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FF.1 Learn to identify nouns

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What are nouns?

Nouns are words that name people, places, things, or ideas. They help us talk about everything around us.

Examples:
  • Person: teacher, firefighter
  • Place: park, library
  • Thing: pencil, bicycle
  • Idea: freedom, kindness
Note

Nouns are the building blocks of sentences. Every sentence usually has at least one noun.

Common and proper nouns

A common noun names any person, place, thing, or idea. A proper noun names a specific person, place, or thing and always begins with a capital letter.

Examples:
  • Common noun: city → Proper noun: Chicago
  • Common noun: dog → Proper noun: Buddy
  • Common noun: holiday → Proper noun: Thanksgiving
Note

Remember: proper nouns are always capitalized, no matter where they appear in the sentence.

Singular and plural nouns

A singular noun names one person, place, thing, or idea. A plural noun names more than one.

Examples:
  • Singular: cat → Plural: cats
  • Singular: bus → Plural: buses
  • Singular: child → Plural: children
Note

Most plurals are formed by adding ā€œ-sā€ or ā€œ-es,ā€ but some nouns have irregular plural forms (like child → children).

Concrete and abstract nouns

Concrete nouns are things you can see, hear, touch, taste, or smell. Abstract nouns are ideas, feelings, or qualities that you cannot sense directly.

Examples:
  • Concrete: apple, thunder, desk
  • Abstract: honesty, courage, love
Note

Concrete nouns are easier to picture, while abstract nouns describe concepts you can think about but not physically touch.

Using nouns in sentences

Nouns can be subjects or objects in a sentence. The subject tells who or what the sentence is about, and the object receives the action.

Examples:
  • Subject: The dog barked loudly.
  • Object: She read a book.
  • Both: Emily (subject) built a sandcastle (object).
Note

Check your sentences: every complete sentence needs a noun as the subject.