Nouns are names. In this world everything has a name to distinguish one from another,that naming word is called NOUN.
Every particular name, used to define something, is a noun.
A NOUN is the name of a person, animal, place or thing.
Nouns are divided into two groups ABSTRACT NOUNS and CONCRETE NOUNS.
ABSTRACT NOUNS
Abstract nouns are the names of things which exist as ideas.
ABSTRACT NOUNS are the names of things, which have no physical existence, they are the names of ideas or qualities, which one can feel, but cannot physically sense them. One cannot see, hear, touch, smell or taste the names of abstract nouns.
Example
Happiness, dream, thirst, childhood, sleep
We all know what they are. We can explain them as we experience them. But cannot show how they appear, as they have no physical existence.
Some more examples of abstract nouns
Amusement, awe, anger, belief, bravery, calm, charity, childhood, comfort, compassion, ego ,failure, faith, feelings, friendship, happiness, hate, honesty, hope, idea, impression, infatuation, joy , law, liberty, love, loyalty, maturity, memory, omen, peace, pride, principle, power, romance, sadness, sensitivity, skill, sleep, success, sympathy, talent, thrill, truth, wit.
CONCRETE NOUNS
Concrete nouns are the opposite of abstract nouns.
Concrete nouns are the names of things, which have physical existence; they can be sensed by our physical senses. That is, one can see, hear, smell, taste, or touch them. That is why concrete nouns are called ” sense ” nouns.
Example
The names of persons, animals, plants and things which have physical existence, comes under concrete nouns, as they can be sensed by the senses.
CONCRETE NOUNS are the names of things which have physical existence. One can experience them, through five senses.
CONCRETE NOUNS are further divided into four types.
1. PROPER NOUN
2. COMMON NOUN
3. COLLECTIVE NOUN and
4. MATERIAL NOUN
PROPER NOUN
PROPER NOUN is a specific name, given to a particular, person, place, or thing to make them special.
A proper noun provides special identity, and separates one from others.
Every individual gets a special name, like, Rama, Harry, Victor, Barbara, at the beginning of their life, and carries the name throughout their life time.
In the same way, places and things also have their special names, to differentiate them from other identical things, like, Red sea, Mount Everest, Sahara desert, Idea mobile, sports car, quartz watch etc.
That special name, which provides an identity is called a Proper noun.
COMMON NOUN
Common nouns are the names of, common category of people, places, animals or things.
Common nouns are not specific, they are general nouns, used for every one/every thing of a particular kind or type.
Example – Father, Mother, Child, teacher, friend, driver, country, village, street, tree, fruit, computer, bike, house, school etc.
To be more clear, a COMMON NOUN is a name given commonly to every person, place, thing or animal of the same class.
Anyone who is learning is called a STUDENT.
Any place, where teaching takes place, is called a SCHOOL.
Anything, which is eatable, is called FOOD.
Any animal, that can fly , is called a BIRD.
It will be clearer, if we learn the examples of proper and common nouns together.
Proper noun is a specific name given to a person, pet – animal, place or thing.
Common noun is a common name given to a person, animal, place or thing, belonging to the same group.
Names of Person
Mostly, every person’s name has two parts.
Personal name/Birth name/given name/first name
Family name/Surname/last name
Example
Sara Smith,
Vanitha Sharma,
Rita Khanna
Here Sara, Vanitha, Rita are called personal names or first names.
All, personal names/first names are proper nouns.
Smith, Sharma, Khanna are called family names or last names.
All, family names/last names are common nouns.
Names of animals
As it is, animals have no special names.
The names of all animals come under common nouns.
Lion is the name for any lion.
Elephant is the name for any elephant.
Bird is the name for any bird.
Fish is the name for any fish.
But, when people give names to their pet animals, those pet names comes under proper nouns.
Example
‘It is my cat, called Silky.’
‘My friend has a dog called Thunder.’
‘It is Wind, my horse.’
Here Silky, Thunder, Wind, are proper nouns.
Names of places
Names of allplaces, comes under common nouns.
Continent, Shop, College, Hospital – they all are common nouns, but proper names are given to them, to make them specific.
Names of all public or private establishments – Microsoft, Red Cross
Names of divine places – Balaji Temple, St Ann’s church
Educational institutions – Spring School, Stamford College,
Commercial places – Star jewel Shop, Popular Market, Asoka Hotel, Drop in Restaurant,
Health care centers – Apollo Hospital, Slim and Fit clinic,
Amusement spots – Broadway Theater, Hopper art gallery
Names of cities and countries – Paris – London – New York – England – America
Names of Geographical places -Mount Everest, Antarctic Desert,
Red Sea
Celestial Names (stars, planets, satellites)- Alpha Centauri,
Sun, Moon
Names of Monuments, buildings – The TajMahal – The Eiffel Tower
Names of Things
Names of all common things, comes under common nouns.
