Nouns - English Grammar Notes

• Definition
• Types of Nouns
  • Common and Proper Nouns
  • Singular and Plural Nouns
  • Countable and Uncountable Nouns
  • Collective Nouns
  • Compound Nouns
  • Possessive Nouns
• Answers

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Definition

• A noun is the part of speech that names a person, a place, a thing or an idea. You use nouns every day when you speak or write. Every day you probably use thousands of nouns.
• Because nouns name the objects and people and places around you, it would be very difficult to talk about anything at all without them. Many nouns name things you can see:
  
  Persons                          Places                      Things
  
  Boy                                 Lake                          Boot
  Student                           Country                     Shadow
  John Kamau                     Nairobi                      Chair
  Stranger                          Jupiter                       Sweater
  Writer                              Kenyatta Market         Calendar
  Barrack Obama                 Sierra Leone              Short story
  
  
• Note: Nouns can be two or more words e.g. John Kamau, Kenyatta Market and Short story.
• They are called compound nouns. We shall learn more about them in coming pages.
• Some nouns name things you cannot see such as feelings, ideas and characteristics:
  
  Feelings                             Ideas                     Characteristics
  
  Excitement                        Freedom                   Curiosity
  Fear                                  Justice                      Cowardice
  Anger                                Fantasy                    Courage
  Happiness                          Faith                        Imagination
  Surprise                             Evil                          Self-confidence

Exercise 1

What words in each sentence below are nouns?

Example: John is a dancer – John, dancer

1. The students planned a party.
2. Three boys performed songs.
3. Excitement filled the air.
4. Joyce Chepkemoi won a prize.
5. Otieno lives in a house on my street.

Exercise 2

Copy the nouns below and write whether it names a person, a place, a thing, or an idea.

Example: river – place

1. Candle
2. Guitar
3. Wrestle
4. China
5. Joy
6. Hatred
7. Menengai Crater
8. Masanduku Arap Simiti

Exercise 3

Write down each noun in the following sentences.

Example: Kenya is a beautiful country – Kenya, country

1. The musicians played drums and trumpets.
2. Her family lives in a village.
3. Petronilla enjoyed the trip.
4. A festival was held in Kenyatta University.
5. People in costumes filled the streets.
6. Boys in Scouts uniforms were leading the parade.
7. The holiday was a great excitement.
8. A taxi brought the family to the airport.
9. Maryanne built a huge castle in the wet sand.
10. Her mother swam in the warm water.

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Types of Nouns

Common and Proper Nouns

• All nouns can be described as either common or proper. When you talk or write about a person, a place, a thing, or an idea in general, you use a common noun.
  Example: Doctors work hard. They treat many patients.
• A proper noun is the name of a particular person, place, thing, or idea. Proper nouns always begin with capital letters.
  Example: Ephraim Maree is a doctor. He comes from Kirinyaga.
• Note: When a proper noun is made up of more than one word, only the important words in the noun will begin with a capital letter. Do not capitalize words such as the, of, or for.
  Example: Gulf of Mexico, State of Liberty, the Commander – in – Chief.
  
  

  Common nouns	Proper nouns
  street	Kerugoya
  author	South Africa
  policeman	Indian Ocean
  country	Asia
  mountain	England
  lake	Nelson Mandela
  city	Uhuru Kenyatta
  ocean	Mutahi Kagwe
  bed	Moi Avenue
  wardrobe	Lake Victoria
  continent	Dr. Frank Njengaa
  assistant	Professor Saitoti

• Proper nouns are important to good writing. They make your writing more specific, and therefore clearer.

Exercise 4

Which words are proper nouns and should be capitalised? Which words are common nouns?

Example: kenya Proper: Kenya

1. july
2. student
3. america
4. book
5. kendu bay
6. business
7. face
8. john hopkins
9. day
10. england
11. life
12. east africa
13. crocodiles
14. johannesburg
15. calendar

Exercise 5

List the common nouns and the proper nouns in each of the following sentences.

