What is a noun?

A noun is a word that names persons, places, animals, things, or ideas.

• Ricky and his dog are playing football in the garden.

Types of Nouns

Nouns can be classified into various types based on their characteristics and usage. Here are some common types of nouns: 

1. Proper Nouns

A proper noun is the special name given to persons, places, pet animals, institutions, brands, and things. 

Read the following example sentences:

• Shakespeare was a great poet. 
• He lived in England.

REMEMBER!

A proper noun always begins with a capital letter even if it is in the middle of the sentence. 

• Wrong: 'Man and Superman' was written by george bernard shaw. 
  
• Right: 'Man and Superman' was written by George Bernard Shaw.
  

2. Common Nouns

A common noun is a generic name or general name of a person, place, animal, thing or idea. It is a name which is shared by many people, animals, places, things, or ideas. Here are some examples:

• Donald a a student. 
  
• Japan is a rich country.

REMEMBER!

A common noun begins with a small letter unless it is at the beginning of a sentence.

• Wrong: Bob is a Teacher.
  
• Right: Bob is a teacher. 

3. Collective Nouns

A common noun that indicates a group or collection of people or things is a collective noun.  The shaded words in the following sentences are collective nouns.

• Our team has won the interschool football tournament. (team= a group of eleven players)
  
• Our school library has one thousand books. (library= a collection of books)

4. Nouns of Multitude

When a collective noun takes plural verb, it is called noun of multitude. This happens when when the members of the group are divided in their opinion.

• The class is sitting in the class. (Collective noun)
  
• The class are playing in the field and reading in the library. (Noun of multitude)

5. Material Nouns

A material noun is a type of noun that refers to a substance or material from which things are made.  

Material nouns are names of things we cannot count. It is measured by weight only. Material nouns include:

• The metals: iron, gold, platinum, etc.
  
• Products spoken of in bulk: tea, sugar, rice, wheat, etc.
• Geological bodies: mud, sand, granite, rock, stone, etc.
• Natural phenomena: rain, dew, cloud, frost, mist, etc.
• Various manufactures: cloth, potash, soap, rubber, paint, celluloid, etc.

6. Concrete Nouns

Concrete nouns are the names of things which have physical existence and which we can detect by our five sense organs. They are opposite of abstract nouns.

• Wisdom brings money. 
  
• Happiness brings smile. 

7. Abstract Nouns

Abstract nouns are names of things that have no physical existence and which cannot be detected by our five sense organs (eye, ear, tongue, nose, and skin)

• Wisdom brings money. 
  
• Happiness brings smile. 

8. Countable Nouns

Nouns are either countable or uncountable. A countable noun is the names of things that we can count. Most nouns in English are countable. Countable nouns are either Singular or Plural.

• Singular Countable nouns: boy, woman, egg, etc.
  
• Plural Countable Nouns: boys, women, eggs, etc.

9. Uncountable Nouns

An  uncountable noun is the name of things we cannot count. An uncountable noun does not have any plural form because we cannot count the thing that indicates an uncountable noun. 

• The metals: iron, gold, platinum, etc.
  
• Products spoken of in bulk: tea, sugar, rice, wheat, etc.
• Geological bodies: mud, sand, granite, rock, stone, etc.
• Natural phenomena: rain, dew, cloud, frost, mist, etc.
•  Various manufactures: cloth, potash, soap, rubber, paint, celluloid, etc.
• Abstract names: happiness, honesty, courage, love, etc.

10. Compound Nouns

A compound noun is a naming word which is made up of two or more nouns.

Some examples of compound nouns are:

• She is in the swimming pool.
  
• I like football. 
• They are playing table tennis. 

11. Possessive Nouns

A possessive noun is a noun that ends with an apostrophe s ('s) or just an apostrophe ('). Possessive nouns indicate possession. Look at the following examples: 

• Bob's home is small. Mike's is big.
  
• Sara reads in Kate's room. Sara's is noisy.

12. Occupation Nouns

A noun which indicates the occupation related to a verb is an occupation noun. We add "-er" or "-or" to a verb to form a noun. These types of nouns are called occupation nouns because they indicate the occupations related to the verbs. Here are some examples of occupation nouns: 

• Britney is a singer. She sings pop songs.
  
• John is a baker. He bakes cakes.

Worksheets

Nouns Worksheet 1

Instructions: Read each sentence carefully. Identify the type of noun being used and write your answer in the space provided.

Example:

• Sentence: The mountain stood tall in the distance.
  
