The Noun
What Is a Noun?
Definition:
A noun names a person, a place, a thing, or an idea.
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Persons
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carpenter, tourists, team, cousins, Faith Ringgold
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Places
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cities, theater, forest, neighborhood, Santa Fe
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Things
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merry-go-round, bricks, birds, horseshoe, Liberty Bell
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Ideas
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justice, creativity, self-control, opinions, Buddhism
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Common Nouns and Proper Nouns
Definition:
A common noun names any one of a group of persons, places, things,
or ideas.
A proper noun names a particular person, place, thing, or
idea.
A common noun is not capitalized (except when it begins a
sentence or is part of a title); a proper noun, however, is capitalized.
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Common Nouns
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Proper Nouns
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woman
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Queen Isabella, Wilma Mankiller, Judith Baca
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nation
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Egypt, Mexico, Vietnam, New Zealand
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event
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Pan American Games, French Revolution, Academy Awards, Boston Tea
Party
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holiday
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Patriot’s Day; Fourth of July; Martin Luther King, Jr., Day; Mardi
Gras
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language
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Hebrew, Spanish, Bantu, Thai, Latin
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Concrete Nouns and Abstract Nouns
Definition:
A concrete noun names a person, place, or thing that can be perceived
by one or more of the senses (sight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell).
An abstract noun names an idea, a feeling, a quality, or a characteristic.
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Concrete Nouns
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sneeze, star, gravel, cinnamon, jack-o’-lantern, Beijing, Leaning
Tower of Pisa, Sammy Sosa
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Abstract Nouns
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peace, civilization, honor, courage, citizenship, Victorianism, Manifest
Destiny
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Collective Nouns
Definition:
A collective noun names a group, which is like a collection of people or things.
The singular form of a collective noun names a group.
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Collective Nouns
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jury, band, family, class, flock, committee
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Compound Nouns
Definition:
A compound noun consists of two or more words that together name
a person, a place, a thing, or an idea. The parts of a compound noun
may be written as one word, as separate words, or as a hyphenated word.
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One Word
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stairway, bookcase, toenail, Newfoundland
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Separate Words
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lieutenant governor, ceiling fan, blue jay, Golden Gate Bridge
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Hyphenated Word
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sister-in-law, jack-of-all-trades, great-uncle, stick-in-the-mud
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The Noun Worksheet 1
Identify the nouns in each of the following sentences, and classify each
noun as proper or common and as concrete or abstract.
1. In one afternoon the crew repaired eleven helicopters.
2. Amalia Mesa-Bains and Michael Ríos are among the many
Hispanic artists who launched their careers in San Francisco.
3. In Japan many homes have a place of honor in which the family
displays a favorite scroll or a vase of flowers.
4. We purchased tomatoes, lettuce, and corn grown by local farmers.
5. Congress debated the merits of the bill but could not reach a
consensus.
6. My goal is to visit every state in the United States.
7. Our family drove from our home in Kansas City to Chicago in
our new van.
8. Her excellent record as treasurer convinced a majority of the
students to vote for her for president.
9. Blunt honesty, quick wit, and fierce loyalty all characterize the
protagonist of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
10. The crowd roared as Chip sank the winning basket for the Falcons
just before time ran out.
Identify the compound nouns and collective nouns in the following
sentences. Then, classify each as common or proper and as concrete or
abstract.
1. Did you do a double take when you saw this picture?
2. The juxtaposition of Egyptian landmarks with a seashore and
a sign in Japanese writing is certainly an eye-opener.
3. Actually, the Sphinx and the pyramid are sand sculptures that
a team of students from a high school in Japan built for the
Kamakura Beach Carnival at Zaimokuza Beach.
4. Do you suppose the committee that judged the sculptures awarded
the students’ undertakings a prize?
5. The sightseers in front of the pyramid took a number of snapshots
as keepsakes of the carnival.
6. Unlike the original Sphinx and Great Pyramid, which have stood
for 4500 years, these sculptures will disappear with the first heavy
rainstorm.
7. While the artists may use a variety of tools to carve and shape their
creations, the final artwork consists of only two ingredients—sand
and water.
8. Artists from around the world meet on beaches to see who can
sculpt the most intricate and entertaining artwork made of sand.
9. Often, these sculptures illustrate stories or books, such as “Jack
and the Beanstalk” and Gulliver’s Travels.
10. One group built a sand castle that was over fifty-six feet tall.
