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 WHAT IS A NOUN?

A noun is a naming word. It's a word you can use to identify a person, animal, place, thing, or idea. Nouns are important in English communication because you can hardly talk about any person or thing without first mentioning them. Whenever you mention the name of someone or something, you've used a noun in your speech or writing. This explains why nouns are among the major word classes or parts of speech in English.


Types of Nouns

Nouns can be classified into the following types:

1. Proper Nouns: A proper noun refers to the name of a particular person, place, or thing. Examples: Mark, Mary, Nigeria, London, Africa, Europe, Lagos State University, Atlantic Ocean, etc.

2. Common Nouns: A common noun is a general name given to a type of person or thing. Examples: table, chair, book, box, boy, man, girl, woman, teacher, doctor, house, car, village, city, etc.

3. Abstract Nouns: An abstract noun is the name of something you cannot see or touch. Examples: love, beauty, wisdom, war, peace, etc.

4. Concrete Nouns: A country noun is the name of someone or something you can see or touch. Examples: book, boy, man, plate, pot, tree, house, cup, etc.

5. Countable Nouns: As the name implies, a countable noun is anything that can be counted. Examples: box (one box, two or more boxes), spoon, knife, pot, book, school, student, teacher, boy, girl, etc.

6. Uncountable Nouns: Unlike countable nouns, an uncountable noun cannot be counted. Examples: sand, water, oil, air, tea, paper, glass, wood, etc.

7. Singular Nouns: A singular noun refers to one person or thing. Examples: a book, a man, an elephant, a mountain, a house, etc. Singular nouns are usually countable nouns.

8. Plural Nouns: A plural noun refers to two or more persons or things. Examples: books, men, elephants, mountains, houses, etc.

9. Collective Nouns: A collective noun refers to a group or collection of persons or things. Examples: family, team, class, herd, band, choir, committee, etc.

10. Compound Nouns: A compound noun is a noun that consists of two or more words. Examples: whiteboard, bookshop, boyhood, cupboard, governor-elect, woman lawyer, etc. 

You can find a more detailed explanation of this topic in an audio-visual lesson on Nouns and Types of Nouns.

If you are interested in a complete study package for effective English learning, you may want to grab a copy of an eBook titled Good Success in English, or Good Success English Handbook.


About the Blogger

Successful English teacher with more than 12 years of experience teaching high school students, rising to the position of Principal. Helped both senior and junior students prepare for the West African Senior School Certificate Exams and the West African Junior School Certificate Exams respectively.  As head teacher supervised other teachers and guided them in their lesson preparation and delivery. Have written and published 8 English books currently being used as reading texts in schools across the country. Founded English Classes Online where I'm currently helping a lot of people gain proficiency in the use of English.

Academic & Professional Qualifications:

·        B.A. English Language.

·        TEFL

 

Publications:

·        The Widow and the Wolves (Paperback & PDF eBook)

·        All that Glitters is not Gold (Paperback & PDF eBook)

·        The Mysterious Survivor (Paperback & PDF eBook)

·        The Bread of Deceit (Paperback & PDF eBook)

·        Searching for Roots (Paperback & PDF eBook)

·        The Triumph of Reason (PDF eBook)

·        The Lad and the Swindlers (PDF eBook)

·        The Ghost Worker (PDF eBook)

·        The Explosive Secret (PDF eBook)

·        Good Success in English (PDF eBook)

·        Good Success English Handbook (PDF eBook)

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