NOUN

Nouns are everywhere in our writing. But what are all the types of nouns you come across, and how
do you use them?

A noun is a word that names something, such as a person, place, thing, or idea. In a sentence, nouns
can play the role of subject, direct object, indirect object, subject complement, object complement,
appositive, or modifier.

Some noun examples include:

cat

bicycle

Taylor Swift

Kuala Lumpur

Types of Nouns

There are multiple ways to use nouns in language, and these different types of nouns fall into specific
categories. In general, ten distinct types of nouns are used in specific situations. The eight most
accepted types of nouns are listed in the following table. The chart includes a brief definition and
examples for each type of noun.

Type of Noun Definition EXAMPLES

Singular noun One person, place, or thing ex.couch

Plural noun Multiple people, places, or things ex. shoes

Common noun A general object or idea ex. baby

Proper noun A specific person, place, or thing ex. India

Compound nouns Two or more words combine to function as a noun. Often, they are proper, but
not always. Ex. Pacific Ocean
Concrete noun A noun that can be perceived through the five senses ex. hair

Abstract noun A noun that cannot be perceived through the five senses ex. sadness

Collective noun A specific group of people, places, or things ex. bouquet

Singular vs. Plural Nouns

In the English language, there are singular nouns and plural nouns. Although what a noun is does not
change whether it is singular or plural, there are nonetheless distinctive use cases for each variation,
depending on how many objects one is attempting to reference. Below are examples of each type of
noun.

Singular nouns: A singular noun is a noun that is used when someone is referring to only one thing.
Generally, there are no special rules required for using singular nouns; they differ from plural nouns
only in that they refer to just one person, place, or thing. Examples of singular nouns include "table,"
"woman," "frame," "car," "street," and "dress."

Plural nouns: Plural nouns are used when referring to more than one person, place, or thing. In
contrast to singular nouns, there are some specific rules for the use of plural nouns. Generally, plural
nouns can be created by adding the letter "s" to the end of a singular noun. Examples of regular plural
nouns include "fingers," "plants," or "coasters." However, there are exceptions where the core of the
word changes. Examples of irregular plural nouns are "mice," "teeth," or "leaves.

What is a direct object?

A direct object is a noun that receives the action of the verb. Don’t get the direct object confused with
the subject—the noun that performs the actions—or the verb itself.

Direct objects- usually answer the questions “what?” or “whom?” Let’s take another look at the direct
object example above.

The students eat cake.

Ask yourself, “What did the students eat?” The answer is the direct object, which in this case is
“cake.” Let’s try a new direct object example:

What is an indirect object?

Indirect objects- are easier to understand if you know what direct objects are. A direct object is the
noun that receives the action of the verb. The indirect object, however, is the noun that receives the
direct object itself.

Embiid passed Simmons the ball.

In this sentence, passed is the verb and Embiid is the subject because he’s the one doing the passing.
The direct object is the ball because it is the thing being passed. Simmons is the indirect object
because he receives the ball, the direct object.

Indirect objects- can only be used in sentences with direct objects. However, a sentence can have a
direct object without an indirect object (an example of this is simply saying Embiid passed the ball).

Catherine Traffis

· Punctuation and Capitalization

An appositive noun or noun phrase follows another noun or noun phrase in apposition to it; that is, it
provides information that further identifies or defines it. Such “bonus facts” are framed by commas
unless the appositive is restrictive (i.e., provides essential information about the noun)

Example:The Eiffel Tower, Gustave Eiffel’s masterpiece, can be found on the Champs de Mars

MODIFIERS- as their name implies, are words that modify. Specifically, they’re words that modify their
sentences’ meanings. How do you specify what somebody looks like? With modifiers. How do you
describe how an action is being performed? With a modifier. How do you communicate where, when,
or how something happened? You guessed it—with modifiers.

Examples: I rode the train.

I rode the earliest train into the city.

 Transitive verbs- are verbs that take an object, which means they include the receiver of the action in
the sentence. In the example sentence “she gives a gift,” the verb gives is transitive and a gift is the
direct object because it receives the action (a gift is what is being given).

Even though they’re a common part of most languages, people often ask, What are transitive verbs?
In this guide, we explain what you need to know about transitive verbs, including how to use them,
and give you plenty of transitive verb examples.

Example:We need a bigger boat.

Here, the transitive verb need takes the direct object a bigger boat. The phrase a bigger boat answers
the question “What is needed?” or “What do we need?” (Technically, the direct object is the noun
boat, but the article a and the adjective bigger describe boat, so all three words work together as a
unified noun phrase, or a noun and all its modifiers.)

What is a collective noun?

A collective noun is a common noun that names a group of people, creatures, or objects:

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Collective Nouns: How Groups Are Named in English

Common collective nouns for people

army

audience

band

board

cast

choir

class
club

coalition

committee

community

company

congregation

corporation

council

crew

crowd

family

firm

gang

group

plural noun- is a noun that refers to more than one person, place, thing, or idea. Most singular nouns
are made plural by adding a suffix, usually –s or –es. For example, the singular noun dog takes the
plural form dogs, as in three dogs. However, there are irregular plural nouns that take unique forms.