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In writing, nouns are a part of speech used to name a person, place, or thing. In this guide, learn what nouns are, the different types of nouns, and how to use them properly in writing so you can communicate clearly with your audience.
Then, review your content with the Originality.ai Grammar Checker, to catch any grammar, punctuation, or spelling errors.
Just as things in the world can be divided into many categories or varieties, so can the nouns that represent them.
The noun’s job remains the same: to name a person, place, or thing. However, there are different types of nouns for different purposes.
Let’s take a closer look at the different types of nouns:
Concrete nouns name something in the physical world that can be recognized by any of the five senses. Here are some examples of concrete nouns naming things that can be:
Abstract nouns name things that don’t exist physically and can’t be recognized by the senses.
Examples:
Common nouns are used to name persons, places, or things that are general or unspecific.
They are always lowercase unless they appear at the start of a sentence or are part of a title. Common nouns can be plural or singular as long as they are generic and not specific.
Examples:
Proper nouns are used to name specific persons, places, or things. They are always capitalized. They can be plural or singular but they are always specific and never generic.
Examples:
Singular nouns are nouns that describe one person, place, or thing (they are individual, not multiple). Singular nouns can be proper or common. The important part is they refer to just one of something.
Examples:
Plural nouns refer to more than one of something. They can be common or proper.
Examples:
Many plural nouns are formed very simply by adding an ‘s’ to the end of the singular noun.
Examples:
Nouns ending in -s, -sh, -ch, -x, or -z are made plural by adding an ‘es’ to the end.
Examples:
Other endings may be required for a plural noun depending on the ending of the singular noun. These are still considered regular plural nouns.
Examples:
Irregular plural nouns don’t follow the same rules to become plural. It’s not as simple as adding -s, -es, -ies or something similar. Irregular plurals are less predictable.
Examples:
Since there aren’t easy patterns to irregulars, writers need to memorize these plural noun forms or consult a dictionary.
Collective nouns refer to a group or collection that forms a unit or performs as one. Collective nouns may be singular or plural.
Examples:
Nouns can have a possessive form which indicates ownership, possession, measurement or description. Possessive nouns may be plural or singular, common or proper.
Examples:
Compound nouns are two nouns appearing together and functioning as one. Compound nouns might be hyphenated, written with a space between them, or written as one word. They can be singular or plural.
Examples:
Countable nouns, or count nouns, refer to things that can be counted (essentially things that you could assign a number to). They can be singular (e.g. one item) or plural (e.g. multiple items). These nouns are more easily explained through example.
Examples:
Uncountable nouns, also called mass nouns, are not countable and have no plural forms. They might express physical or nonphysical things, but most importantly, they aren’t used with numbers.
Examples:
You don’t have one or two of these things. They aren’t things we count.
A gerund is a noun that looks like a verb ending in -ing but is being used as a noun. Gerunds are often activities people do.
Examples:
The many types of nouns play several roles in writing. Nouns can serve as:
People, places, and things appear everywhere physically and nonphysically, nouns appear very frequently in the English language and in writing.
Taking time to learn the different types of nouns, can help you identify this common part of sentences and communicate with your audience clearly.
Not sure if you’ve incorporated nouns into your writing properly? Review your copy for proper grammar and spelling with the Originality.ai Grammar Checker.
Then, read more grammar tips and best practices in our top guides:
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