Nouns (English, Grammar, Study Notes and Guides), Lecture notes of English Language

Download Nouns (English, Grammar, Study Notes and Guides) and more Lecture notes English Language in PDF only on Docsity! NOUNS Traditional grammarians define a noun as “a person, place, thing, or idea.” Child designates a person; therefore, child is a noun. Similarly, democracy designates an idea; therefore, democracy is a noun. In addition, nouns can be identified by the presence of signal words such as the. Example: someone stole fhe car. noun Word order can also provide clues about nouns. For example, in the following sentence, it is clear that the part of speech that will fit into slot #1 and slot #2 must be nouns: touched (1) (2) Often, suffixes will suggest that a word is a noun. For example, -tion, -ness, -ment, or -er at the end of a word usually signify that the word is a noun, as in suggestion, happiness, involvement, and diner. Nouns may be made plural, usually with the suffix -s or -es, as in books and foxes. Nouns show ownership with the addition of an apostrophe and, sometimes, an additional -s, as in a book's pages, twenty students’ essays. Common nouns such as school, business, or person designate an entire class. Proper nouns, on the other hand, designate a specific example of a class: Towson University, Black and Decker Company, Joe. Proper nouns are capitalized. Nouns may be countable (1 fork, 2 forks, 3 forks, etc.) or non-countable (sugar, oil). Nouns may signify concreteness (computer, fingernail) or abstractness (peace, friendship). Functions of Nouns Subject (S) - a noun or pronoun partnered with a predicate verb. A subject 1. does an action with an action verb s Example: Joe ate some meatballs. 2. exists with a verb of being s Examples: Joe is in the kitchen s There is a flyin my soup. 3. is renamed or described after a verb of being or a linking verb s Examples: Joe is a gourmet Ss The cake looks good 4. is acted upon with a passive verb s Example: Joe was fed some meatballs. Object of Preposition (OP) - a noun or pronoun answering "whom" or "what" after a preposition in a a prepositional phrase. Preposition OP Example: Joe ate some meatballs with his friends Direct Object (DO) - a noun or pronoun answering “whom” or "what" after an action verb. A direct object “receives” or is the “object” of the action. bo Example: Joe ate some meatballs. Retained Object (RO) - a noun or pronoun answering "whom" or "what" after a passive verb.