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A noun is one of the basic word classes in the English language. It is a word used to name a person, place, object, animal or concept. There are four different types of nouns in the English language.
Common Nouns
Common nouns are names that are given to a class of objects or concepts and do not start with a capital letter. They are used to generalise objects or concepts that share certain characteristics. For example:
- woman
- house
- tree
- boy
- girl
- hand
- table
- computer
Proper Nouns
Unlike common nouns, proper nouns are names given to specific persons, places or things (your name, for instance, is a proper noun). Be sure to remember that proper nouns always begin with a capital letter. Here are some examples of proper nouns:
- Names: ‘Freddie’, ‘Fatima’, ‘Laura’, ‘Mr Brown’
- Company names: ‘Mercedes’, ‘McDonald’s’
- Weekdays: ‘Monday’, ‘Friday’
- Months: ‘June’, ‘November’
- Towns and cities: ‘Huddersfield’, ‘London’
The words ‘road’ and ‘lane’ are common nouns; however, if we use them to describe a particular destination then it becomes part of a proper noun and has a capital letter. For example, ‘Station Road’, ‘Mill Lane’.
Collective Nouns
As the name suggests, a collective noun describes a group of things or people. For example:
- family
- team
- audience
- colony
- flock
Abstract Nouns
Abstract nouns name feelings and qualities; they are called abstract because they are things which cannot be touched. Abstract nouns that describe feelings:
- anger
- cold
- grief
- love
- surprise
Abstract nouns that describe qualities:
- compassion
- generosity
- sophistication
- wisdom
