The Noun – Kinds of Nouns

The Noun – Kinds of Nouns :- A noun is one of the most important parts of speech in English grammar. It is a word used to name a person, place, animal, thing, or idea. Everything we see around us and even everything we think about can be expressed through nouns.

What is a Noun : The Noun – Kinds of Nouns

A noun is the name of a person, place, animal, thing, or idea.

The word thing includes everything we can see, touch, feel, think, or imagine.

Examples:

• Person – Ramesh, teacher, doctor
• Place – Jaipur, school, market
• Animal – dog, cow, tiger
• Thing – book, table, pen
• Idea – honesty, love, freedom

1. Proper Noun and Common Noun

Look at this sentence:

Akbar was a great emperor.

• Akbar is the name of one particular emperor → Proper Noun
• emperor can be used for any emperor → Common Noun

More Examples

Proper Noun	Common Noun
Rahul	boy
Ganga	river
Mumbai	city
Rajasthan	state
India	country
Taj Mahal	monument

Definition of Common and Proper Noun

Common Noun:
A common noun is a general name given to every person or thing of the same kind.

Proper Noun:
A proper noun is the special name of a particular person, place, or thing.

Important Notes

1. Proper nouns always begin with a capital letter.
   • Delhi, Meera, Sunday
2. Sometimes a proper noun is used as a common noun.
   • He is the Einstein of our class. (means a very intelligent person)
   • Kalidas is often called the Shakespeare of India. (means the greatest dramatist)

Here, Einstein and Shakespeare are proper nouns, but they are used to show a quality.

2. Collective Noun

A collective noun is the name of a group of persons or things taken together and spoken of as one unit.

Examples

Collective Noun	Meaning
team	group of players
army	group of soldiers
flock	group of birds
herd	group of cattle
class	group of students
committee	group of members
family	group of related persons

 

Example Sentences:

• The team won the match.
• A herd of cows is grazing.
• The committee has taken a decision.

3. Abstract Noun

An abstract noun is the name of a quality, action, or state.
We cannot see or touch it, but we can feel or think about it.

Quality

Adjective	Abstract Noun
kind	kindness
brave	bravery
honest	honesty
wise	wisdom
strong	strength

 

Examples:

• Honesty is the best policy.
• Bravery is admired by all.

Action

Verb	Abstract Noun
laugh	laughter
move	movement
judge	judgement
decide	decision
grow	growth

 

Examples:

• His growth is impressive.
• The decision was correct.

State

Common Noun	Abstract Noun
child	childhood
friend	friendship
king	kingship
slave	slavery

 

Examples:

• Childhood is the happiest period of life.
• Friendship is a precious bond.

Names of Arts and Sciences

Names of Arts and Sciences like:

• Grammar
• History
• Music
• Physics
• Chemistry

are also Abstract Nouns.

4. Countable and Uncountable Nouns

Another way to classify nouns is based on counting.

(A) Countable Nouns

These are nouns that we can count.

Examples:

• book → books
• apple → apples
• student → students
• chair → chairs

We can use numbers with them:

• I have three pens.
• There are five boys in the room.

(B) Uncountable Nouns

These are nouns that we cannot count.

Examples:

• milk
• sugar
• oil
• gold
• water
• honesty

We do not make them plural.

Correct:

• Give me a glass of milk.
• Add some sugar in the tea.

Incorrect:

• milks
• sugars

Noun : Summary Table

Type of Noun	Meaning	Examples
Proper Noun	Special name	Riya, India
Common Noun	General name	girl, country
Collective Noun	Name of a group	team, army
Abstract Noun	Quality, action, state	honesty, growth
Countable Noun	Can be counted	pen, book
Uncountable Noun	Cannot be counted	water, rice

Final Understanding of the Noun

• Every proper noun is special.
• Every proper noun can also be placed under common noun category in a broader sense (e.g., Delhi is a city).
• Collective nouns show unity.
• Abstract nouns show ideas and feelings.
• Countable nouns have plural forms; uncountable nouns do not.

Here is a 20 MCQs Quiz on Noun.👇

A Quiz of 20 Questions on Parts of Speech : Noun