Nouns 43n2x

NOUNS

A noun is a word for a person, animal, place, thing or quality.  2 main classes of nouns – proper nouns and common nouns.  Proper nouns – refer to particular persons, places, titles, brand names etc.  Examples: Aiman, Dr Peter, Parkson Grand, England, Kota Kinabalu, Titanic, Toyota.  Common nouns – refer to any class or group of persons, places or things.  Examples: girl, children, colleagues, city, college, table, cars 

Count nouns ( countable nouns) - Things which can be counted  Have two forms:  Singular – used to refer to one  Plural – used to refer to more than one  Count nouns can be used with numbers.  Singular count nouns cannot be used alone, always take a determiner such as ‘a’, ‘another’, ‘every’, or ‘the’.  He’s eating another apple.  I parked the car over there.  I am a teacher. 

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Plural count nouns can be used with or without determiner. Without – refer to things or people in general Does the hotel have large rooms? The film is not suitable for children. With – refer precisely to particular things or people Those cars are very expensive. The cakes are delicious.

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Uncount nouns (Uncountable) Things which cannot be counted: substances: coal, food, ice, iron, steel, water human qualities: courage, cruelty, honesty, patience Feelings: anger, happiness, joy, pride, relief, respect Activities: aid, help, sleep, travel, work Abstract ideas: beauty, death, freedom, fun, life, luck Uncount nouns only have one form. They do not have a plural form.

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Some uncount nouns end in ‘s’ and therefore look like plural nouns. Subject of study: mathematics, physics Activities: athletics, gymnastics Games: cards, darts Illnesses: measles, mumps Uncount nouns are not used with ‘a’ Uncount nouns are not used with numbers. However, you can often refer to a quantity of something which is expressed by an uncount noun by using a general determiner such as ‘some’, ‘ little’, ‘all’. You can also use a quantifier. For example ‘two loaves of bread’, ‘a glass of water’.

Collective nouns refer to a group of people or things.  They have only one form, but many collective nouns have other meanings in which they are count nouns with two forms.  When you use a collective noun, you can use either a singular verb or a plural verb after it.  Singular verb if you think of the group as a single unit  Plural verb if you think of the group as a number of individuals. - My family isn’t poor anymore. - My family are perfectly normal. 

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Mass nouns usually refer to substances which normally can’t be divided. Examples: sugar, water, fuel These nouns are usually used in the singular form. However, when they are used with determiners to show quantity and measurement, they become countables. a glass of water two kilogrammes of flour

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References Tan, P. L, Marilyn, D & Vijaya, P.N (2002). English for college students 1. Selangor: Pearson Malaysia Sdn Bhd. (1995). Collins Cobuild Student’s Grammar. London: HarperCollins Publishers (2007). Collins Cobuild English Grammar. Glasgow: HarperCollins Publishers