introductions to nouns

7/29/2019 Introductions to Nouns

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Introduction to Nouns part 1

TYPES OF WORDS Common vs. Proper Nouns Concrete vs. Abstract

Nouns


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TYPES OF WORDS

OPEN WORDS CLOSED WORDS

You can always add new wordsto this class of words. A hundredyears ago people didnt know whata computer was and 40 years agonot many people downloadedanything. In time, new nouns, verbs,adjectives and adverbs will appear.

You cant add any new words to thisgroup. For example, in English wehave 8 personal pronouns (I, you, he,she, it, we, you, they) and it wouldntbe possible to add another pronounto this set.


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OPEN WORDS CLOSED WORDS

1. Nouns2. Adjectives3. Verbs4. Adverbs

1. Pronouns2. Determiners3. Prepositions4. Conjunctions


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There are 80 million nouns in the English language. They can be divided inseveral different ways:

1. COMMON NOUNS vs. PROPER NOUNS2. CONCRETE NOUNS vs. ABSTRACT NOUNS

3. POSSESSIVE NOUNS4. SINGULAR vs. PLURAL NOUNS

5. COUNTABLE NOUNS vs. UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS

*These are not all of the groups that nouns could be segregated into, but they are the mostimportant ones for a student of English to understand.

Nouns


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We use nouns to give names to things. We use nouns when we answerquestions like what? or who?

OPEN WORDS - Nouns

CAT MARY FLOWER

CANADAROBIN HOOD ARMCHAIR


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Common vs. Proper Nouns


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COMMON NOUNSrefer to general categories of things:

OPEN WORDS NounsTYPES OF NOUNS

PROPER NOUNSrefer to specific people, places, objectsand are usually written with a capitalletter:

CAT ARMCHAIR Mary

Canada

Robin Hood

Leonardo Di Caprio

War and Peace

New York

BAG

OFFICE


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REMEMBER! PROPER NOUNS dont usually take determiners aand the. I went to J amaica for holiday. NOT: I went to the J amaica for holiday Have you read Hamlet?NOT: Have you read the Hamlet? I would love to meet Tina Turner. NOT: I would love to meet the Tina Turner.


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REMEMBER! PROPER NOUNS can in time turn into COMMON NOUNS. It happens

when a brand becomes so popular that people start to use its namewith reference to items produced by other companies.

hoover = any vacuum cleanerWhere do you keep your hoover?

biro = any penDo you have a biro I could borrow?


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Concrete vs. Abstract Nouns


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OPEN WORDS NounsTYPES OF NOUNS

CONCRETE NOUNSrefer to things which you can see, feel,hear, smell, taste:

ABSTRACT NOUNSrefer to things that you cannot touch ormeasure emotions, ideas, etc:

TELEPHONE

SIGN

LOVE

BEAUTY

COURAGE

WISDOM

BUS / PEOPLE

KNOWLEDGE

HOPE

NEW YORK


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REMEMBER! Some ABSTRACT NOUNS (but never CONCRETE NOUNS) can be used

in sentences like: It is a wonder(that) he didnt get killed. It is a pity(that) I hadnt met him earlier. It would be a crime to leave her like that.

introductions to nouns

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