Example: Nancy welcomed the guests.

Proper: Nancy common: guests

1. Lucky Dube was a famous singer.
2. This dancer has performed in London and Paris.
3. His last flight was over the Mediterranean Sea.
4. She worked as a nurse during the Second World War.
5. Her goal was to educate students all over the world.
6. It was the worst accident in the history of Europe.
7. Bill Gates is best known for founding Microsoft.
8. The Pilot was the first woman to cross that ocean alone.
9. She grabbed a kettle and brought them water.
10. Professor Wangari Maathai won a Nobel Peace Prize.

Singular and Plural Nouns

• A noun may be either singular or plural.
• A singular noun names one person, place, thing, or idea.
  
  Example: The farmer drove to the market in his truck.
  
  
• A plural noun names more than one person, place, thing or idea.
  
  Example: The farmers drove to the markets in their trucks.

Rules for forming plurals

The following are guidelines for forming plurals:

1. To form the plural of most singular nouns, add -s.
   Examples: Street – streets, house – houses, painter – painters, shelter – shelters, event- events, hospital – hospitals.
2. When a singular noun ends in s, sh, ch, x, or z, add - es.
   Examples: dress-dresses, brush-brushes, ax-axes, coach-coaches, box – boxes, benchbenches, dish-dishes, waltz – waltzes.
3. When a singular noun ends in o, add -s to make it plural.
   Examples: Piano-pianos, solo-solos, cameo – cameos, concerto – concertos, patiopatios, studio-studios, radio-radios, rodeo – rodeos.
4. For some nouns ending with a consonant and o, add -es.
   Examples: hero – heroes, potato – potatoes, echo-echoes, veto – vetoes, tomato – tomatoes.
5. When a singular noun ends with a consonant and y, change the y to i and add -es.
   Examples: Library – libraries, activity – activities, story – stories, city – cities, berry – berries.
6. When a singular noun ends with a vowel (a,e,i,o,u) followed by y, just add -s.
   Examples: Valley – valleys, essay – essays, alley – alleys, survey – surveys, joy – joys.
7. To form the plural of many nouns ending in f or fe, change the f to v and add -es or s.
   Examples: Wife – wives, thief – thieves, loaf – loaves, half – halves, shelf – shelves, leaf – leaves, scarf – scarves, life – lives, calf – calves, elf – elves.
8. For some nouns ending in f, add -s to form the plural.
   Examples: proof – proofs, belief – beliefs, motif – motifs, cliff – cliffs.
9. Some nouns remain the same in the singular and the plural.
   Examples: deer – deer, sheep – sheep, series – series, species – species, moose – moose, trout – trout.
10. The plurals of some nouns are formed in special ways.
    Examples: foot – feet, child – children, mouse – mice, man – men, woman – women, ox-oxen, tooth – teeth.

NB: If you don’t figure out the correct spelling of a plural noun, look it up in a dictionary.

Exercise 6

What is the plural form of each of the following nouns? Example: scarf -scarves

1. tooth
2. cuff
3. moose
4. boss
5. wife
6. deer
7. child
8. fox
9. giraffe
10. cliff
11. echo
12. bunch
13. hero
14. auto
15. baby
16. ferry
17. radio 
18. studio
19. sky
20. flash
21. potato
22. man
23. beach
24. ship
25. belief
26. roof
27. eye
28. thief
29. rodeo
30. volcano

Exercise 7

Write the plural form of each noun in brackets to complete each sentence correctly.

Example: I bought two ________________ from the shop. (loaf) loaves

1. I used two different _______________ to cut the rope. (knife)
2. She peeled the _______________ with a knife. (potato)
3. They are feeding the noisy _____________. (goose)
4. The tools are placed on the _____________. (shelf)
5. Mukami cut a few _______________ for the salad. (tomato)
6. The ______________ are playing in the field. (child)
7. Some ______________ are hiding in the ceiling. (mouse)
8. The ______________ of the buildings must be repaired. (roof)
9. The music helped them imagine the strange ________________. (story)
10. Koech used creative ______________ to help young people sharpen their imagination. (activity)

Countable and Uncountable Nouns

Countable Nouns

• These are nouns that take plurals and can be counted.
  
