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    Learn English nouns

    What are nouns in English grammar? A noun is a word that names something, such as a person, place, thing, or idea. Learn English nouns usage and find out nouns types, examples and common mistakes.

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    These lessons are part of the Preply Grammar Reference, crafted by a team of language experts. This comprehensive guide covers essential English grammar topics, offering clear explanations, illustrative examples, and insights into common mistakes. Benefit from the collective expertise of Preply's dedicated professionals, ensuring a valuable resource for learners at every level. Learn more about Preply.

    English Nouns: The Ultimate Guide

    Here are how-to guides for every type of word you'll find when you learn English nouns. Check out the dedicated categories:

    Collective nouns refer to a group of people or things.

    Countable nouns can be counted and are singular or plural.

    Plural nouns can be counted and represent more than one person, place or thing.

    Possessive nouns show who owns something.

    Proper nouns are names of specific people, places and things.

    Uncountable nouns cannot be counted and act like singular nouns.

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    Other types of nouns by level

    Object nouns: about this company A1

    Explanation

    Nouns name people, places and things. An object noun receives the action of the verb or follows a preposition.

    subject + verb + object
    subject + verb + preposition + object

    Example

    What do you know about this company?
    I am from Spain.
    Mina is going to the market on Saturday.

    Common mistakes

    The noun follows the preposition in prepositional phrases.

    I am Spain from.

    I am from Spain.

    Noun phrases: Those dogs are good pets. A2

    Explanation

    Nouns name people, places and things. A noun phrase is a group of words that act like a noun in a sentence.

    article + adjective + noun
    adjective + adjective + noun

    Example

    Those dogs are good pets.
    That park is my son's favorite.
    The local lake has crystal clear water.
    You made the right decision.
    She's the woman with the green dress.
    In my dream, a big blue meany jumped in front of my car.

    Common mistakes

    If adjectives are in the noun phrase, they are before the noun.

    The lake has water crystal clear.

    The lake has crystal clear water.

    Additionally

    article adjective noun
    Thebeautifulhorse
    adjectiveadjectivenoun
    a proudhandsomerooster

    Quantifier phrases (with 'of'): a slice of bread A2

    Explanation

    A quantifier phrase is a noun phrase that can be used to refer to a quantity or amount, or to a quality or behavior.

    'a' + quantifier phrase + 'of' + [article +] noun

    Example

    Would you like a slice of bread with your bowl of soup?
    There is a lot of sand in my car.
    I have a bottle of water and a handful of raisins for my snack.

    Common mistakes

    The quantifier phrase indicates a part or quantity of something as distinct from a whole.

    I'd like a bread.

    I'd like a slice of bread.

    Gerunds: swimming, dancing B1

    Explanation

    Nouns name people, places and things.

    A gerund is present participle acting like a noun. In other words, it is an '-ing' verb form that is used like a noun.

    Gerunds can begin sentences, and they can be objects of a verb, just like nouns.

    For example: swimming, dancing, skiing, acting, working

    verb + '-ing'

    Example

    Swimming is my favorite activity.
    Meeting new people is fun!
    Everyone should be careful about drinking tap water.
    Children enjoy being read to.
    We were thinking of going skiing in the Alps.
    There's no point in talking about it.
    It's not worth repairing such an old car.

    Common mistakes

    A gerund looks like a verb, but it's not.

    I am swimming.

    I like swimming.

    Compound nouns: swimming pool, waterfall B1

    Explanation

    Nouns name people, places and things.

    Compound nouns are nouns made up of 2 or more words. They are almost always made with a noun and another part of speech. Sometimes, the noun appears first in the compound word and sometimes last.

    A compound noun may be separate words joined by a hyphen, or the component words may come together to form a single word.

    noun + noun
    noun + adjective (or other part of speech)
    adjective (or other part of speech) + noun

    Example

    We have a big swimming pool.
    Their mother-in-law lives with them.
    The waterfall is beautiful.
    Our sofa-bed pulls out easily.

    Common mistakes

    Compound nouns must go in a certain order to have the correct meaning.

    The fall water is beautiful.

    The waterfall is beautiful.

