English noun
A noun is a one kind of grammatical category that linguists use to divide up the part of language that deals with meaning. Other categories include verbs and adjectives. Although the popular understanding of what a noun is assumes that they are simply words that refer to 'things' in the world, linguists argue that nouns can only be defined in relation to other units of language with which they work. A noun in English, then, might be identified as those units which can serve as the subject or object of a sentence.
There are different types of nouns. Let's begin with the two basic types, common and proper.
Common nouns
Common nouns are general, nonspecific nouns. Examples include:
- car
- teacher
- beach
- cheesburger
What car? which teacher? what beach? which cheeseburger?
We can add adjectives, words that describe nouns. For example, we can have a red car, a Math teacher, a beautiful beach, and a tasty cheeseburger. However, they are still nonspecific. How do I make them proper nouns?
Proper nouns
Proper nouns are specific.
- Chevrolet
- Mr. Cohen
- Miami Beach
- McDonalds cheeseburger
Proper nouns provide you information about their existence. You can have a car or you can have a Chevrolet, a Mercedes, a Saturn, or a Ford Thunderbird. You have many teachers but there is only one Mr. Cohen, Ms Raimo, and so on. There are many beaches but only one Miami Beach, one Revere Beach, and one Malibu Beach. A cheeseburger is a cheeseburger but there is only one McDonalds cheeseburger, one Sonic cheeseburger, etc.
Note: Proper nouns are capitalized.
Compound nouns
Compound nouns are nouns whose name consists of more than one word. Some examples are:
- basketball
- bike trail
English is full of compound nouns. They may appear as two or more separate words, a hyphenated word, or as one word. New compound nouns usually begin as two words, then become hyphenated, and eventually become one word. Here is an example.
- Initially, we had electronic mail.
- After a while, it became known as e-mail.
- We now call it email.
Collective nouns
Collective nouns, as the name suggests, represents collections or groups of things. Some examples include families, team, and companies.
Collective nouns are both singular and plural.
- The family is going on vacation.
- The families are going on a neighborhood picnic.
Abstract nouns
Abstract nouns represent feelings, qualities, and other things that aren't physical. Some abstract nouns include: love, honor, honesty, fear, virtue, bravery, etc.