The noun refers to naming words. It refers to any particular name (Rohan, Nasima, Dhaka, Bangladesh, Earth, etc); it refers to any general name (boy, girl, city, country, planet, etc.); it indicates any name of a group (bunch, flock, herd, army, crowd, etc.); it points to the name of a matter or substance (salt, sugar, iron, water, milk, etc.) it also denotes the name of conception (courage, love, affection, patriotism, frustration, etc.). Whatever name you come across in your daily life is one of these five types of nouns. Based on these five types of names, the noun is of five types: proper noun, common noun, collective noun, material noun, and abstract noun.
Usage of a noun (Quiz on Noun)
A noun can be used as a subject in a sentence; it can be used as a direct or indirect object in a sentence; it can be used as a complement; it can be used as an object of a preposition; it can be used as an objective complement; it can be used as an apposition. Look at the examples of nouns in sentences:
- Rohit is a great batsman. (as a subject)
- I write a letter. (as a direct object)
- I wrote a letter to Marry. (as an indirect object)
- I am fond of writing. (as an object of a preposition)
- Students elected Rohan captain of the class. (Objective complement)
- Kohli, a cricketer, is revered in the cricket world. (as apposition)
So, a noun can be used as a subject, as a direct or indirect object, as a complement, as an objective complement, as an object of a preposition, or as an apposition.
You have to understand what subject, object,
complement, objective complement, apposition, etc. are if you want to
understand the proper usage of a noun in a sentence. This grammar book will
discuss all these issues thoroughly.
Countable and Uncountable Nouns
Primarily noun is of two types—countable and
uncountable noun. We can count the countable noun. A countable noun can be
preceded by an article and a number (five pens, a pencil, an apple, etc.). But
an uncountable noun is not preceded by an article and number. An uncountable
noun is always considered a singular subject, and so it takes a singular
verb.
However, we should keep in mind that some abstract nouns can be used both as countable and uncountable nouns. Knowledge, education, experience, love are some examples that can be used as countable nouns too.
- I need the education to change my life.
Here, the uncountable noun “education” has been
preceded by an article. This usage of articles has made “education”
countable.
A material noun can never be counted, but only
be measured. For example, when we go to market, we say, “Give me a liter of
water, or give me a liter of oil.” We do not say, “Give me a water, or give me
a oil.” We say, “Give me a kilogram of sugar; give me a kilogram of salt; give
me a kilogram of rice.” So, we cannot use an article before a material noun
unless the material noun is preceded by any measurement word such as kilogram,
liter, glass, tube, etc.
Uncountable noun generally refers to material
noun and abstract noun. But you should keep in mind that abstract nouns can be
used as countable nouns. Countable noun includes proper noun, common noun, and
collective noun. Look at the diagram below and try to understand the
classification of the noun:
Proper Noun
As a proper noun is not preceded by an article
or number, some people think that a proper noun is not a countable noun.
However, some scholars say that proper noun exclusively refers to any
particular person or thing. That is why a proper noun is a countable noun.
Proper noun points to any particular name, be it person, place, book, etc. Any
particular name is a proper noun. If I utter the name of Sakib Al Hasan,
everyone will look at Sakib instead of other players because Sakib is a name of
a particular person. If I say Dhaka, everybody will look at Dhaka instead of
Kolkata, New York, Tokyo, or any other city because Dhaka is the name of a
particular city. If I say Bangladesh, everybody will start thinking about
Bangladesh rather than other countries. Everybody will start talking about our
planet, not Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury, or Mars. Earth is a specific planet if I
say earth. That is why it is a proper noun.
But, we should take other issues into our
consideration. Firstly, the initial letter of a proper noun should be
capitalized. Wherever you use a proper noun in your writing, the initial letter
should be capitalized. Secondly, a proper noun is always singular. That is why
a proper noun takes a singular verb. Finally, as we have come to know earlier,
a proper noun is not preceded by an article or number. So, what is a proper
noun? The proper noun refers to any definite name; a Proper noun is always
singular and takes a singular verb; the initial letter of a proper noun should
be capitalized; a proper noun is not preceded by an article or number.
Some more examples of Proper nouns aRohan, Nasima, East West University, Mumbai,
Pacific Ocean, Mount Everest, January, Titanic, Gita, Quran, Bible,
etc.
Common Noun
While a proper noun refers to any specific name,
a common name indicates a general name. For example, if I say player, I do not
mean, Sakib or Tamim or Kohli. I am mentioning players in general. As “player”
is a general name, not any particular name, it is a common noun. Similarly,
“city” is not any definite name like Dhaka or Kolkata or Tokyo or New York, it
may point to any city of the world. Similarly, when I say country, I do not
refer to any particular country like Bangladesh, India, Japan, or America. It
can be any country. If I say planet, it can be any planet, be it from our solar
system or any other solar system of any galaxy. Some other general names
include girl, boy, book poet, etc. So, the difference between proper and common
nouns lies in the fact that while a proper noun refers to any definite name, a
common noun points to any general name. When we are done with proper and common
nouns we can go to the collective noun.
Some more examples of the common noun: mother, father, teacher, baby, teenager,
student, businessperson, man, woman, dog, cat, lion tiger, chair, table, pen,
pencil, book ship, computer, etc.
Collective Noun
Collective noun neither refers to any particular
name nor any general name. It mentions the name of a group. Bunch, flock,
herd, Army, the crowd are some examples. If I say a herd of sheep, I
do not mean all the sheep, in general, of the earth. I only mean a group of
sheep which are grazing on the field. If I say a bunch of grapes, I do not
indicate grapes in general but a group of grapes I am holding. If I say a flock
of birds, I want to mean a group of birds that are flying over my head, not
birds in general. Similarly, a crowd means a group of people who have gathered
in a particular place.
Some more collective nouns: A hive of
sheep, A herd of dear, a party of friends, a body of men, a pack of thieves, a
mob of rioters, a host of angels, a library of books, a hail of bullet, a
galaxy of stars, a group of dancers, a haul of fish, a gang of prisoners,
etc.
Material Noun
Material nouns and abstract nouns are, in general, abstract nouns. But, we know that abstracted nouns can be countable. However, a material noun can never be counted; it can only be measured. Salt, sugar, iron, milk, water, rice, wheat, etc. are material nouns. A material noun is not preceded by an article. But, we can use article and number before a material noun if there is any measurement word before a material noun. Look at the examples below.
- Give me a glass of water.
- I need two liters of milk.
- He wants to buy two kilograms of rice.
- Two pounds cake.
The words in bold are called measurement words.
If a material noun is preceded by any measurement word, we can use an article
or number before such measurement words.
Some more examples of a material noun: gold, iron, earth, meat, egg, milk, oil, wood,
tea, medicine, food, perfume, coal, sunlight, air, water, rubber, etc.
E. Abstract Noun
The abstract noun refers to such noun which
cannot be experienced through our five senses, but we can only feel it. It
means that an abstract noun cannot be seen, touched tested heard, or smelt.
Love, affection, courage, frustration, success, failure, patriotism are some
examples of abstract nouns. Keep in mind that an abstract noun is always
singular. When you see that an abstract noun takes a plural verb, it becomes a
common noun.
Some more examples of Abstract nouns: success, failure, capitalism, communism, love,
democracy, racism, time, beauty, literature, science, etc.
Parts of Speech Noun Pronoun Adjective Verb Adverb Preposition Conjunction Interjection
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