Wild Rose Learning

Here are all of the basic rules of noun usage.

Nouns are words that label people, places, things and animals.

Some examples are:

• Boy – Person
• City – Place
• Mattress – Thing
• Dog – Animal

The examples above, however, are only one type of noun (common).

Proper Nouns

There are also proper nouns, which are specific or special names for common nouns.

For example:

• Greg – Name of a person
• Toronto – Name of a place
• Sealy – Name of a mattress
• Lassie – Name of a dog

Additionally, proper nouns have to begin with a capital letter because they are specific names.

Now, notice how all of the examples I gave only talk about one person, place, thing or animal?

Plural Nouns

It’s because these are singular nouns. If you want to turn nouns into more than one (or plural), you have to add an -s to them (most of the time).

For example:

• 1 boy – 3 boys
• 1 place – 3 places
• 1 table – 3 tables
• 1 dog – 3 dogs

However, there are special circumstances when this rule doesn’t apply.

-Y to -I

For instance, if a word ends in a -y, you have to change the -y to an -i and then add -es.

For example:

• 1 city – 3 cities

But if the word had a vowel (a, e, i, o, u) before the -y, this rule doesn’t apply.

For example:

• 1 toy – 3 toys

-F to -V

Another rule is if a word ends in an -f, you have to change it to a -v and then add -es.

For example:

• 1 leaf – 3 leaves

However, some words are exempt from this rule.

If the word ends in -ff, it is exempt.

• 1 cliff – 3 cliffs

There are also some other words that are just exempt.

• 1 belief – 3 beliefs
• 1 chef – 3 chefs
• 1 chief – 3 chiefs
• 1 reef – 3 reefs

(To learn all or most of them, search them online.)

Adding -ES

Also, if a word ends in -s, -x, -o, -ss, -ch, or -sh, you have to add an -es.

For example:

• 1 bench – 3 benches
• 1 bush – 3 bushes
• 1 box – 3 boxes
• 1 loss – 3 losses
• 1 potato – 3 potatoes

Irregular Nouns

In addition to all of that, there are also irregular nouns. These are nouns that don’t follow any plural rule.

For example:

• 1 man – 3 men
• 1 tooth – 3 teeth
• 1 mouse – 3 mice

Countable and Uncountable Nouns

Another important rule to keep in mind is countable and uncountable nouns.

Countable nouns are things you can count, such as apples or teeth.

Uncountable nouns are things you cannot count, such as water, nature or poverty.

This rule is important because it will ensure your subjects and verbs agree and help you pick the right quantifiers.

For example:

• The information is correct.
• The water is cold.
• There is so much snow.

Subjects and Objects

One more thing you have to keep in mind when dealing with nouns is subjects and objects.

Subject nouns are words that are used before verbs or prepositions.

For example:

• The man ran to work.

Object nouns are words that are used after verbs or prepositions.

For example:

• The cyclist bumped the car.
• The mouse scurried under the table.

Collective Nouns

Another thing (sorry) is collective nouns.

Collective nouns are single words used to describe a group of people, things or animals.

It’s important to know these nouns because they represent many people, things, or animals, but act as a singular noun.

Some examples are: family, band, team, herd, pack, pile, stack, collection.

Conclusion

These are the basic rules for nouns.

If you would like to practice these rules, check out my workbooks. 

They are a great way to learn grammar because they provide lessons and exercises to help you practice the rules.

You can learn more about the workbooks here.