. If the subject is plural, the verb is plural. Examples: ▪ They are studying reproduction in shellfish. ▪ I sing with the university chorus. Non-finite Verb Forms A non-finite verb is not controlled by the number, person and tense of the subject. Examples: ▪ I don’ t want to go home in the dark. ▪ She put a blanket over the sleeping child.
Subject Verb Agreement Rules 10 Subject Verb Agreement Rules in English Grammar: 1. The subject and verb must agree in number. A singular subject takes a singular verb, whereas a plural subject takes a plural verb. 2. The subject is separated from the verb by “with”, “as well as”, “together with”, “along with”. These words and phrases are not part of the subject. The verb agrees with the subject. 3. Two subjects joined by “and” are plural. 4. Two subjects joined by “or/not”, “either…or/neither…nor”, “not only…but also” take the verb that agrees with the subject closest to it. 5. With collective nouns, the verb might be singular or plural (UK), depending on meaning. 6. In sentences beginning with “here” or “there“, the true subject follows the verb. 7. The verb is singular if the subject is a singular indefinite pronoun. The verb is plural if the subject is a plural indefinite pronoun. And, some indefinite pronouns (some, any, all, most) may be either singular or plural, depending upon their use in a sentence. 8. Use a singular verb for expressions of measurement, time. money and weight when the amount is considered one unit. 9. Plural form subjects with a singular meaning take a singular verb. 10. Titles of single entities are always singular. Other Verb Rules There are many rules surrounding the use of verbs in the English language, let’s take a look at the most important ones: 1. When talking in the third person, the verb requires an -es or -s form, for example, he uses the bathroom. 2. If the verb and the subject have a long phrase between them, the verb has to agree with the original subject and not that of the phrase. For example, The sweets which he gave to his wife were very tasty. 3. If the subject is preceded by the phrase ‘one of’, the following verb should be singular. For example, One of the children is crying. 4. If two nouns are within a sentence and refer to the same thing or person, the following verb should be singular. For example, The doctor and the nurse are working in the hospital. 5. If there are two nouns which are synonymous within a sentence, they should be followed with a singular verb. For example, His power and might is huge. 6. Plural nouns on their own will use a plural verb, for example His shoes are too big. I However, if the plural noun is preceded by the words ‘a pair of’ then a singular verb is required. For example A pairs of shoes is quite expensive. 7. If the noun is uncountable then a singular verb should always follow it, for example The poetry that he writes is very romantic.
8. When a collective noun is referring to a single entity, it should use a singular verb, for example The military is very strict. However, if it is being used to refer to an individual then a plural verb should be used, for example The military are requesting new members. Conclusion The verb is an integral part of the English language and there are many rules surrounding its use. In this article, we have learnt the various types of verbs as well as how to use the them by following some simple grammatical rules. Adapted from https://7esl.com/adjectives/
Pronoun: Definition, Rules, Examples English Pronouns List! What is a pronoun? Learn a useful list of pronouns in English with different types of pronouns, example sentences and ESL printable worksheets. One of the most important forms of grammar in the English language is the pronoun. This is something that you will come across very frequently when studying the language and it is important that you are aware of what a pronoun is, how it is used and where it fits into a sentence. In this article, we are going to be taking a look at how pronouns work and what they are used for, this will be intertwined with some examples so that we can gain a better understanding of their function. What Is A Pronoun? What is a pronoun in English grammar? One of the nine parts of speech in the English language is the pronoun. In English grammar, pronoun is a word that substitutes for a noun or noun phrase. In the most simple terms, a pronoun is a word which takes the position of a noun. One of the most commonly recognised forms of the pronoun are names of people, for example John, Jill, Mary or Peter. However, a pronoun could also be one of the following words: ▪ He/she ▪ It ▪ They ▪ Me ▪ Himself ▪ Somebody/everybody/anybody ▪ Many ▪ Each ▪ Few ▪ Whoever/who A pronoun is used instead of a noun or noun phrase in a sentence. A pronoun may take place of the name of a person, place or thing. Pronoun examples: I, me, we, they, you, he, she, it, yours, himself, ourselves, its, my, that, this, those, us, who, whom… There are many more examples of pronouns, and you might think of them as pointing towards possession. As we mentioned, the pronoun is used as a way of replacing a noun, take a look at the following sentence:
The couch is large, the cupboard is heavy. There is no need to use the word couch in the second part of the sentence, therefore it could be replaced with a pronoun now that we recognise what item is being talked about, take a look at the modified sentence which uses the pronoun it. The couch is large, it is heavy.
