The Noun. Classification. The Categories of Number and Case, nouns; singular and plural.

The Noun. Classification. The Categories of Number and Case, nouns; singular and plural.

Definition

A noun is a name word, representing directly to the mind an object, substance, or idea.

 

 

The most general classification of the nouns is in:

A. common nouns

B. proper nouns

A proper noun is a name applied to a particular object, whether person, place, or thing.

(London, Jupiter, Sarah, or Microsoft)

NOTE. -There are some nouns, such as sun, moon, earth, which seem to be the names of particular individual objects, but which are not called proper names.

A common noun is a name possessed by any one of a class of persons, animals, or things.

(coffee shop, waiter, jeans, sandwich)

Another classification of the nouns is performed according to their meaning. Therefore, nouns are grouped into:

C. abstract

D. concrete

material noun is a word that refers to a substance, instead of the particles of a substance

( alcohol, frost, oil, vinegar)

Abstract nouns are names of qualities, conditions, or actions, considered abstractly, or apart from their natural connection.

(deceit, dedication, curiosity, trust, relaxation)

Many nouns experience meaning and form irregularities when they are counted; therefore, a more complex classification of the nouns is based on their counting property. Accordingly, nouns are grouped into:

E. countable

F. uncountable

Countable nouns are further sub-classified in:

E1. individual

E2. collective

COLLECTIVE NOUNS are properly belong under common nouns, because each group is considered as a unit, and the name applied to it belongs to any group of its class.

(Army, audience board, pride)

 

Uncountable nouns are sub-classified into:

F1. proper nouns

F2. material nouns

F3. abstract nouns

F4. "aberrant-plural" nouns

F5. unique nouns

THE NUMBER OF THE NOUN

When we refer to grammatical category of "number", the noun takes two forms:

1. singular

2. plural

The general rule is: nouns form the plural by adding the (+s) ending to the singular form. However, there are many exceptions, therefore the nouns are further grouped into:

1. regular plural nouns

2. irregular plural nouns

The addition of the (+s) ending to nouns' singular form comes, sometimes, with orthographic  changes.

THE GENDER OF THE NOUN

Nouns' grammatical category of gender is one of the following:

1. masculine: man, boy, workman, he-goat

2. feminine: woman, girl, actress, hen, she-goat

3. neuter: teacher, student, turkey, book, car

FORMAL INDICATION OF THE GENDER

The gender of the nouns is particularly important for meaning clarity. Therefore, the gender of the nouns is explained/indicated as follows:

A. using proper nouns

B. using gender specific suffixes

C. using gender specific common nouns

D. using gender specific compound nouns

E. using personal, possessive, reflexive/ emphatic pronouns and possessive adjectives

F. using personifications

THE CASE OF THE NOUN

Grammatical category of "case" is best presented for nouns. The case also applies to pronouns, adjectives, numerals, adverbs, to some verbs, and to prepositions. Further, grammatical category of case is the backbone on which the entire syntax was built.

THE CASE OF THE NOUN IS:

1. NOMINATIVE

2. DATIVE

3. ACCUSATIVE

4. GENITIVE (analytic or synthetic)

Exercises 

Elementary

Exercise 1-3

(Write or type singular of each picture below; Choose Plural on each picture above; find Plural nouns)

Exercise 4-6

( find Collective Nouns;  chose the right form; write Collective Nouns in crossword)

Exercise 7-9

(Write the feminine of these nouns; Mark the mistakes in the sentences : Find the masculine of the words)

Exercise 10

Tick if the nouns are countable or not

Intermediate

Exercise 1-2

( choose the correct plural of the word; Write down the correct form of the plural)

Exercise 3

(choose the correct compound word)

Exercise 4

(choose the right answer)

Exercise 5

Finish the sentences with the singular or plural form of the nouns

Exercise 6-7

( Determine which case should be used in Russian for the underlined words; Choose the words for which the required case would be used in Russian;)

Exercise 8

Fill in the correct plural forms of the given words into the gaps.

Exercise 9

Put in the correct form of the plural

Exercise 10

Fill in the following words and form meaningful phrases

Advanced

Exercise 1

( choose the right answer)- Count and Non-count Nouns

Exercise 2

( choose the right answer)- Count and Non-count Nouns

Exercise 3

( choose the right answer)- Count and Non-count Nouns

Exercise 4

( choose the right answer)

Exercise 5-10

choose the right answer; 6-CHOOSE THE RIGHT WORD OR EXPRESSION; 7- COMPLETE THE CONVERSATION USING "Some", "Any", "Much" or "Many" 8-COMPLETE THE TABLE WRITING THE CORRESPONDING UNCOUNTABLE NAMES. 9- ALL THESE SENTENCES ARE WRONG. CORRECT THE MISTAKES: 10 COMPLETE THE SENTENCES WITH ONE OF THE WORD BELOW)

 

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