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Kinds of nouns
The word noun comes from Latin word ‘nomen’ which means
name. Noun names a person, a place, a thing, or an idea.
Compound nouns
Two or more words used as a single noun are called a compound
noun. A compound noun is written either as one word, as separate
words, or as hyphenated words. For example: single word:
newspaper, grandfather, separate words: New Year’s Day, truck
driver, hyphenated words: make-up, son –in-law
Practice
Which nouns are concrete? Which are abstract?
1. Some early inventors had little education
2. These pioneers worked alone on their dreams.
3. Modern businesses hire people with creative abilities.
4. These designers develop new products: such as safer toys.
5. Scientists work with engineers on amazing gadgets.
Which nouns are common? Which are proper?
This famous inventor was born in Germany.
The man changed production of books forever.
Before Gutenberg, pages were slowly copied by hand.
Then this designer invented a new type of printing press.
Due to his works, many manuscripts could be printed at the same
time for readers throughout Europe and the world.
Not even the navy has been able to break that record.
For almost two decades, the ship met the challenges of white-caps,
violent storms, fog, and icebergs.
The liner was then sold and restored in West Germany.
Nouns are divided as countable and uncountable.
Countable nouns have two forms; singular plural
Uncountable nouns can have two subgroups: only singular, only
plural
Forming plurals
Plurals are regularly formed by adding s to the singular form.
Yield –yields alibi –alibis
Freebie –freebies bayou –bayous
Nouns ending in s, x, ch, sh, or z
When the singular form ends in s, x, ch, sh, or z the plural is
formed by adding es to the singular. Virus-viruses,
quartz-quartzes.
But quiz-quizzes.
Singular nouns ending in silent s do not change their forms in the
plural. One corps –two corps, a rendevous- many rendevous /when
the plural form is used the s ending is pronounced.
Nouns ending in f, fe or ff
a. most form their plurals by adding ‘s’: beliefs, safes, tariffs,
proofs
b. some change to ‘ve’ half-halves, life-lives
c. some have 2 forms /the preferred form is given first/: scarf
scarves, scarfs, dwarf, dwarfs, dwarves
Nouns with irregular plurals
Some nouns are formed by a change of letters within: woman-
women, foot-feet
A few plurals end in ‘en’, ’ren’ children, oxen,
Some nouns have the same form sheep-sheep, deer-deer, swine-
swine, fish-fish
/fishes for different types of fish.
Ichthyology is that branch of zoology which treats of the internal
and external structure of fishes
Means, aircraft
A good means-these means
One aircraft-many aircraft
/house /s/ -houses/z/, bath/ baths
Foreign words.
Latin . basis bases
Datum data crisis-crises
Erratum- errata analysis-analyses
Memorandum-*memoranda phenomenon-phenomena
Bacillus-bacilli miasma miasmata
Nucleus –nuclei
Terminus-termini
Formula-formulae
Series series
Species species