  Examples:
  
  Egg – eggs One egg, three eggs , ten eggs
  Potato - Potatoes Twenty potatoes
  Onion - Onions Two hundred onions
• Such nouns are known as COUNTABLE or COUNT NOUNS

Uncountable Nouns

• These are nouns that do not take plurals and cannot be counted.
  
  Examples : salt, butter, cooking fat, milk, bread, jam
  
  We do not say:
  - Two butters*
  - Ten milks*
  - Three breads*
• Such nouns are known as UNCOUNTABLE or MASS NOUNS

Exercise

Rewrite the words below in two columns, COUNTABLE and UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS

1. Orange
2. Coffee
3. Furniture
4. tea
5. Water
6. gold
7. Chair
8. team
9. Friend
10. music

Plurals with uncountable Nouns

• One way to express plurals of uncountable nouns is by use of expressions of quantity.

Example:

- a piece of information - pieces of information
- a loaf of bread - four loaves of bread
- a tin of soup - three tins of soup
- a piece of furniture - several pieces of furniture
- a litre of milk - twenty litres of milk
- a bottle of beer - ten bottles of beer

Exercise

Supply an appropriate expression of quantity for the following uncountable nouns

1. a........................................... of cigarettes.
2. two.................................... of cooking oil
3. three.............................. of jam.
4. ten............................of butter.
5. six...........................of soda.
6. a........................... of toothpaste
7. three..........................of rice.
8. five ............................. of flour.
9. two .............................. of chocolate.
10. four.......................... of news.

Collective Nouns

• These are nouns that represent a group of people or things as a single unit.
• Some collective nouns can take plural forms
  
  Examples:
  Crowd (s)
  flock (s)
  Group (s)
  herd (s)
  Team (s)
  committee (s)
  Pair (s)
• Some collective nouns, however, cannot be used in the plural:
  
  Examples
  Furniture*
  beddings*
  Equipments*
  informations*
  Luggages*
  baggages*

Exercise

When I arrived at the airport, there were ...............1.............. (crowd ) of people blocking the entrance with their .................2..................( luggage ). 

Near the customs sections, several...............3.................(group ) of officials were standing, checking the ..................4.................. (equipment ) that was being loaded onto a trolley. Most people were standing, waiting for... .............5.................(information ) from the loundspeakers onthe departures and arrivals of aircraft.

Compound Nouns

• A compound noun is a noun that is made up of two or more words. The words that form compound nouns may be joined together, separated or hyphenated.
  
  Examples:
  - Joined: bookcase, blackboard, pushcart
  - Separated: high school, rabbit hutch, radar gun
  - Hyphenated: go-getter, mother-in-law, sergeant –at-arms
• Compound nouns are usually a combination of two or more word classes. The most common combinations are as follows;
  1. some are formed by joining a noun with another noun. Most of these compound noun take their plurals in the last words.
     
     Examples:
     Tableroom (s) grassroot (s) prizefighter(s)
     Cubboard (s) policeman/men rubber-stamp (s)
     Bookcase(s) farmhouse (s) sanitary towel (s)
     Cowshed (s) fruit machine (s) shoulder blade (s)
  2. Some are formed by joining a verb and an adverb. Most of these compound nouns also take their plurals in the last words.
     
     Examples:
     Breakfast (s) push-up (s) rundown (s)
     Takeaway (s) knockout (s) slip-up (s)
     Sit-up (s) meltdown (s)
  3. Some compound nouns are formed by joining an adjective and a noun. Most of these also take their plurals in the last words.
     
     Examples:
     Hotdog(s) polar bear(s) safe guard (s)
     Blackboard(s) quicksand
     Highway (s) remote control (s)
     Nuclear power right angle (s)
  4. Some are formed by joining a verb and a noun. Most of these also take their plurals in the last words.
     
