Nouns

Nouns are words that name people, places, things, or ideas.

They are important building blocks of sentences and serve as the subject (the doer of an action) or object (the recipient of an action) in sentences.

Nouns can be concrete (tangible objects like “table” or “book”) or abstract (ideas or concepts like “love” or “freedom”).

They can also be singular or plural, and they often function with determiners (like articles) to specify their context or quantity in a sentence.

Nouns play a crucial role in communication by providing clarity and specificity to ideas and objects being discussed.

Common Nouns

Common nouns are general names given to ordinary people, places, things, or ideas. They are not specific to any particular individual, entity, or instance. Common nouns are typically not capitalized unless they begin a sentence.

Examples of common nouns:

  1. city – (e.g., London, Paris)
  2. book – (e.g., novel, textbook)
  3. dog – (e.g., Labrador, poodle)
  4. teacher – (e.g., professor, instructor)
  5. car – (e.g., sedan, SUV)

These nouns refer to categories or classes of people, places, things, or ideas rather than unique, specific instances. They are essential for general communication and do not require capitalisation unless used at the beginning of a sentence or part of a proper noun.

Proper Nouns

Proper nouns are specific names given to particular people, places, things, or ideas. They are always capitalised to distinguish them from common nouns, which are general names for categories or classes.

Explanation of proper nouns:

  1. Specificity: Proper nouns refer to unique entities, such as individuals’ names, specific places, brands, or titles.
  2. Capitalisation: They are always capitalised, regardless of their position within a sentence, to indicate their unique identity.

Examples of proper nouns:

  1. John – (name of a person)
  2. London – (name of a city)
  3. Harry Potter – (name of a character)
  4. Google – (name of a company)
  5. Eiffel Tower – (name of a landmark)

These nouns pinpoint a particular entity, distinguishing it from others of the same class or type. They serve to identify and specify unique individuals, places, organisations, and more in both written and spoken communication.