UNIT

Nouns

Lesson

9.1 Common and Proper Nouns

319

Lesson

9.2 Singular and Plural Nouns

321

Lesson

9.3 Possessive Nouns

323

Grammar Review

325

Writing Application

331

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Common and Proper Nouns

A noun is a word that names a person, a place, a thing, or an idea.

Nouns
Persons

brother, judge, athlete, teacher, mother-in-law

Places

neighborhood, county, city

Things

book, shoe, flower, pencil

Ideas

pride, skill, truth, democracy, success

Common Noun

Proper Noun

People

actor
singer
athlete

Johnny Depp
Mariah Carey
Danica Patrick

Places

building
city
river

Tower of London
Tucson
Nile

Things

book
movie
song

Matilda
Pirates of the Caribbean
This Land Is Your Land

Nouns

There are two basic kinds of nouns: common nouns and proper
nouns.
A common noun names any person, place, thing, or idea.
A proper noun names a specific person, place, thing, or idea.
A proper noun may consist of one or more words. You should
always begin a proper noun with a capital letter. For proper nouns of
more than one word, capitalize the first word and all other important
words. Some examples of proper nouns are listed below.

9.2 Singular and Plural Nouns

9.1 Common and Proper Nouns

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Exercise 1

7:36 PM

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Identifying Nouns

Write every noun that each sentence contains.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Historians trace the origin of the game of tennis to France.

The modern outdoor game of tennis probably evolved from an indoor game.
In the past, people hit the ball with their hands instead of rackets.
Walter Wingfield improved the game.
Mr. Wingfield patented his form of tennis more than a century ago.
Eventually the game became known as lawn tennis.
The first rackets were made of wood.
Later, people used aluminum or fiberglass.
Now some rackets are made of titanium.
Many players have a favorite racket they always use during
important games.

Exercise 2

Identifying Common and Proper Nouns

Write each noun in the following sentences. Label the

common nouns C and the proper nouns P.

Nouns

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Both youngsters and older people play in tournaments.

The United States Tennis Association sponsors contests for amateurs.
Matches for players also take place in Great Britain, France, and Australia.
The games at Wimbledon in England are very popular.
International teams compete for a special trophy, the Davis Cup.

Exercise 3

Using Proper Nouns

Write the proper nouns in each sentence. Use capital letters.

1. Many thousands of people attend the U.S. Open tournament in flushing
meadows, new york, each year.
2. The u.s. open is one of four tournaments that are called the Grand Slam.
3. Players from all over the world also compete in the french open, the british
open, and the australian open.
4. Martina navratilova was a top player for twenty years.
5. Before martina retired in 1994, she won many tournaments, in singles and
doubles, but winning at Wimbledon was the most special.

320

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Singular and Plural Nouns

A singular noun names one person, place, thing, or idea. A

plural noun names more than one. To form the plural of most nouns,
you simply add -s. Other plural nouns are formed in different ways.
Nouns Ending With

Forming Plural Nouns

To Form Plural
Examples

-s, -ss, -zz, -ch, -sh, -x

Add -es.

bus
buses

-o, preceded by a
vowel

Add -s.

cameo studio
cameos studios

-o, preceded by a
consonant

Usually add -es.

hero
heroes

potato
echo
potatoes echoes

Sometimes add -s.

zero
zeros

photo
photos

-y, preceded by a
vowel

Add -s.

day
days

donkey turkey
donkeys turkeys

-y, preceded by a
consonant

Usually change -y
to -i, and add -es.

city
cities

dairy
dairies

penny
pennies

-f or -fe

Usually change -f
to -v, and add -es.

leaf
leaves

life
lives

half
halves

Sometimes add -s.

roof
roofs

chief
chiefs

belief
beliefs

buzz
buzzes

box
boxes
stereo
stereos

piano
pianos

Nouns

Words such as family and team are called collective nouns.

A collective noun names a group of people or things.
A collective noun can take either a singular or a plural verb,
depending on how it is used. The noun is singular when all the
members of the group act as a single unit. It is plural when each
member of the group acts separately.
The team shares the field with its opponent. [singular]
The team share their jokes with each other. [plural]

9.2 Singular and Plural Nouns

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Exercise 4

Page 322

Identifying Plural Noun Forms

Write the correct form of the noun in parentheses.