     Examples:
     Driveway (s) playground (s) spend thrift (s)
     Breakdance pushchair (s) go-getter (s)
     Mincemeat screwdriver (s)
     Password (s) spare wheel (s)
  5. Some ore formed by joining an adverb and a noun. Most of these also take their plural in the last words
     
     Examples:
     Overdraft (s) overcoats (s) backyards (s)
     Backbencher (s) undercoat (s ) backbone (s)
     Backlog (s) underwear ( s) oversight ( s)
  6. A few compound nouns are formed by joining an adverb and a verb. These ones also take their plurals in the last words.
     
     Examples:
     Outbreak (s) Backlash ( s) Output ( s)
     Outburst (s) Outcast (s) input (s)
  7. A few others are formed by joining a noun and a verb. They also take their plurals in the last words
     
     Examples:
     Nosedive (s)
     Nightfall (s)
  8. A number of compound nouns are formed by joining two nouns by use f hyphens and a short preposition in between. These compound nouns always take their plurals in the first words.
     
     Examples:
     Commander (s) - in- chief Sergeant (s) -at-arms
     Mother(s)-in-laws sister(s)-in-law
     Play(s)-within-play

Exercise

Underline the compound nouns in the following sentences and write down their plural forms where possible.

1. John wants to be a quantity surveyor when he grows up.
2. Rainwater had washed away all the top soil.
3. The footballer was shown a red card by the referee.
4. Neither candidate won the elections, forcing a runoff.
5. The goalkeeper saved a penalty in the second half.
6. He killed the wild pig with a sledge hammer
7. Njoroge’s tape-recorder was stolen yesterday.
8. The theatregoer was disappointed with the show
9. Size 8’s latest song has caused an uproar
10. He attempted a creative writing workshop

Possessive Nouns

• A possessive noun shows who or what owns something. A possessive noun can either be singular or plural.
• A singular possessive noun shows that one person, place, or thing has or owns something. To make a singular noun show possession, add an apostrophe and s (‘s).
  
  Example: the feathers of the chick – the chick’s feathers
  the hat that belongs to the man – the man’s hat
  Other examples: the child’s toy
  Mark’s bike
  The fish’s fins
  The horse’s tail
• Using possessive nouns is shorter and better than other ways of showing possession.
  
  Example:
  
  LONGER: The dog belonging to Papa is barking.
  BETTER: Papa’s dog is barking.

Plural Possessive Nouns

• A plural possessive noun shows possession or ownership of a plural noun.
  
  Example: The cars that belong to the teachers are parked here.
  The teachers’ cars are parked here.
• When a plural noun ends in s, add only an apostrophe after the s to make the noun show possession.
• Not all plural nouns end in s. When a plural noun does not end in s, add ‘s to form the plural possession.
  
  Examples: the shoes of the men – the men’s shoes
  The food of the children – the children’s food
• The noun following a possessive noun may either be the name of a thing or a quality.
  Example: Thing – Koki’s raincoat
                            – Brian’s umbrella
  
  Quality – the judge’s fury
              – Bob’s courage

Exercise 8

Change the following phrases to show possession in a shorter way.

Example: the claws of the leopard
the leopard’s claws.

1. the tail of the lion
2. the dog that Cliff has
3. the hat of my mother
4. the book that Evans owns
5. the pot that the child has
6. the name of the doll
7. the mobile phone that Lucy owns
8. the shoes that Kimani has
9. the teeth that the fox has
10. the rabbit that my friend owns

Summary of rules of forming Possessive Nouns

1. For singular a noun, add an apostrophe and s.
   Example: Mr. Mukui’s car is a Toyota Corolla.
2. For plural a noun ending in s, add an apostrophe only.
   Example: The victim’s property was stolen
3. For a plural noun that does not end in s, add an apostrophe and s.
   Example: The women’s boots were muddy.

