Grammar: Noun

Posted December 14, 2014 by Kathy Davie in Author Resources, Grammar Explanations, Self-Editing, Writing


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Nouns are people, places, things, or ideas. They may be proper, specific, or common. Without ’em, readers wouldn’t know if they (we!) were at the ocean or a lake, hiking in a lush, rich forest or across the desert, cooking in the kitchen or over a campfire . . . discussing philosophy or strategy . . . sewing a quilt or a shirt . . . typing a novel or a screenplay . . . and on and on . . .

Grammar Explanations is . . .

. . . an evolving list of the structural rules and principles that determines where words are placed in phrases or sentences as well as how the language is spoken. Sometimes I run across an example that helps explain better or another “also known as”. Heck, there’s always a better way to explain it, so if it makes quicker and/or better sense, I would appreciate suggestions and comments from anyone on an area of grammar with which you struggle or on which you can contribute more understanding.

If you found this post on “Noun” interesting, consider subscribing to KD Did It, if you’d like to track this post for future updates.

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Noun
Definition: Person, place, thing, or idea. One tip-off is if the word is preceded by “the”.

Nouns can have different functions in a sentence:

  • Subjective case, a.k.a., nominative case – acts as subject of independent or dependent clause
  • Possessive case, a.k.a., Genitive case – shows possession of something else
  • Objective case, a.k.a., oblique – functions as the recipient of action — direct (accusative) or indirect (dative) objects — or as the object of a preposition
  • Vocative Case – names addressed directly

A good indicator is the use of a determiner which signals that the following word is a noun.

POST CONTENTS:

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Noun Anatomy
Head Noun Definition: The key word that determines the nature of a phrase (in contrast to any modifiers or determiners).

A.k.a. governor, head word, primary noun, primary word

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Legend:

  1. Green indicates the noun head

She’s such a tiny dog.

We swam through the coral reefs in the Caribbean.

John and I really enjoy space opera movies.

People who run are susceptible to shin splints.

Types of Nouns
Common Noun Definition: General items

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 school
church
book		 paper
ball
cake
+ + +
Nominalization Definition: The creation of a noun from adjectives or verbs.

Most verbs or adjectives use suffixes to change their meaning to a noun.

There are two types of nominalized nouns:

  1. Nominalized – changing the noun
  2. Conversion – adjective or verb used as a noun without any changes

A.k.a. nominalisation, verbification, verbing, zero derivation

Credit to: Nominalization
Nominalized Adjective Definition: Adjectives are changed into nouns when speaking of them as general ideas or concepts.

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Legend:

  1. Green indicates the converted adjective
-ance Rule: -ance are used with adjectives that end in -ant.

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Adjective Noun
important importance
ignorant ignorance
Examples:
This is of the utmost importance.

Your ignorance is astounding.

-ence Rule: -ence is used with an adjective that ends in -ent.

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Adjective Noun
independent independence
silent silence
Examples:
We demand greater independence.

Silence is expected during tests.

the Rule: Convert the adjective by putting the before the adjective.

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 The wealthy have an obligation to help the poor.

We all want the best for her.

This law protects the innocent.

Nominalized Infinitive Rule: Changes an infinitive into a noun by the addition of -ing.

A.k.a. conversion, gerund

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Legend:

  1. Green indicates the infinitive-turned-noun

Swimming in the ocean has been Sharon’s passion since she was five years old.

The ballerina taught us dancing.

Apologizing to me isn’t enough this time.

She is afraid of flying.

They are capable of doing hard work.

Nominalized Verb Definition: Verbs are transformed into nouns.

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 Nominalized verbs include:

See also Noun Suffix

Verb Becomes Noun
state statement
assume assumption
introduce introduction
think thought
Agent Noun Rule: Some nouns that end in -er or -or are derived from verbs and indicate an actor / agent / things that perform a function of the verb.

Credit to: Maddox

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Verb Agent
act actor
advise advisor
invent inventor
sculpt sculptor
translate translator
write writer
work worker
employ employee
till tiller
type typewriter
project projector
Gerund Rule: The past participle of the verb forms the noun.

You may want to explore the post on “Gerund“.

Credit to: Maddox

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Legend:

  1. Green indicates the gerund

Hiking can be arduous.

Writing is not for sissies.

Loitering is not permitted.

Painting can be creative or practical.

Recipient Noun Rule: The suffix -ee is used in legal terminology to indicate the passive party in a legal transaction; it has also crept into general use.

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Verb Agent
legate legatee
pay payee
parol parolee
kidnap kidnapee
evacuate evacuee
Conversion Noun Definition: An adjective or verb is used as a noun without changing its spelling in any way.

