BPSC » BPSC Study Materials » English » An Explanation of Nouns

An Explanation of Nouns

A noun is a word that specifies the name of a place, person, animal, and thing. This article provides a detailed look at the concept of nouns. Learn the types of nouns with examples.

Nouns are words used to name a place, animal, thing, or person. Nouns serve a crucial function in sentences. They take on the role of subjects and objects, which is vital. Nouns are widely used in sentence formation and naming emotions. There are different types of nouns. Each type specifies a name for different things. In this article, we will understand the concept of nouns. Further, we will also read about different noun types with their examples.

Nouns

A noun is a term used as a naming word. It is an essential part of speech. Nouns serve a large amount of the English vocabulary and are widely used in sentence formation, including naming emotions. There are different types of nouns. A noun is a word that specifies the name of a place, person, animal, and thing. The naming word can be imaginary too. Some factors can define nouns in a sentence. These factors are listed below:

  • Positions of words in a sentence.
  • Ending of a word.
  • Functions of a word in a sentence.

Types of Nouns

There are different types of nouns, as listed below:

  • Common nouns are general terms for items/things. Usually, they are not written in capital letters. Common nouns are not names of specific things.

Some examples of common nouns are:

  1. Where are flowers kept?
  2. How many fruits are in the basket?
  3. Do they need books?

Proper nouns are used to specify and not generalise. They are typically capitalised. A name, months, days, or other titles are always proper nouns. 

Some examples of proper nouns are:

  1. Ram is a good boy.
  2. Seema is coming on Wednesday.
  3. Her birthday comes in April.

Concrete nouns name and identify material things that can be touched. These nouns can be common, proper, singular, plural, countable, uncountable, or collective. 

Some examples of concrete nouns are:

  1. There are many pens on the table.
  2. I love to eat fish.
  3. This book is really good.

Abstract nouns cannot be touched or seen, only felt. They represent emotions, experiences, or feelings. They can be countable or uncountable. Some examples of abstract nouns are:

  1. His love for the country is evident.
  2. He hates Meena.
  3. I cannot trust you.

Countable nouns can be counted. They can be singular and plural. They are used with determiners. 

Some examples of countable nouns are:

  1. I have bought six pens.
  2. There are many pens in the box.
  3. I have three pets. 

Uncountable nouns can not be counted. They are always singular. They are also called mass nouns. 

Some examples of uncountable nouns are as follow:

  1. I need some air.
  2. It would help if you had plenty of sleep.
  3. There are few droplets of water.

Collective nouns can be grouped. 

Some examples of collective nouns are:

  1. Our team is strong.
  2. Don’t you have a bunch of keys with you?
  3. There is too much confetti in the field.

Compound nouns are when two words join together to form a single word. 

Some examples of compound nouns are:

  1. Do you have toothpaste?
  2. He is my son-in-law. 
  3. Where is the post office?

Examples of Nouns

Some examples of nouns in a sentence are listed below:

  1. Mohan is a very handsome boy. —  Proper Noun
  2. Where are my books kept? — Countable Noun
  3. Do you hate him? — Abstract Noun
  4. I have six toys. — Countable Noun
  5. I like to play football. — Concrete Noun
  6. I have trust issues with him. — Abstract Noun
  7. I have bought fruits. —  Common Noun
  8. My hair is too long. — Concrete Noun
  9. I just saw a group of boys going there. — Collective Noun
  10. My daughter-in-law is coming today. — Compound Noun

Conclusion

Nouns are naming words. A noun is a word that specifies the name of a place, person, thing, and emotion. Nouns serve a significant part of the vocabulary and syntax and are widely used in sentence formation. They also name emotions. One has to remember the uses amd purposes of nouns to avoid any mistake in spoken or written communication.

faq

Frequently Asked Questions

Get answers to the most common queries related to the BPSC Examination Preparation.

What is a noun?

Ans. Nouns are words used to name a place, animal, thing, or person. Nouns ser...Read full

What are proper nouns? Give examples.

Ans. Proper nouns identify and specify persons, places, things. They are always capitalised. The name of mont...Read full

What are countable nouns? Give examples.

Ans. Nouns that can be counted are referred to as countable nouns. They can be...Read full

What are the ways a noun is identified in a sentence?

Ans : Some factors specify nouns in a sentence, as listed below: ...Read full

Write about compound nouns. Give examples.

Ans : When two words are joined together to form a single word, that results i...Read full