Singular Noun	Singular possessive	Plural Noun	Plural possessive
boy	boy's	boys	boys'
child	child's	children	children's
mouse	mouses's	mice	mice's
deer	deer's	deer	deer's

Exercise 9

Write the following phrases to show possession.

Example: teachers – pens = teachers’ pens

1. Cooks – aprons
2. Women – sports
3. Men – boots
4. Carpenters – nails
5. Countries – flags
6. Sailors – uniforms
7. Guests – coats
8. Musicians – instruments
9. Athletes – medal
10. Neighbours – pets

Exercise 10

Rewrite the following sentences changing the BOLD words to plural possessive nouns.

Example: The players on the teams practised after school.

The team’s players practised after school.

1. Each day the wealth of the couple increased.
2. There was a team of men and a team of women.
3. The uniforms that the teams wore were new.
4. Numbers were printed on the shirts of the athletes
5. Scores made by the team-mates were put on the scoreboard.
6. The players enjoyed the cheers of their friends.
7. The whistles of the coaches stopped the game.
8. The eyes of the children were full of tears of joy.
9. The soothing voices of their mothers calmed them.
10. However, the houses belonging to their neighbours were destroyed.

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Answers

Exercise 1

1. students, party
2. boys, songs
3. Excitement, air
4. Joyce Chepkemoi, prize
5. Otieno, house, street

Exercise 2

1. candle – thing 
2. guitar – thing
3. wrestler – person
4. China – place
5. joy – idea
6. hatred – idea
7. Menengai Crater – place
8. Masanduku arap Simiti – person

Exercise 3

1. musicians, drums, trumpets
2. family, village
3. Petronilla, trip
4. festival, Kenyatta University
5. people, costumes, streets
6. Boys, Scouts, sniforms, parade
7. holiday, excitement
8. Taxi, family, airport
9. Maryanne, castle, sand
10. mother, water

Exercise 4

Proper nouns          Common nouns
July                          book
England                    face
Kendu Bay                crocodiles
John Hopkins            student
Johannesburg           life
America                   business
East Africa               day
                              calendar

Exercise 5

1. Proper – Lucky Dube
   Common – singer
2. Proper – London, Paris
   Common – dancer
3. Proper – Mediterranean sea
   Common – flight
4. Proper – Second World War
   Common – nurse
5. Common – goal, students, world
6. Proper – Europe
   Common – accident
7. Proper – Bill Gates, Microsoft
8. Common – pilot, woman, ocean
9. Common – kettle, water
10. Proper – Professor Wangari Maathai, Nobel Peace Prize

Exercise 6

1. tooth – teeth
2. cuffs
3. moose
4. bosses
5. wives
6. deer
7. children
8. foxes
9. giraffes
10. cliff
11. echoes
12. bunches
13. heroes
14. autos
15. babies
16. ferries
17. radios
18. studios 
19. skies
20. flashes
21. potatoes
22. men
23. beaches
24. ships
25. beliefs
26. roofs
27. eyes
28. thieves
29. rodeos
30. volcanoes/volcanos

Exercise 7

1. knives
2. potatoes
3. geese
4. shelves
5. tomatoes
6. children
7. mice
8. roofs
9. stories
10. activities

Exercise 8

1. the lion’s tail
2. Cliff’s dog
3. my mother’s hat
4. Evan’s book
5. the child’s pet
6. the doll’s name
7. Lucy’s mobile phone
8. Kimani’s shoes
9. the fox’s teeth
10. my friend’s rabbit

Exercise 9

1. cook’s aprons
2. women’s sports
3. men’s boots
4. carpenter’s nails
5. countries’ flags
6. sailors’ uniforms
7. guests’ coats
8. musicians’ instruments
9. athlete’s medals
10. neighbours’ pets

Exercise 10

1. The couple’s wealth
2. a men’s team, a women’s team
3. The teams’ uniforms
4. the athletes’ shirts
5. The team-mates’ scores
6. their friends’ cheers
7. The coaches’ whistles
8. The children’s eyes
9. Their mothers’ soothing voices
10. their neighbours’ house

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