All About Nouns

A noun is the part of speech that is used to name an abstract idea, an animal, a person, a place, or a thing. Nouns are normally the first words an infant learns, understands, and uses. There are lot of different types of nouns, along with varied uses.

These following sentences include words in bold, which are all different types of nouns:

Ella Fitzgerald is one of the most popular jazz singers in history.

Avant-garde is a celebrated type of art.

Computer graduates have good jobs awaiting them.

The onset of summer brought cheer to many.

Was Nietzche an existentialist?

As I'm sure you noticed, nouns vary based on the type and usage. Nouns may be employed in sentences as a subject, a subject complement, an indirect object, a direct object, an object complement, an adjective, an adverb, or an appositive. This paper shows some of these uses and noun types.

Plural Nouns

Many nouns are altered from the singular form into the plural form to connote a number of two or more with the addition of "s" or "es." Other nouns of the singular form can be changed into the plural form by changing the last letter of the word prior to affixing "s." There are varied rules for different words. Some words that end in the letter F can be transformed into the plural form by removing the "f" and adding "ves". Words that end in "y" become plural by getting rid of of the "y" and adding "ies."

Examples:

Half (singular) - halves (plural)
Rash (singular) - rashes (plural)
Story (singular) - stories (plural)
Fruit (singular) - fruits (plural)

Some nouns use irregular rules to form the plural. A speaker or writer who is well-versed in the English language will have a solid grasp of what these nouns are. Seek out a reliable reference, such as language sites on the Internet or a reputable dictionary.

Examples:

Criterion (singular) - criteria (plural)
Cactus (singular) - cacti (plural)

Gender in Nouns

Almost all common nouns, such as "helper" or "student", may be used for both men and women. In the recent past, gender would alter the form of lots of nouns, with the addition of "ess," among other suffixes, to the male form of the noun. Because of the understanding of gender equality, it is very unusual for gender-specific nouns to be used these days. However, some nouns consisting of male and female forms still continue today, particularly in categories that pertain to occupations.

Apart from the uses and types talked about above, there are other types of nouns with different purposes. If English is not your first language, it is helpful to familiarize yourself with well-written English literature in order to become more confident in your use of nouns and other parts of speech.

By: Julie Thomas

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Julie Thomas is from EnglishGrammarSoft.com, an online English grammar resource specialising in English correction software.