Writing Journal

Noun Rule
A noun is a word that can be made plural and/or possesive
Singular: Cat, Horse Singular Possessive: Cats, Horses
Plural: Cats, Horses Plural Possessive: Cats, Horses
Remember to watch for nouns that do not follow these rules: Man,
Men, Mans, Mens
Nouns are essential to all sentences, they provide the subject.
Noun Phrase
A noun phrase (NP) is a word or a group of
words that function as a unit within a sentence.
A phrase always has a headword and this is
the noun.
Nouns are signaled by the determiner
Common determiners include articles (a, an,
the), Possessive nouns and pronouns
(Camilles, his), and demonstrative pronouns
(this, that, those)
Let us add to the noun definition:A noun is a
word that can be made plural and/or
possessive, it occupies the headword position
in a noun phrase, it is usually signaled by a
determiner
Locate each noun phrases headword and determiner:
The students rested after a long trip.
Our new neighbors became our best friends.
A huge crowd lined the streets for the parade.
This new lasagna recipe feeds an enormous crowd.
Count vs. Noncount
Nouns
Knowing the difference between count and
noncount nouns will help you do the following:
Use the noun plural ending -s correctly
Use the appropriate type of article: definite (the) or
indefinite (a or an)
Use words that express quantities, such as little,
much, . . .
Count vs. Noncount
The main difference between count and noncount
nouns is whether or not the things they refer to can
be counted.
Count Nouns
Count nouns refer to things that can be divided up
into smaller units which are separate and distinct
from one another. They usually refer to what can
individually be seen or heard:
table
chair
word
remark
finger
bottle
award
candidate

Noncount Nouns
Noncount nouns refer to things that cannot be counted
because they are regarded as wholes which cannot be
divided into parts. They often refer to abstractions and
occasionally have a collective meaning:
anger
furniture
warmth
leisure
education
courage
progress
weather
The Rules
The Rules

Count nouns can be pluralized by adding a final -s
to the nouns.
Noncount nouns cannot be not pluralized at all.
Special Cases
Special Case: A special case is the use of the
mass/count distinction for the purpose of
classification. The nouns which function both ways
mainly denote foods and beverages: food(s),
drink(s), wine(s), bread(s), coffee(s), and fruit(s).