• Type of Noun: Common Noun
  

Questions:

1. The sun is shining brightly today.

• [Type of Noun: ______________________]

2. My sister adopted a cute little puppy from the shelter.

• [Type of Noun: ______________________]

3. The Eiffel Tower is a famous landmark in Paris.

• [Type of Noun: ______________________]

4. The team celebrated their victory with a huge party.

• [Type of Noun: ______________________]

5. The storybook was filled with magical creatures like fairies and dragons.

• [Type of Noun: ______________________]

6. My grandmother always tells us fascinating stories from her childhood.

• [Type of Noun: ______________________]

7. The President of the country gave a speech on national television.

• [Type of Noun: ______________________]

8. We visited the local museum to learn about ancient civilizations.

• [Type of Noun: ______________________]

9. Honesty and integrity are important values to uphold.

• [Type of Noun: ______________________]

10. The actor's performance in the play received a standing ovation from the audience.

• [Type of Noun: ______________________]

Noun Worksheet 2

Identifying Nouns and Their Types Worksheet

Instructions: In each sentence, identify the noun and its type. Write your answers in the space provided.

Example:

Sentence: The cat chased the bird.

• [Noun: cat (Common Noun), bird (Common Noun)] 

Questions:

1. The sun provides warmth and light during the day. 

• Noun: ____________________ Type: ____________________
• Noun: ____________________ Type: ____________________
• Noun: ____________________ Type: ____________________
• Noun: ____________________ Type: ____________________

2. My friend bought a new laptop for college. 

• Noun: ____________________ Type: ____________________
• Noun: ____________________ Type: ____________________
• Noun: ____________________ Type: ____________________

3. Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world. 

• Noun: ____________________ Type: ____________________
• Noun: ____________________ Type: ____________________
• Noun: ____________________ Type: ____________________

4. The teacher praised the students for their hard work. 

• Noun: ____________________ Type: ____________________
• Noun: ____________________ Type: ____________________
• Noun: ____________________ Type: ____________________

5. The ocean is home to a variety of marine animals. 

• Noun: ____________________ Type: ____________________
• Noun: ____________________ Type: ____________________
• Noun: ____________________ Type: ____________________

6. The company announced a new product that will launch next month. 

• Noun: ____________________ Type: ____________________
• Noun: ____________________ Type: ____________________
• Noun: ____________________ Type: ____________________

7. Happiness is a key for a peaceful life. 

• Noun: ____________________ Type: ____________________
• Noun: ____________________ Type: ____________________
• Noun: ____________________ Type: ____________________

8. The detective carefully examined the mysterious note left at the crime scene. 

• Noun: ____________________ Type: ____________________
• Noun: ____________________ Type: ____________________
• Noun: ____________________ Type: ____________________

9. We enjoyed a delicious dinner at the local restaurant. 

• Noun: ____________________ Type: ____________________
• Noun: ____________________ Type: ____________________

10. The president addressed the nation in a televised speech. 

• Noun: ____________________ Type: ____________________
• Noun: ____________________ Type: ____________________
• Noun: ____________________ Type: ____________________

Answers: Worksheet 1

1. Type of Noun: Common Noun
   
2. Type of Noun: Common Noun
   
3. Type of Noun: Proper Noun
   
4. Type of Noun: Common Noun
   
5. Type of Noun: Common Noun
   
6. Type of Noun: Common Noun
   
7. Type of Noun: Common Noun
   
8. Type of Noun: Common Noun
   

Type of Noun: Abstract Noun (Note: "Honesty" and "integrity" are abstract concepts.)

Type of Noun: Common Noun

Answers: Worksheet 2

1. Noun: sun (Common Noun, Concrete), day (Common Noun, Abstract)
   
2. Noun: friend (Common Noun, Concrete), laptop (Common Noun, Concrete), college (Common Noun, Concrete)
3. Noun: Mount Everest (Proper Noun), mountain (Common Noun, Concrete)
   
4. Noun: teacher (Common Noun, Concrete), students (Common Noun, Concrete), work (Common Noun, Abstract)
   
5. Noun: ocean (Common Noun, Concrete), animals (Common Noun, Concrete)
   
6. Noun: company (Common Noun, Concrete), product (Common Noun, Concrete), month (Common Noun, Concrete)
   
7. Noun: Happiness (Common Noun, Abstract), ingredient (Common Noun, Concrete), life (Common Noun, Concrete)
   
8. Noun: detective (Common Noun, Concrete), note (Common Noun, Concrete), crime scene (Common Noun, Concrete)
   
9. Noun: dinner (Common Noun, Concrete), restaurant (Common Noun, Concrete)
   
10. Noun: president (Common Noun, Concrete), nation (Common Noun, Concrete), speech (Common Noun, Concrete)