    Phrasal nouns: The cause of... B1

    Explanation

    Phrasal nouns are nouns that combine with a preposition. An object normally follows these phrases and provides context.

    noun + preposition + object

    Example

    The cause of the accident was unknown.
    There has been a great demand for avocados.
    We're not sure what accounts for the increase in cases worldwide.
    They believe that hard work is the key to success.
    Do you really believe that's the reason for her success?
    I think you've found the solution to our problem.

    Common mistakes

    The preposition must have an object.

    There has been a great demand for.

    There has been a great demand for avocados.

    Noun phrases (with gerunds): starting your own business B2

    Explanation

    Nouns name people, places and things.

    A noun phrase is a group of words that act like a noun in a sentence.



    A gerund is a present participle acting like a noun. In other words, it is an '-ing' verb form that is used like a noun.


    Gerunds can begin sentences, and they can be objects of a verb, just like nouns.



    gerund + article + adjective + noun
    gerund + adverb + noun

    Example

    Have you started putting together your portfolio?
    I'm trading some design services in return for officially showcasing the designs.
    I have some friends starting their own business.

    Common mistakes

    A gerund looks like a verb, but it's not

    Have you putting together your portfolio?

    Have you started putting together your portfolio?

    Gerunds (as objects): She's capable of outlining...B2

    Explanation

    Nouns name people, places and things.



    A gerund is present participle acting like a noun. In other words, it is an '-ing' verb form that is used like a noun.



    Gerunds can be objects of a verb or of a preposition, just like nouns.


    For example: capable of summarizing, outlining, condensing



    verb + -ing

    Example

    We'll have assistants capable of real-time note-taking, condensing, summarizing, and outlining action items.
    They'll be capable of differentiating between voices and assigning responsibilities accordingly.

    Common mistakes

    A gerund functions as a noun.

    They're capable of assign responsibilities.

    They're capable of assigning responsibilities.

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    Frequently asked questions

    Nouns are words that give a name to people, places or things, though they can also refer to objects and abstract ideas. In a sentence, nouns can play the role of subject, direct object, indirect object, subject complement, object complement, appositive or adjective. We can often recognize a noun by its position in the sentence. Nouns often come after a determiner (a word like “a,” “an,” “the,” “this,” “my” and “such”) or after one or more adjectives. In a sentence, nouns function as the: subject of a verb: Jaguars run fast. object of a verb: She loves pizza. subject and object of a verb: Builders construct houses.
    A proper noun is a specific name of a person, place or thing and is always capitalized. Does Linda work at the hospital Mary went to? Linda and Mary are the names of specific people. I would like to swim in the Atlantic. The Atlantic is the specific name of a geographical location. A common noun is the generic name of an item in a class or group and is not capitalized unless appearing at the beginning of a sentence or in a title. The dog ate the sandwich. Dog is a common noun; we do not learn the identity of the dog by reading this sentence, though we know the action it takes. Sandwich is also a common noun in this sentence.
    Nouns form a large proportion of the English vocabulary and they come in a wide variety of types. As mentioned, there are common and proper nouns. There are other types of nouns in English too: Abstract nouns: An abstract noun is a word for something that cannot be seen but exists. Generally, it refers to ideas, qualities and conditions. Examples: jealousy, sadness, compassion Concrete nouns: Opposite to abstract nouns, concrete nouns refer to the things we can see and that have physical existence. Examples: bottle, chair, water Countable nouns: Nouns that can be counted with specific numbers (e.g., 5 shirts) are called countable nouns. Countable nouns can take an article: a, an, the. Examples: ball, mug, computer Uncountable nouns: Nouns that cannot be counted are called uncountable nouns. Uncountable nouns are substances and concepts that cannot be divided into separate elements. We cannot "count" them. For example, we cannot count "rice." We can count "bags of rice" or "kilos of rice," but we cannot count "rice" itself. Examples: salt, sand, water Compound nouns: Sometimes two or three nouns appear together, or even with other parts of speech, and create compound nouns. Examples: mailbox, three-year-old, six-pack There are other types of nouns too, like material nouns, verbal nouns, possessive nouns, irregular nouns, regular nouns, plural nouns, singular nouns and collective nouns.