grammar nouns pronouns articles adjectives, Cheat Sheet of Grammar and Composition

Download grammar nouns pronouns articles adjectives and more Cheat Sheet Grammar and Composition in PDF only on Docsity! 1 People's Democratic Republic of Algeria The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research UFC Teacher: Mr.BEN REDDA Djamel Centre : Laghouat Level: First year Speciality : English Semester: One Module: Grammar Lecture: Nouns Introduction Nouns are naming words for people, animals, places, things, and qualities. In fact, they name everything around us including those that are invisible (wind, gas). A noun can be recognized by the determiners - the, a, an, some, this, etc - that come before it. There are different types of nouns. There are common nouns, proper nouns, concrete nouns, and abstract nouns. A common noun names every person or thing that belongs to the same group. A proper noun is a name of a particular person, animal, place, or thing. A concrete noun refers to a material object that we can see and touch. An abstract noun is something we cannot see or touch (love, anger). We use it to refer to things that are not concrete objects such as quality, idea, condition, etc. Nouns can be singular or plural. We use a singular noun for one person, animal, place, or thing. For two or more people, animals, places, or things, we use plural nouns. There are countable nouns and uncountable nouns. Countable nouns are things such as books, cars, and houses, and we can count them. Uncountable nouns such as milk, water, and flour are things which we cannot count. We use a collective noun to indicate a group of people or things. 1. Kinds of Nouns There are four kinds of nouns: a. Common Nouns b. Proper Nouns c. Concrete Nouns d. Abstract Nouns 2 a) Common Noun A common noun names a class of similar things (chair, box), and not an individual member of a specified group of people or things. We do not capitalize the first letter of a common noun unless it is the first word in a sentence. Common nouns are names of people, things, animals and places, etc. Examples: o People – aunt, boy, butcher, carpenter, cousin, father, girl, lady, man, mother, tailor, woman o Things – bicycle, book, car, computer, dress, hammer, key, pencil, ship, table, vase, wallet o Animals – armadillo, baboon, bee, caterpillar, cow, dog, eagle, fish, monkey, pig, snake, turkey o Places – airport, beach, bullring, cemetery, church, country, hospital, library, mall, park, restaurant, zoo b) Proper Noun A proper noun is a special name of a person, place, organization, etc. We spell a proper noun with a capital letter. Proper nouns also refer to times or to dates in the calendar. We can use plurals for proper nouns in exceptional cases.  There are three Johns in my class. We can also use the, an, or a for a proper noun in special circumstances.  This is no longer the London I used to live in. Proper nouns are names of people, places, organization, etc. Examples: o People – Ali Baba, Barack Obama o Places – Downing Street, Museum of Modern Art, Sahara Desert o Things – Financial Times, Eiffel Tower o Organization – International Labour Organization, Red Brigades, United Nations o Animals – King Kong, Lassie o Times and dates – Saturday, April c) Concrete Noun A concrete noun is something we see or touch. It is the opposite of an abstract noun. There are countable concrete nouns and uncountable concrete nouns.  Countable: teacher (people); valley (place); deer (animal); comb (thing)  Uncountable: water (liquid); steam (gas); copper (substance) 5  Ten kilometres is a long distance.  Twenty dollars is not enough to buy a good shirt.  Seven days in prison is all he got for shoplifting. 3. Countable and Uncountable Nouns Countable nouns (also called count nouns) are nouns that can be counted (e.g. oranges). Uncountable nouns (also known as non-count or mass nouns) are amounts of something which we cannot count (e.g. sand). So how do we know whether or not a noun is countable or uncountable? The noun is countable: if we can use the indefinite artice a/an before it.  I own a car. / I play with an ostrich. if we can use the word 'many' (and not 'much') to describe it.  She has many friends. (It's wrong to say: She has much friends.) if we can express its quantity by using a number before it.  I have five apples. if it takes on singular as well as plural forms.  an orange / some oranges / fifty oranges The noun is uncountable: if a/an is not normally used in front of it.  He is eating some rice. (NOT: He is eating a rice.) Rice is treated as not countable, so some (which can be used for both countable and uncountable nouns) is used with it. if the word much can be correctly used with it.  How much rice have you eaten? (NOT: How many rice have you eaten?) if it is not possible for us to count it. However, we can make it countable by having a quantity for it.  I have just bought two cartons or litres/liters of milk. (NOT: I have just bought two milk.) if it takes only a singular form.  some ice (NOT: some ices) / some ink (NOT: some inks) / some soup (NOT: some soups) Some nouns can be countable or uncountable. It depends on how they are used. 6 Examples: o I boil an egg. (Countable noun) o I like egg. (Uncountable noun, as it refers to egg in general.) Countable and Uncountable Nouns are used with the following: Countable Noun Uncountable Noun a, an, a few, several, many, a little, much, some, plenty of, some, plenty of, a lot of, a lot of, a large amount of, a large number of a great deal of 4. Collective Nouns A collective noun is a name used for a number of people, animals or things that we group together and speak of as a whole. For example, we say a bunch of bananas, a litter of puppies, a flock of sheep, etc. Viewed as a single unit, a group uses a singular verb; regarded as separate members making up the group, it takes a plural verb.  The family is planning an overseas trip. (The family is viewed as a single unit planning and goingoverseas together, so it takes a singular verb.)  The family are discussing about the plan. (The family members are taking part in the discussion and are no longer considered a single unit, so it uses a plural verb.) A collective noun can take a singular or a plural verb. The following nouns can be singular or plural. Viewed as a single unit, the noun takes a singular verb; regarded as a group of separate members or parts, it becomes a plural noun used with a plural verb. Examples: o The new government has gained more support since taking office. o The Government are determined to keep inflation in check. o The explorers stumbled across a species of plant unknown to science. o Different fish species have been found in thecoastal waters of the island. o Data indicates that most of the offenders come from broken home. o We will not draw any conclusion until we have looked at all the data. o Statistics is included in this year's Mathematics syllabus. o The statistics tell us the current trend is towards more consumers' spending. 7 o The enemy is calling for a ceasefire. o Security is very tight as the enemy are everywhere. A collective noun treated as singular uses a singular possessive pronoun; a plural collective noun takes a plural possessive pronoun. Examples: o Our team has won its first trophy. (The singular possessive pronoun isits. The singular possessive pronoun its agrees with the singular collective noun team.) o Our team are deciding on the strategy for their next game. (Plural possessive pronoun: their) o The full orchestra led by its new conductor is performing in the city. o The orchestra do not agree to the venue for their next performance. o The audience showed its approval by clapping and cheering. o When the curtain came down, the audience began leaving theirseats. Two subjects expressed as a single unit and take a singular verb. Examples: o Time and tide waits for no man. o Bread and jam is what he eats most in the morning. 5. Possessive form of nouns Nouns have a possessive form. We use it to show ownership. To show the possessive form, put an apostrophe (') and an s – 's – after a singular noun Examples: o This is my dog and that is Tom's cat. o The child is pulling the cow's tail. o Everybody's shoes must be left outside the door. o We all like the church's teaching on forgiveness. Use an apostrophe and an s ('s) after plural nouns that do not end in s to make the possessive form Examples: o The plane's tail section had broken off. o This is the second attempt on the president's life.