Understanding Nouns: Types, Classes, and Examples, Slides of Voice

Download Understanding Nouns: Types, Classes, and Examples and more Slides Voice in PDF only on Docsity! #16 Santa Ana College Learning Center 2015 WHAT ARE NOUNS? Definition: A noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. General Types of Nouns: I. Proper II. Common a. Concrete and Abstract b. Countable, Uncountable, and Collective c. Compound d. Gender Specific e. Gerunds I. Proper Nouns are words that name a specific person, place, or thing. A proper noun begins with an upper case letter because it is the name of a particular person, place, or thing. Examples: George Washington, California, Monday, Coca-Cola II. Common Nouns are words that name people, places, things, or ideas; BUT they are not the names of specific people, places, or things. A common noun begins with a lower case letter, unless it is at the beginning of a sentence. Examples: boy, girl, hospital, store, pencil, car Common Nouns are further classified into: 1. Concrete and Abstract a. Concrete nouns are “sense” words, or words that can be experienced with the five senses: sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. You can see a tree, a book, a person, etc… You can hear a bell, a horn, a voice, etc… You can smell popcorn, flowers, scents, etc… You can taste the pizza, the spice, the flavor, etc… You can touch an apple, an animal, an umbrella, etc… b. Abstract nouns are words that refer to ideas, concepts, beliefs, or your state of being. Unlike concrete nouns, abstract nouns are things you cannot see, hear, smell, taste, or touch. *Be careful identifying and using abstract nouns because sometimes a word can function as an abstract noun or a verb. The context and use of the word in a sentence determines whether the word is an abstract noun or verb. 1) I love my dog. (In this sentence, the word love indicates an action and therefore is a verb.) 2) Love is a strong emotion. (In this sentence, love is the subject of the sentence and acts as an abstract noun because love is a thing that you cannot see, hear, smell, taste, or touch.) Other examples: love, hate, democracy, freedom, peace, trust, rage, education, happiness