Unit B:Nouns

Person: GirlsThing: Ribbon

Place: Bus Idea: Happiness

Grammar 1: What Is a Noun?

A noun names a person, a place, or a thing.

Example: Pablo lives in a house on my street. His grandparents came from Puerto Rico.• Notice that Puerto Rico is two words that name one

place. Nouns can be two or more words.• Nouns can also name feeling, thoughts, and ideas.• Examples: excitement, fear, anger, happiness

Nouns

Persons boy, student, Bob writer, Bob Jones

Places lake, country, state field, USA, West Virginia

Things boat, calendar shirt, basketball

Grammar 2: Common and Proper Nouns

When you talk or write about persons, places, or things in general, you use common nouns. When you talk or write about a particular person, place, or thing, you use a proper noun.

Common: The teachers came from different countries.

Proper: Mrs. Diaz is from Mexico.

Common and Proper Nouns

Common Nouns

Proper Nouns Common Nouns

Proper Nouns

street North Drive river Ohio River

city Charleston building White House

state West Virginia poet Edgar Allen Poe

continent Asia holiday Labor Day

ocean Atlantic Ocean month November

mountain Mt. Washington

day Friday

Common and Proper Nouns

When you use the words for family relationships as names, capitalize them. Otherwise, do not capitalize those words.

Example: A magazine interviewed Mom.Example: My dad teaches math.

Grammar 3: Singular and Plural Nouns

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

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

Example Singular: The student passed the test.Example Plural: The students passed the test.

Rules for Forming Plural Nouns

1. Most singular nouns: Add –s

dog—dogs can--cans

2. Nouns ending in s, x, ch, or sh

Add –es

box—boxeschurch—churchesbush--bushes

3. Nouns ending with a vowel and y Add –s

boy-boystoy-toys

4. Nouns ending with a consonant and y Change the y to i and add -es

baby-babiescity-cities

Grammar 4: More Plural Nouns

Many nouns do not become plural according to regular rules. The following chart shows you the different patterns for forming the plurals of these nouns. TIP: Use your dictionary to check for correct plurals.

More Plural Nouns Chart1. Nouns ending if f or fe: Change the f to v and add –es to some nouns. Add –s to other nouns.

life—livescalf—calvesleaf—leavescliff--cliffs

2. Nouns ending with a vowel and o: Add -s

rodeo—rodeosradio—radiosstudio--studios

3. Nouns ending with a consonant and o:

Add –s to some nouns. Add –es to other nouns

solo-solospiano-pianoshero—heroesecho-echoestomato-tomatoes

4. Nouns that have special plural spellings

foot-feet woman--women

5. Nouns that remain the same in both

singular and plural

deer—deertrout-troutsheep--sheep

Grammar 5: Singular Possessive Nouns

A singular possessive noun shows that one person, place, or thing has or owns something. To make a singular nouns show possession, add an apostrophe and –s (‘s).

Example: the fur of the dog the dog’s furExample: the collar of the pet the pet’s collar

Using possessive nouns is shorter and better than other ways of showing possession.

Example: The dog belonging to Joe is barking.Example: Joe’s dog is barking.

Singular Possessive Nouns

Singular Noun Singular Possessive Nounchild child’s toyTess Tess’s bikepony pony’s manefish fish’s fins

Grammar 6: Plural Possessive Nouns

A plural noun that shows ownership, or possession, is called a plural possessive noun.Example: The cars that belong to the teachers are parked here.Example: The teachers’ cars are parked here.

When a plural noun ends in –s, add only an apostrophe after the –s (s’) to make the noun show possession.Examples: boys’ books wolves’ pups babies’ mothers

Not all plural nouns end –s. When a plural noun does not end in –s, add (-s) to form the plural possessive noun.Example: shoes of the men men’s shoes food of the mice mice’s food

Plural Possessive Nouns

Singular Singular Possessive

Plural Plural Possessive

girl girl’s girls girls’calf calf’s calves calves’pony pony’s ponies ponies’child child’s children children’smouse mouse’s mice mice’s

TIP:

1. If a noun is singular, add an apostrophe and a -s to make it possessive

A cat’s bowlA bird’s beakJames’ coat

2. If a noun is plural and ends with an s, add and apostrophe after the s.

Three cars’ enginesTwo girls’ homeworkTwo boats’ trailers

3. If a nous is plural, but does not end in an –s, add an apostrophe and an –s.

Three deer’s bedTwo children’s game

Exceptions: People who lived a long time ago and their name ends in an –s, just add an apostrophe after the s. Example: Zeus ---Zeus’ tricks. Notice the difference with Zeus and James.

If a word is two syllables or more, ends with an –s , and would be hard to pronounce with the addition of the –s, just add the apostrophe.

The End

The horse’s jump cleared the bar.