1. My father loves to tell funny baseball (stories, storys).
2. He said that at one game the first four (benchs, benches) in the stadium
collapsed.
3. The (spectatores, spectators) crashed to the ground and were covered with
mud, but no one was hurt!
4. The umpires were the (heros, heroes) at that game.
5. They interrupted the game so that the fans could clean (themselves,
themselfs) off.
Exercise 5

Forming Plural Nouns

Write the plural form of each singular noun.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

radish
6.
box
7.
cherry
8.
watch
9.
country 10.

Nouns

Exercise 6

ant
banana
horseshoe
loaf
valley

11.
12.
13.
14.
15.

bush
bus
baby
piano
echo

16.
17.
18.
19.
20.

volcano
radio
self
mosquito
knife

Identifying Collective Nouns

Write each collective noun and label it S for singular or P for plural. Pay close
attention to the verb.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

322

The volleyball club meets after school.

Each volleyball team has six players.
The group take their individual positions.
The committee discuss their reactions.
Our class watches the volleyball match.
The school band plays at every game.
Our family arrive at the stadium at different times.
The crowd is always friendly at the games.
The team share their feelings about each game at the end.
The coaching staff also meet after each game to discuss their strategies.

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Possessive Nouns

A noun that shows ownership or possession is called a possessive

noun. Possessive nouns, like all nouns, can be singular or plural.
A possessive noun names who or what has something.
Notice the possessive nouns in the following sentences.
The World Cup is the amateur skiers competition.
A prize is awarded for the outstanding mens achievement.
The womens division also awards a prize.

The following chart shows how to form possessives from

singular and plural nouns.

Nouns

When you are writing, remember that possessive nouns always

contain apostrophes. Plural nouns do not.
Distinguishing Between Possessive Nouns and Plural Nouns
Singular possessive noun

Where is the athletes school?

Plural possessive noun

Where is the athletes school?

Plural noun

Where are the athletes?

9.3 Possessive Nouns

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Exercise 7

Page 324

Identifying Possessive Nouns

Write each possessive noun and label it S for singular or P

for plural.
1. The Fdration Internationale du Ski is an amateurs
organization.
2. The World Ski Championships are a skiers goal.
3. A committee reviews all entrants applications.
4. It considers skiers qualifications for the races.
5. The committees guidelines for amateur status are very strict.
Exercise 8

Using Singular and Plural Possessives

Write the possessive form of the noun in parentheses.

Nouns

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

The (sport) history began thousands of years ago.

Each (person) skis were made of animal bone.
Leather straps held the (skier) boots to the skis.
Many (skiers) toe straps came loose.
One (historian) discoveries include skis from Sweden.
The (skis) ages ranged from 2,500 to 5,000 years.
In Norway a (soldier) means of travel was skiing.
A (Norwegian) skis were for both cross-country and downhill skiing.
The (men) cross-country speed record was broken by Bill Koch.
(Koch) average speed was 15.57 miles per hour.

Exercise 9

Forming Possessive Nouns

Copy and complete the chart, adding the possessive forms.

SINGULAR
NOUN

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

324

Unit 9 Nouns

woman
Ms. Smith
child
senior
family

SINGULAR
POSSESSIVE

PLURAL
NOUN

women
the Smiths
children
seniors
families

PLURAL
POSSESSIVE

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UNIT 9

Page 325

Grammar Review

NOUNS
Black Star, Bright Dawn by Scott ODell is about a young Inuit woman named
Bright Dawn who enters the Iditarod, a sled dog race. The race covers more than
a thousand snow-covered miles between Anchorage and Nome, Alaska. The
passage below shows some of the kinds of nouns covered in this unit.
Literature Model

from Black Star, Bright

by Scott ODell

Dawn

Common
noun
Nouns

e left the forest and were now in open country,

with far-off hills on the horizon and a moon. A
strong headwind was blowing, but the temperature was
well above zero. I took off my parka and gloves and
opened my sweater. Still I was warm.
The slick runners made whispering sounds. The dogs
ran together in long, loping strides. They made scarcely
a sound in the snow. They were tired. I didnt push
them. The moon and the hills became a hazy blur.
I began to nod once more. I was drifting down a
broad river filled with salmon. Their golden scales
glittered in the moonlight. They were leaping out of the
water. They were trying to tell me somethingone word
over and over.
The dream suddenly faded. Again I was on a sled,
moving through the night. I glanced over my shoulder.
A team had slipped up behind me. The mushers lamp
sent out a blinking glare. It was Oteg.
Trail! he shouted. Trail!
I pulled my dogs over and let him pass.

