Nouns - English Language - Lecture Slides, Slides of English Language

Download Nouns - English Language - Lecture Slides and more Slides English Language in PDF only on Docsity! Start the presentation by selecting “View show” from the Slide Show menu. Work through the presentation by left-clicking the mouse. You can make notes as you go. Use the left arrow key to return to an earlier slide. If you prefer to print the slides, make sure you follow these instructions: Do not just click the print button. 1. Select print from the file menu. 2. Select handouts; six slides per page; pure black & white. 3. Click OK. Nouns Docsity.com WHAT ARE NOUNS? Nouns are naming words. They name people, places and objects. They can also name ideas, emotions, qualities and activities. Here are some examples of nouns:  Peter, Elizabeth, driver, sister, friend. Bristol, Severn, Brazil, pen, dog, money.  Love, beauty, industry, nature, greed, pain. Docsity.com Proper nouns Proper nouns start with capital letters. They are the names of people, places, times, organisations etc. They refer to unique individuals. Most are not found in the dictionary. They often occur in pairs or groups. Here are some examples. Docsity.com Tony Blair King Henry Bridget Jones Christmas China Thames Keynsham Sony Coca Cola Macbeth President Bush The Jam Coronation Street Saturn Carly John Portugal The Ford Motor Company Oxfam Docsity.com Common nouns All nouns which are not proper nouns are common nouns. A few examples: cup, art, paper, work, frog, bicycle, atom, family, mind. Common nouns are either countable or uncountable. Docsity.com Dual category nouns • Some nouns may be countable or uncountable, depending on how we use them. • We buy a box of chocolates (countable) or a bar of chocolate (uncountable). • We ask: How much time? but How many times? (where times = occasions). • We sit in front of a television (set) to watch television (broadcasting). Docsity.com Field-specific nouns • Uncountable nouns are often turned into countable nouns by specialists in a particular field.They become part of the jargon of that specialism. • Grass is usually uncountable but botanists and gardeners talk about grasses. • Linguists sometimes talk about Englishes. • Financiers refer to moneys or even monies. • Teas may be used to mean types of tea. Docsity.com Remember that both countable and uncountable nouns can be divided into concrete and abstract nouns. The distinction between concrete and abstract nouns is the most important one of all when you are analysing linguistic data. A lot of abstract nouns in a text will have a big impact on its register. The Plain English Campaign has an excellent website which will tell you more about the stylistic impact of abstract nouns. Docsity.com Abstract noun or adjective • You won’t confuse abstract nouns with adjectives, as long as you apply a few tests. • Happy is an adjective. It behaves like one: very happy; so happy; happier; as happy as • Happiness behaves like a noun: The happiness I feel; her happiness; great happiness. Docsity.com A few more examples Verb or adjective Abstract noun We were different from each other. The difference between us. My work is precise. I work with precision. The air is pure. The purity of the air. I composed this tune. This tune is my composition. It is so beautiful. It has such beauty. You support me. The support you give me. Docsity.com The morphology of nouns • Nouns change their form for only two grammatical reasons: • Countable nouns have a plural form. This is usually formed by adding –s, of course, but there are some irregular forms. • The possessive form of a noun is created by adding –’s (Henry’s cat) or just an apostrophe (all our students’ results). Docsity.com Examples of noun phrases (headword in brackets) • (She) always bought the same (newspaper). • A young (man) in a suit was admiring the (view) from the window. • Concentrated sulphuric (acid) must be handled carefully. • My old maths (teacher) was Austrian. Docsity.com The syntax of noun phrases • The headword of a noun phrase may be pre-modified by determiners, adjectives or other nouns. • For example, a large, dinner (plate). • It may be post-modified by a prepositional phrase. • This is simply a noun phrase with a preposition at the beginning. • For example, a (painting) by Rembrandt. • Can you spot the modifiers in the last slide? (Left arrow key takes you back) Docsity.com Clauses modifying nouns • We can use a clause (a group of words containing a verb) to post-modify a noun. • A clause which post-modifies a noun is called a relative clause or adjectival clause. • Here are some examples: • This is the (house) that Jack built. • (People) who live in glass houses should not throw stones. Docsity.com