NOUNS

A name of anything (i.e. a thing, a

person, a creature, a place, a
subject, an idea, a thought, a
feeling, a quality, etc.)

SalmaAbdulRazak_KDRI2010

TYPES OF NOUNS
COMMON

A name which is common to all

things or persons of the same
kind or class.

Boy, city

PROPER

A name that belongs to ONLY

ONE person, place or thing.
* Always begins with a Capital
Letter

Syuhada,
Kuala Lumpur

ABSTRAC
T

The name of something that we

cannot see or touch, but can
only feel or think of. It is the
name of a feeling, a quality
(that shows how good or bad a
person or thing is), a condition
or an action.

Happiness,
anger,
goodness,
beauty,
movement,
sickness.

COLLECTI
VE

The name of a number of things

or persons taken together as
one thing.

Crowd, family,
army, school,
class, team,
flock, fleet

SalmaAbdulRazak_KDRI2010

CONCRET

You can experience this group of

Ice-cream,

HOW TO FORM ABSTRACT

NOUNS
FROM COMMON NOUNS
Common
Noun

Abstract Noun

child
brother
man
parent
knight
neighbour
mother

childhood
brotherhood
manhood
parenthood
knighthood
neighbourhood
motherhood

leader
member
owner
friend
scholar
king

leadership
membership
ownership
friendship
scholarship
kingship

HOW TO FORM ABSTRACT

NOUNS
FROM VERBS
Verbs

Abstract Noun

know
laugh
marry
behave
compare
obey
advise
punish
describe
die
lose
sell
think
defend
weigh
arrive

knowledge
laughter
marriage
behaviour
comparison
obedience
advice
punishment
description
death
loss
sale
thought
defence
weight
arrival

HOW TO FORM ABSTRACT

NOUNS
FROM ADJECTIVES
Adjectives

Abstract Noun

long
strong
great
kind
brave
just
young
high
able
beautiful
hungry
angry
wise
humble
pure
dark

length
strength
greatness
kindness
bravery
justice
youth
height
ability
beauty
hunger
anger
wisdom
humility
purity
darkness

HOW TO FIND THE NOUN IN A

SENTENCE?
Ask What? or Who? before or after the Verb in the

sentence.
Look at these sentences :
1. Cows eat grass.
(What eat grass? Cows. / Cows eat what? grass.)
2. Rashid saw a dog.
(Who saw a dog? Rashid. / Rashid saw what? a dog.)
* Noun before the Verb Subject of a verb in the
sentence.
* Noun after the Verb Object of a verb in the sentence.

NOUNS HAVE FOUR

GENDERS
MASCULI Used for all
NE
males.

Boy, man, father, brother, husband,

son, uncle, nephew, monk, wizard,
bachelor, widower, actor, hunter,
master, emperor, tiger, duke, prince,
bull, cock, fox.
Girl, woman, mother, sister, wife,
daughter, aunt, niece, nun, witch,
maid/spinster, widow, actress,
huntress, mistress, empress, tigress,
duchess, princess, cow, hen, vixen.

FEMININ
E

For all
females.

COMMO
N

Where the
noun can be
either male or
female

NEUTER

For things
Table, book, pencil, house, pen, box,
which have no school, duster, bag, tree, apple,
life or sex or
spelling.

Friend, child, neighbour, cousin,

adult, person, student, pupil,
musician, clerk, guest, artist,
traveller, companion, relative,
passenger, tourist, bird, deer, frog,
kitten, cat, fish, fly.

NOUNS HAVE TWO NUMBERS

Singular

Plural

boy
girl
day
pen
river
thing
picture

boys
girls
days
pens
rivers
things
pictures

Adding s to the
Singular (general
rule)

box
bush
church
inch
class
glass

boxes
bushes
churches
inches
classes
glasses

Adding es to nouns
ending in a hissing
sound x, sh, ch,
s

NOUNS HAVE TWO NUMBERS

Singular

Plural

potato
tomato
mosquito
hero
buffalo
mango

potatoes
tomatoes
mosquitoes
heroes
buffaloes
mangoes

Adding es to nouns
ending in o

photo
piano
bamboo
dynamo

photos
pianos
bamboos
dynamos

* Exceptions to this
rule

NOUNS HAVE TWO NUMBERS

Singular

Plural

lady
city
fly
story
baby

ladies
cities
flies
stories
babies

By changing y
(after a consonant)
into ies

day
play
key
monkey
boy
toy
guy

days
plays
keys
monkeys
boys
toys
guys

If the y is after a
vowel (a, e, i, o, u)
we follow the
ordinary rule and
add s

NOUNS HAVE TWO NUMBERS

Singular

Plural

half
loaf
wolf
calf
leaf
thief
life
wife
knife

halves
loaves
wolves
calves
leaves
thieves
lives
wives
knives

By changing words
ending with f or fe
into ves

roof
chief
proof
belief
cliff

roofs
chiefs
proofs
beliefs
cliffs

* Exception to this
rule

NOUNS HAVE TWO NUMBERS

Singular

Plural

sheep
deer
cattle
fish
furniture
news
advice
knowledge
information
scenery
equipment

sheep
deer
cattle
fish
furniture
news
advice
knowledge
information
scenery
equipment

By having the same

form for both
singular and plural.

NOUNS HAVE TWO NUMBERS

Singular

Plural

Son-in-law
Sons-in-law
Father-in-law
Fathers-in-law
Brother-in-law
Brothers-in-law
Sister-in-law
Sisters-in-law
Passer-by
Passers-by
Commander-in- Commanders-inchief
chief
DirectorDirectors-general
general
Attorneys-general
AttorneySecretariesgeneral
general
Secretarygeneral

Compound
nouns (i.e.
words formed
by joining
other words)
add s.

NOUNS HAVE TWO NUMBERS

Singular

Plural

man
woman
foot
tooth
goose
mouse
louse
phenomenon

men
women
feet
teeth
geese
mice
lice
phenomena

By changing the
inside vowel(s)

Some nouns are used in the plural only trousers, shorts,

pants, pyjamas, jeans, scissors, spectacles, clothes,
compasses, goods, people, thanks, riches, contents.
Some nouns are plural in form but are used in singular
mathematics, physics, news, politics, linguistics, gymnastics,
acoustics, economics, athletics.

COUNTABLE & UNCOUNTABLE

NOUNS
Countable

Uncountable

Nouns which can be

counted.

Nouns which cannot be

counted.

a park
four swans
ten islands
many roads
thousands of children
a few minutes

a tin of oil
a bag of cotton
a puddle of water
a meter of cloth
a pinch of salt
a lot of soil

More examples : idea,

plan, form, article,
intention, decision,
suggestion, promise,
explanation, circumstance,
feature, characteristic

More examples : air,

machinery, equipment,
luggage, information,
advice, mail, furniture,
clothing, lightning, traffic,
laughter

Expressions : several, a
few, many, a large/small

Expressions : a little, a
large/small amount of,

PRACTICE TIME!
Listen to the song and read the

lyric (You can sing along if you

want to~ ).
Now, identify the different types of

nouns used in the song.

SalmaAbdulRazak_KDRI2010