Nouns

What is a Noun?

A noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. Nouns are one of the most fundamental building blocks of any sentence.

Types of Nouns

Common nouns name general things: city, dog, book.

Proper nouns name specific people, places, or things and are always capitalised: London, Shakespeare, Monday.

Abstract nouns name ideas, feelings, or qualities that you cannot physically touch: freedom, happiness, courage.

Collective nouns name a group of things as a single unit: a flock of birds, a jury of twelve, a team of players.

Plural Nouns

Most nouns form their plural by adding -s or -es: dog → dogs, box → boxes.

Irregular plurals change in different ways:

• child → children
• mouse → mice
• tooth → teeth
• person → people

Possessive Nouns

To show ownership, add 's after the noun: the dog*'s** bowl*, James*'s** book*.

For plural nouns ending in -s, add just an apostrophe: the students*'** locker room*.