Types of Pronouns with Examples English Pronouns can be divided into several categories: personal, indefinite, reflexive, reciprocal, possessive, demonstrative, interrogative, reciprocal and relative. Learn types of pronouns in English with examples. We briefly discussed some of the different words that are classed as pronouns, however there are also different types of pronoun. Most often, pronouns fall into one of nine categories. We will now take a look at each of these. Personal Pronouns This type of pronoun is used to refer to a person, in this category you will see words such as I, we, you, they, he, she, … ▪ I have green eyes. ▪ They are coming to my house. ▪ You are my friend. There are two types of personal pronouns: subject and object. When the person or thing is the subject of the sentence, subject pronouns are used. Subject pronoun list: I, you, he, she, it, we, they. Subject pronoun examples: I like to watch TV, but he does not. ▪ You cannot judge a tree by its bark. ▪ She struck him on the nose. ▪ He studies hard to pass the exam. Object pronouns are used when the person or thing is the object of the sentence. Object pronoun list: me, you, him, her, it, us, you, them. Examples: Sophia likes me but not him. ▪ John will call you soon. ▪ Don’t tell her the truth. ▪ I helped him pull his boots off.
Reflexive Pronouns The reflexive pronoun will end in -self or -selves and is used in reference to another pronoun. Words within the category are himself, herself, themselves, yourself/ves, myself, itself. ▪ He takes care of himself. ▪ She can do it by herself. ▪ You could travel by yourself. In English, reflexive pronouns are used when a person or thing acts on itself. Reflexive pronoun list: myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves. Examples: ▪ She tried it herself. ▪ Tom hurt himself. In English they all end in –self or –selves and must refer to a noun phrase elsewhere in the same clause. Possessive Pronouns In English, possessive pronouns are used to indicate possession or ownership. They are: mine, yours, his, hers, ours, yours, theirs. Possessive pronoun list: mine, yours, his, hers, ours, yours, theirs. Examples: ▪ Do you see that woman over there? Her dog is very friendly. ▪ Is that your house? No, ours is the one beside it. ▪ his is my laptop. It’s mine. ▪ These books are mine, not yours. ▪ This is my brother ‘s book. It’s his.
Demonstrative Pronouns This type of pronoun is used to indicate something, the words in the category are these, those, that, this. ▪ These are the shoes that I am going to wear. ▪ He likes the green flowers but he prefers those red ones over there. ▪ I would like that one. The demonstrative pronouns are the same words as the demonstrative adjectives (this, that, these, and those). They often distinguish their targets by pointing or some other indication of position. They can be either near or far in distance or time, specifically. Demonstrative pronoun list: this, that, these, those. Pronoun examples: ▪ This is an enormous field. ▪ Can you see that? ▪ These are delicious cookies. Indefinite Pronouns The indefinite pronoun is used to talk about something which is not specific. Words in the category are some, all, few, none, either, one, nobody, both, each, anyone, several etc. ▪ Nobody is going to the party. ▪ There are several people in my class. ▪ I like both of these photos. An indefinite pronoun is a pronoun that refers to non-specific beings, objects, or places. Indefinite Pronouns can also function as other parts of speech too, depending on context. Indefinite Pronoun List: another, anybody/ anyone, anything, each, either, enough, everybody/ everyone, everything Pronoun examples: ▪ I don’t want anyone to see it. ▪ Is there anything in that box? ▪ You can’t blame him for everything. ▪ Each company is fighting to protect its own commercial interests. ▪ Much has happened since we met. ▪ No one can cope with her in English.