201765 NounToBeNounEnglishGrammarStructure

Noun+ToBe+Noun
EnglishGrammarRules
Nounsarewordsthatnamethings.Somecommonnounsincludethoseusedforanimals,countries,food,
languages,citiesandcountries.
Whenweareexplainingthings,weuseNoun+ToBe+Noun:

Englishisalanguage.(Noun+ToBe+Noun)
Achickenisabird.(Noun+ToBe+Noun)

SingularNoun+IS+SingularNoun
WeuseISbetweenthetwosingularnouns.

Champagneisadrink.
Parisisacity.
Franceisacountry.
Frenchisalanguage.
Europeisacontinent.

Notethatwenormallyuseanarticle(A/AN)beforeasingularnoun.

Articles+Nouns
'A'or'AN'arearticles.InEnglishwenormallyusearticlesbeforesingularnouns.
Aisusedbeforeawordthatbeginswithaconsonant.
ANisusedbeforeawordthatbeginswithavowel.
Vowels:A,E,I,O,U.
Consonants:B,C,D,F,G,H,J,K,L,M,N,P,Q,R,S,T,V,W,X,Y,Z.
Forexample:

Chileisacountry.(Abeforeconsonant)
Santiagoisacity.(Abeforeconsonant)
Anappleisafruit(Abeforeconsonant)
Adogisananimal.(ANbeforevowel)
Amosquitoisaninsect.(ANbeforevowel)
Qantasisanairline.(ANbeforevowel)

PluralNoun+Are+PluralNoun
SingularNoun+IS+SingularNoun
PluralNoun+ARE+PluralNoun
Notethatwedonotuseanarticle(A/AN)withapluralnoun.
Forexample:

http://www.grammar.cl/Notes/Noun_Be_Noun.htm 1/2
201765 NounToBeNounEnglishGrammarStructure

Adogisananimal.(singular)
Dogsareanimals.(plural)
Spanishisalanguage.(singular)
SpanishandItalianarelanguages.(plural)
Citiesareplaces.(plural)
Countriesarestates.(plural)

http://www.grammar.cl/Notes/Noun_Be_Noun.htm 2/2