Any word or term that is entitled to identify a person, place, animal, thing, ideas or events are known as Nouns. Majority of the words fall under the category of nouns regardless of language specifications.
Example:
Person – a name for a person: – Jason, lilly, Ron, Ben, Brat, etc.
Animal – a name for an animal: – sheep, kitten, calf, puppy, etc.
Place – a name for a place: – Australia, Belgium, Iceland, Norway, etc.
Thing – a name for a thing: – brick, brush, clock, gate, pen, box, etc.
Idea – A name for an idea: – motivation, suspicion, anger, jealousy, etc.
Different Types of Noun:
- Proper Noun
- Common Noun
- Abstract Noun
- Concrete Noun
- Countable Noun
- Non-countable Noun
- Collective Noun
- Compound Noun
Proper Noun:
A noun that refers only to a single person, place, animal, or thing in a way that it differentiates that particular subject from others on the basis of their certain feature or skill is known as a proper noun.
Example: Dubai (it refers to only one particular city)
Common Noun:
The words that are used to refer something that is extremely common and not famous are called common nouns.
Example: State (it can refer to any state, nothing in particular)
Abstract Noun:
Abstract nouns are used for things that do not keep a physical existence. Such nouns are mostly used to denote ideas, skills, terms, etc.
Example: happiness, sadness, anger, etc.
Concrete Noun:
A concrete noun carries an opposite definition and function to abstract noun. It refers to something that can be witnessed as a physical being.
Example: table, lamp, rock, cloth, etc.
Countable Noun:
In any sentence the subject that can be counted is referred to as countable nouns. Countable nouns are used with articles.
Example: table, lamp, ball, chair, etc.
Non-countable Noun:
The objects that carry a physical being but can never be counted are known as non-countable nouns. Abstract nouns and proper nouns always fall in the category of non-countable nouns. However, common nouns and concrete nouns fall under both countable and non-countable list depending upon their nature and type.
Example: juice, rice, oil, vinegar
Collective Noun:
A collective noun is a term or word that is used to identify a group of things, individuals, or animals, etc.
Example: family, team, jury, cattle, etc.
Compound Noun:
A collection of two or three nouns that are written together to form a single word is called a compound noun. Such words are attached with hyphen or simply without the help of any punctuation mark.
Example:
Six-pack, five-year-old, and son-in-law, snowball, mailbox, etc.
Functions of Nouns
Nouns are used as a subject, object, and indirect object of a verb, object of a preposition, adverb or adjective in sentences. Nouns also depict possession towards the subject.
SUBJECT: The NGO is doing great. Tulips are the flowers of love.
DIRECT OBJECT: I finally bought a new iPod.
INDIRECT OBJECT: Max gave Lisa another chocolate.
OBJECT OF PREPOSITION: Roses are the flowers of affection.
ADVERB: The train leaves tomorrow.
ADJECTIVE: The hotel building faces the mall
POSSESSION: The lion’s attack is dangerous. My sister’s daughter is adorable.