Nouns Definition Person place thing or idea Examples

Nouns Definition: Person, place, thing, or idea.

Examples People: Justin Bieber, doctor, singer, Tarzan, Spongebob Squarepants Places: Venice, city, Macomb County, Partridge Creek Mall Things: Nostril, tuba, uvula, dentures, monkey Ideas or qualities: Peace, love, honor, anger

Common vs. Proper Nouns are usually divided into two main classes: common and proper. A common noun is just a general person, place, or thing; but a proper noun refers to a particular person, place, or thing. Unlike common nouns, proper nouns are capitalized. Common noun Proper noun frog Kermit team Red Wings city Detroit artist Van Gogh singer (or so she thinks) ape Rebecca Black King Kong

You try… Common (general, not capitalized) Proper (specific, capitalized)

Concrete vs. Abstract A concrete noun names an object that can be seen, heard, smelled, touched, or tasted. An abstract noun names an idea, quality, or state. Concrete noun book, bell, flower, sand, apple Abstract noun independence, curiosity, pride, uncertainty, sadness

Your turn… Name four concrete nouns: ? ? Name four abstract nouns: ? ?

Singular vs. Plural The word “singular”, of course, means only one, and “plural” means more than one. It’s pretty simple to form the plural of most nouns; you just add an “s” or “es”. However, the English language is full of oddballs, and many nouns don’t follow this simple rule. Here are some rules to help you spell the plural of those ornery nouns that don’t fit the mold…

Rules #1 and 2 The plural of a noun ending in “y” preceded by a consonant is formed by changing the “y” to “i” and adding “es”. ▪ baby – babies ▪ buggy – buggies The plural of a noun ending in “y” preceded by a vowel is formed by adding “s”. ▪ guy – guys ▪ ray- rays

Rules #3 and 4 The plurals of some nouns ending in “f” or “fe” are formed by changing the “f” to “v” and adding “s” or “es”. ▪ leaf – leaves ▪ calf – calves ▪ wife – wives The plural of a noun ending in “o” preceded by a vowel is formed by adding “s”. ▪ radio – radios ▪ rodeo – rodeos

Rule #5 The plural of a noun ending in “o” preceded by a consonant is formed by adding “es”. ▪ hero – heroes ▪ tomato – tomatoes Note: This rule has a weird exception, though. In many cases, if it is “music related”, you form the plural by adding an “s”. ▪ solo – solos ▪ piano – pianos

Rule #6 Some nouns are the same in the singular and plural: ▪ ▪ ▪ deer moose Japanese fish trout sheep

Rules #7 and 8 If a compound noun is written as one word, add “s” or “es” to form the plural. ▪ footballs ▪ spoonfuls Occasionally a noun is just plain strange; its plural is formed in an irregular way. ▪ ox – oxen ▪ foot – feet ▪ louse – lice

Final Rule Add an apostrophe “s” (‘s) to form the plural of capital letters, numbers, and symbols. It’s also acceptable in these cases to just add “s” (without the apostrophe) if doing so presents no confusion. ▪ ▪ Zzuzzuzzanna’s last name has seven Z’s in it. Dana thinks her name has too many a’s in it. My zip code has five 9’s in it. My mom was young during the 1960 s.