✨ THE NOUN: KINDS OF NOUNS ✨

The very first word class into which the words are divided according to their functions in a sentence is the Noun.

A Noun is a word used as the name of a person, place, or thing.

The point that we all must note over here is that in ordinary language, the word thing denotes that which has no life, but here the word thing means any object or abstract idea we can think about, whether it has a real existence or not.

The Nouns are broadly of five different kinds:

1) Proper Noun
2) Common Noun
3) Collective Noun
4) Material Noun
5) Abstract Noun

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✨ PROPER NOUN ✨

A Proper Noun is the name of a particular person or place. Here, proper means one’s own, like we say a Proper Name which means a person’s own name. For example,

1. Ashoka was a wise king.
2. Swati is a beautiful girl.
3. Siddhartha is a very hardworking boy.
4. Jaipur is a beautiful city.
5. India is a populous country.

✨ COMMON NOUN ✨

A Common Noun is a name given in common to every person or thing of the same class or kind. Common, here, means shared by all. For example,

1. Ashoka was a wise king.
2. Swati is a beautiful girl.
3. Siddhartha is a very hardworking boy.
4. Jaipur is a beautiful city.
5. India is a populous country.

# Points to remember:

- Proper Nouns are always written with a capital letter at the beginning.

- Proper Nouns are sometimes used as Common Nouns. For example,

Kalidas is often called the Shakespeare (= the greatest dramatist) of India. (Here, Shakespeare, though a proper Noun, has been used as a Common Noun)

✨ COLLECTIVE NOUN ✨

A Collective Noun denotes a number of persons or things grouped together as one complete whole. For example,

Crowd, mob, team, flock, fleet, herd, army, fleet, jury, family, nation, parliament, committee, regiment, assembly, etc.

A fleet is a collection of ships or vessels.
An army is a collection / group of soldiers.
A flock is a collection of sheep.
A crowd is a collection of people.

1. The jury found him guilty.
2. The police dispersed the crowd.
3. A herd of cattle was passing by.

✨ MATERIAL NOUN ✨

A Noun of Material denotes the matter or substance of which the things are made of. For example,

Gold, silver, iron, glass, cotton, wool, clay, steel, stone, etc.

1. Ornaments are made of gold and silver.
2. Bottles are made of glass.
3. Clothes are made of cotton, wool and silk.

✨ ABSTRACT NOUN ✨

An Abstract Noun is usually the name of a quality, action, or state considered apart from the object to which it belongs. For example,

Quality: Cleverness, bravery, wisdom, darkness, hardness, brightness, etc.

Action: Laughter, theft, movement, judgement, hatred, etc.

State: Poverty, sleep, death, youth, childhood, sickness, slavery, etc.

# Points to remember:

- The names of the Arts and Sciences (e.g., grammar, music, chemistry, etc.) are also Abstract Nouns.

- Abstract Nouns are formed from:

1. From Adjectives: Kindness from kind; honesty from honest.

2. From Verbs: Obedience from obey; growth from grow.

3. From Common Nouns: Childhood from child; slavery from slave.

- The Proper, Common, Collective, and Material Nouns are also known as Concrete Noun. A Concrete Noun denotes a thing which can be perceived by the senses. It can be seen, touched, heard, smelt, or tasted; and also has a separate existence. An Abstract Noun relates to something which cannot actually be perceived by the senses, and which is considered apart from the object to which it belongs. For example,

Iron is hard.
Stone is hard.
Marble is hard.

They all possess the quality of hardness. We can think of this quality, i.e., hardness apart from iron, stone, or marble. Hence, hardness is an Abstract Noun; while iron, stone, and marble are Concrete Nouns.

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✨ COUNTABLE AND UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS ✨

The Nouns have also been classified as:

1. Countable
2. Uncountable

Countable Nouns (or countables) are the names of objects, people, etc. that we can count, e.g., book, pen, apple, boy, sister, doctor, horse.

Uncountable Nouns (or uncountables) are the names of things which we cannot count, e.g., milk, oil, sugar, gold, honesty. They mainly denote substances and abstract things.

The point that we must note over here is that countable nouns have plural forms, whereas uncountable nouns do not. We can say ‘cows’ but we cannot say ‘milks’.

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✨ PRACTICE EXERCISES ✨

Exercise 1: Point out the Nouns in the following sentences, and determine whether they are Proper, Common, Collective, Material, or Abstract–

1) Poverty is a curse.
2) The elephant has great strength.
3) A committee of five was appointed.
4) What is your verdict, gentlemen of the jury?
5) The Godavari overflows its banks every year.
6) Solomon was famous for his wisdom.
7) I have neither gold nor silver.
8) The army was defeated.
9) Patience and perseverance can overcome mountains.
10) London is the capital of England.
11) Engines are made of iron.
12) A gang of robbers entered the city at night.
13) Cleanliness is next to godliness
14) The soldiers were rewarded for their bravery.
15) Our class consists of twenty pupils.

Exercise 2:

A) Form Abstract Nouns from the following Adjectives–

1. Young
2. Prudent
3. Ignorant
4. High
5. Vain
6. Novel
7. Human
8. True
9. Deep
10. Bitter

B) Form Abstract Nouns from the following Verbs–

1. Laugh
2. Depart
3. Succeed
4. Die
5. Converse
6. Discover
7. Flatter
8. Serve
9. Hate
10. Excel

C) Form Abstract Nouns from the following Common Nouns–

1. King
2. Bankrupt
3. Woman
4. Rogue
5. Author
6. Pirate
7. Pilgrim
8. Captain
9. Patriot
10. Glutton

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✨ WORD OF THE WEEK ✨

EXHORT (Verb)

Pronounced as: ig-zawrt

Meaning:

1. verb (used with object): to urge, advise, or caution earnestly; admonish urgently
2. verb (used without object): to give urgent advice, recommendations, or warnings.

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