Singular
noun

Plural noun

Collective
noun
Possessive
noun
Proper
noun
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Grammar Review
Review: Exercise 1

Using Common Nouns

Rewrite each sentence, correcting the capitalization of common and proper

nouns.
Bright Dawn chose her dog black star to lead her Team of dogs in
the iditarod.
ANSWER Bright Dawn chose her dog Black Star to lead her team of dogs in
the Iditarod.
SAMPLE

1. The team raced from anchorage on the gulf of alaska to nome on the
bering sea.
2. The temperature rose as the inuit woman mushed across alaskas lonely,
open Wilderness.
3. As bright dawn raced over the moonlit Landscape, she became sleepy.
4. Bright Dawn dreamed of golden Salmon leaping from a broad River.
5. A Racer named oteg, who had befriended the young woman, woke her.
Review: Exercise 2

Using Proper Nouns

Nouns

Replace the underlined words with proper nouns. Use the information and
the literature model on page 325 to help you.
SAMPLE
ANSWER

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

326

An author wrote Black Star, Bright Dawn.

Scott ODell wrote Black Star, Bright Dawn.

The state is cold for much of the year.

The race was between Anchorage and another city.
The race is one of the most dangerous races in the world.
The girl was in danger of freezing to death.
Her dog led the team.

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Grammar Review
Review: Exercise 3

Forming Plural Nouns

Write the plural form of the noun in parentheses.

SAMPLE
ANSWER

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

The real (hero) of the Iditarod are the dogs.

The real heroes of the Iditarod are the dogs.

(Husky) are the dogs most often used to pull sleds.

The (life) of these animals are devoted to the sport.
Their (reflex) are quick, and their strength is amazing.
They usually race over flat ground rather than hills or (valley).
During the Iditarod, newspapers run many (photo) of these dogs and the
sleds they pull.

Review: Exercise 4

Using Collective Nouns

Write the correct form of the verb in parentheses.

Bright Dawns family (lives, live) in its home in the small village
of Womengo.
ANSWER lives
SAMPLE

Nouns

1. Her family (perform, performs) their daily activities.

2. At school Bright Dawns class (studies, study) its English lesson.
3. A team of dogs (helps, help) its owner, Bright Dawns father, hunt
for food.
4. The team (scatters, scatter) in different directions when he drifts toward the
sea on an ice floe.
5. A group of men (does, do) its best to save him.
6. Bright Dawns family (are, is) supportive of one another.
7. Because of the difficult journey, the team (was, were) tired.
8. The team of dogs (struggle, struggles) on, listening for Bright Dawns
words of support.
9. Another group (pull, pulls) its sled in front of Bright Dawn.
10. The crowd (was, were) surprised when it saw the winner was
Bright Dawn.

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Grammar Review
Review: Exercise 5

Forming Possessive Nouns

Write each possessive noun correctly.

SAMPLE
ANSWER

Bright Dawns father encouraged her to enter the race.

Bright Dawns

1. The mens faces looked doubtful when the young woman announced she
would compete.
2. Bright Dawn depended on her one lead dogs guidance.
3. Otegs advice also helped her during the race.
4. The young womans lead was erased when she stopped to help
other mushers.
5. Her parents eyes teared when Bright Dawn won.
Review: Exercise 6

Using Singular and Plural Possessive Nouns

Write a sentence using each of the following nouns in the possessive form
shown in parentheses.
Nouns

SAMPLE
ANSWER

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.