When names are given to things, they become proper nouns, the names are called Brand names.
Pepsi, Blackberry, Samsung, Maggie, Audi
Some more examples of Common nouns and Proper nouns
Months, days of the week, holidays – December, Wednesday, Christmas, Holi
Books, Newspapers, Magazines – Star wars, The Indian Express, Readers Digest
Religions, deities, scriptures – Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, Krishna, Christ, Allah, The Gita, The Bible – The Koran
Awards – the Nobel Peace Prize, Grammy Awards, Oscar
Family
Husband, wife, spouse;
Father, mother, parents;
Son, daughter, child, children;
Brother, sister, siblings, twins;
Grandfather, grandmother, grandparents;
Grandson, granddaughter, grandchild, grandchildren;
Great-grandfather, great-grandmother, great-grandchild;
Stepfather, stepmother, stepbrother, stepsister;
Half-brother, half-sister;
Adopted son, adopted daughter, adopted child;
Foster family, foster father, foster mother, foster parents,
Foster son, foster daughter, foster child;
Relatives
Uncle, aunt; nephew, niece;
Cousin, first cousin, second cousin;
Close relatives, distant relatives;
My family, my relatives, my folks, my kin;
Ancestor, Fore father
Relatives by marriage
In-laws, father-in-law, mother-in-law,
Son-in-law, sons-in-law, daughter-in-law, daughters-in-law;
Brother-in-law, brothers-in-law, sister-in-law, sisters-in-law;
Examples of Places – continents, countries, states, cities, villages, colonies, streets, houses, buildings, offices, schools, colleges, institutes, Malls, markets, shops, art galleries, exhibitions, hills, mountains, valleys, forests, deserts, seas, rivers, waterfalls, lakes etc.
Examples of Things – vehicles, electrical goods, appliances, furniture, food items, etc.
COLLECTIVE NOUNS
Collective nouns generally mean ‘group’. A collective noun is a single word given to a group of specific people, place animal or things.
Collective nouns are the names given to a collection of persons, animals or things, taken together, and spoken of as one whole.
Example –
A group of relatives – FAMILY.
A group of cricket players – TEAM.
A group of shops – MALL
A group of houses – APARTMENT
A group of fish – CATCH.
A group of flowers – BOUQUET.
Collective nouns are endless and the below given example are just a list of those used more often.
The following collective nouns are used for people.
- A class of students.
- An army of soldiers.
- A choir of singers.
- A crew of sailors.
- A band of musicians.
- A bunch of crooks.
- A crowd of people/spectators.
- A gang of thieves.
- A group of dancers.
- A team of players.
- A troupe of artists/dancers.
- A pack of thieves.
- A staff of employees.
- A regiment of soldiers.
- A tribe of natives.
- An audience of listeners.
- A panel of experts.
- A gang of laborers.
- A flock of tourists.
- A board of directors.
The following collective nouns are used for animals.
- A catch of fish.
- An army of ants.
- A flight of birds.
- A flock of birds.
- A haul of fish.
- A flock of sheep.
- A herd of deer/cattle/elephants/goats/buffaloes.
- A hive of bees.
- A litter of cubs.
- A host of sparrows.
- A team of horses.
- A troop of lions.
- A zoo of wild animals.
- A pack of wolves.
- A litter of puppies/kittens.
- A swarm of bees/ants/rats/flies.
- A team of horses/ducks/oxen.
- A murder of crows.
- A kennel of dogs.
- A pack of hounds.
The following collective nouns are used for things.
- A group of islands.
- A galaxy of stars.
- A wad of notes.
- A forest of trees.
- A stack of wood.
- A fleet of ships.
- A string of pearls.
- An album of stamps/autographs/photographs.
- A hedge of bushes.
- A library of books.
- A basket of fruit.
- A bowl of rice.
- A pack of cards.
- A pair of shoes.
- A bouquet of flowers.
- A bunch of keys.
- A chest of drawers.
- A pack of lies.
- A range of mountains.
- A cloud of dust.
MATERIAL NOUNS
Materials nouns are the names of raw elements or objects existing in nature. They cannot be created by man, but many things, are created by using these materials.
Some examples for material nouns are given below
A MATERIAL NOUN is the name of a material, with no separate parts, and many separate things are made from it.
We get these materials mainly from three sources – nature, animal and plants.
Some examples of material nouns
Material nouns from nature
Air
Gold
Silver
Iron
Copper
Coal
Water
sand
Rock
Salt
Material nouns from animals
Honey
Meat
Milk
Silk
Wool
Leather
Material nouns from plants
Food
Wood
Jute
Oil
Coffee
Tea
Medicine
Cotton
Rubber
Perfume
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