328

team (singular possessive)

The teams owner is Bright Dawn.

dog (singular possessive)

woman (plural possessive)
class (singular possessive)
group (plural possessive)
man (singular possessive)
skier (plural possessive)
snow (singular possessive)
crowd (singular possessive)
team (plural possessive)
sled (plural possessive)
Alaska (singular possessive)
winner (plural possessive)
sport (singular possessive)

Unit 9 Nouns

14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.

wilderness (singular possessive)

race (singular possessive)
bear (singular possessive)
village (singular possessive)
doctor (plural possessive)
family (plural possessive)
journey (singular possessive)
newspaper (plural possessive)
river (singular possessive)
hill (plural possessive)
moonlight (singular possessive)
wolf (plural possessive)

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Grammar Review
Review: Exercise 7

Proofreading
The following passage is about artist Rockwell Kent, whose work
appears on this page. Rewrite the passage, correcting the errors in
spelling, capitalization, grammar, and usage. Add any missing
punctuation marks. There are ten errors.

Rockwell Kent
Rockwell Kent (18821971) was an important american book
illustrator and landscape painter. 2Many of his paintings depicts the
open sea rugged mountains, and coastlines. 3Kent used these scenes to
convey peoples lonelyness.
1

Nouns

Rockwell Kent, The Expedition

(continued)
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Grammar Review
The artist visited alaska in 1918 and was inspired by the vast spaces
near the Arctic Circle. 5Kents experiences resulted in The Expedition.
6
The painting, which depicts figures guiding their dogs and sleds, could
be an illustration for Black Star, Bright Dawn. 7Its easy to imagine the
lifes of these people.
4

Review: Exercise 8

Mixed Review
Write all the underlined nouns. Label each one common or proper,
singular or plural, and possessive if it shows ownership.
SAMPLE
ANSWER

Nouns

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.

330

Hikers respect natural resources.

Hikers common, plural

People hike on paths and trails across America.

The Appalachian Trail goes through fourteen states.
The campers gear must be light enough to be carried on their backs.
Storms are the campers worst fear.
My family hikes in the Berkshire Mountains in Massachusetts.
Sleeping bags help provide a good nights sleep for a camper.
Many camping stores supplies are limited.
Tents protect campers from rain and wind.
A tents usefulness depends on many factors.
Next year my class is going on a trip to the Rocky Mountains.
We plan to travel by bus across the Midwest.
The seventh grade will go too.
The buses seats will be filled with suitcases.
The classes are looking forward to the trip.
To raise money, we have established West Middle Schools Dog and Car
Wash.

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Writing Application
Nouns in Writing

In her book Keepers and Creatures at

the National Zoo, Peggy Thomson
describes zookeeper Kathy Wallaces
daily routine. In the passage below,
the author describes the care of an
elephants feet. Examine the passage,
paying special attention to the italicized nouns.

Techniques with Nouns

When you write and revise your own
work, try to use nouns in some of the
ways Peggy Thomson does.

GENERAL WORDS

thing, tool

THOMSONS VERSION

pick, ankus,

drawknife
2

To identify people clearly in your

writing, use proper nouns or specific common nouns.

GENERAL WORDS

woman, people

THOMSONS VERSION

Kathy, watchers

Whenever possible, expand single

common nouns into longer word
groups that create images of
details.

SINGLE NOUNS

Nouns

Watchers from the railing cant see

the foot up close. They see the probings with the pick or with the point of
the ankus. They see Kathy using both
hands on a drawknife to cut away a
slice of leathery, rubbery pad and then
another. (It doesnt hurt the elephant.)
And they hear the thunk of the slice
into her bucket.

Whenever possible, replace general words with

precise concrete nouns.

For more about

making good
word choices, see
TIME Facing the
Blank Page, pages
9697.

noise, sound

THOMSONS VERSION

the thunk of
the slice into her bucket

Practice

Practice the techniques with nouns by revising the following passage. Use
a separate sheet of paper. Pay particular attention to the underlined words.

On one day, our teacher took our class to a zoo. We took our school things and
our food. The purpose of the visit was to study and compare the eating habits of different animals. A person from the place first led us to the monkey place. A man fed
the animals. They peeled the food and ate as they swayed from one place to another.
Then we went to observe the big cats. Lunchtime in their place was quite different.
They were serious as they tore apart their food. These animals were not thinking
about play. Later we ate our own food.
Writing Online

For more grammar practice, go to glencoe.com

and enter QuickPass code WC67666p2.

Writing Application

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