A.k.a. null derivation, zero derivation

Credit to: Joseph

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Adjective/Verb Becomes Noun
green (putting) green
catch (fisherman’s) catch
walk (go for a) walk
experience (have an) experience
command (he’s in) command
Modal Noun Definition: An auxiliary noun that expresses various moods, qualities, or conditions — certainty, ability, willingness, necessity, permission, obligation, advice, possibility — through its application in a clause.

Credit to: Use, 3.14

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List of Modal Nouns
ability
capacity
chance
the necessity		 obligation
permission
possibility
promise		 request
requirement
responsibility
Examples:
The interns have the ability to give 100% results due to their hard work and dedication.

My colleagues have the ability to clear the next round of promotion.

It becomes necessary to carry an umbrella in Bangalore due to uncertain rains.

I request you to kindly pay attention as the movie will begin shortly.

Legend:

  • Green indicates the modal noun
    		•
    Substantive Noun Definition: A noun, pronoun, adjective, verb, or other word or phrase that replaces the noun in a sentence, representing a clear object that can be grasped by thought.

    A.k.a. nominal

    Credit to: Substantive Noun; Substantive

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    		 On his walk home from his job, the man decided to stop by at the regular and order a hearty Southern dinner.

    The meek shall inherit the earth.

    He had a drink at the local before going home.

    Legend:

    1. Green indicates the substantive noun
    Deverbal Noun Definition: Verbs or verb phrases that behave grammatically as nouns.

    A.k.a. nominal noun, nominalization — using verbs as nouns

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    		 baker
    drink
    driver
    punishment    		 shake
    shootings
    suffering
    read
    Verbal Noun Definition: A noun formed from a verb with verbal characteristics but no verb-like properties.

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    		 A verbal noun can take determiners, be modified by adjectives, be pluralized (if the sense allows), or be followed by a prepositional phrase.

    Verbal nouns are formed in a number of ways, usually by adding a suffix to the base form of the verb.

    NOTE: Verbal nouns cannot be modified by an adverb nor can they take objects.

    Verb Noun
    to arrive arrival
    to decide decision
    to destroy destruction
    to fly flight
    to bowl bowling
    to return return
    to attack attack
    to build building
    to repeat repetition
    Examples:
    His sudden arrival surprised me.

    He has not yet announced his decision.

    He boarded a flight to Chicago.

    I do not want a repetition of yesterday’s events.

    The Iraqis staged a surprise attack.

    Smoking is forbidden.

    Proper Noun Definition: Names of actual people, places, animals, ideas, and products.

    NOTE: They are always capitalized.

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    		 George
    Mary
    God (“god vs God“); Jesus (“jesus vs Jesus“); Lord (“lord vs Lord“);
    Black and Decker
    United States
    Singular or Plural Noun Definition: It’s exactly what you think . . . Be aware that there are also collective nouns that are singular group or plural group nouns.

    General Rule: Make a noun plural by adding s . . . and there are tons of exceptions.

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    Singular Noun Plural Noun
    Definition: A noun that refers to only one thing, person, idea, place, etc. Definition: A noun that refers to multiple things, persons, ideas, places, etc.
    girl girls
    Paul, Mary, Henry Pauls, Marys, Henrys
    bicycle bicycles
    state states
    dream dreams
    thought thoughts
    Irregular Plural Endings Definition: Not all nouns can be made plural by adding an -s, some nouns that end in:

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    		 Contents for Irregular Verb Endings:

    More about the plural noun can be found in the post “Subject-Verb Agreement“.

    Credit to: Ellis
    NOTE: Crystal notes the “greengrocer’s apostrophe” which results from the confusion as to whether food nouns end in s or es with the produce becoming ‘s: potato’s, tomato’s. I disagree with his assessment, however (Crystal, 240).
    Ends in -ch, ‑s, -sh, -ss, -x, or -z Rule: Add ‑es to the end to make the noun plural.

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    Singular Plural
    lunch lunches
    bus buses
    marsh marshes
    truss trusses
    tax taxes
    blitz blitzes
    Ends in -s or -z Rule: Sometimes, a singular noun ending in -s or -z requires doubling the -s or -z before you add the -es to make it plural.

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    Singular Plural
    gas gasses
    fez fezzes
    Ends in -f or -fe Rule: Often changed to ‑ve before adding the -s to form the plural noun.

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    Singular Plural
    hoof hooves
    wife wives
    wolf wolves
    Exceptions to ending in -f, -fe Rule: Naturally, there are exceptions — just add -s.

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    Singular Plural
    belief beliefs
    fife fifes
    roof roofs
    Ends in consonant + -y Rule: If a singular noun ends in -y AND the letter before the -y is a consonant, change the ending to ‑ies to make the noun plural.

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    Singular Plural
    city cities
    puppy puppies
    party parties
    Ends in vowel + -y Rule: If a singular noun ends in -y AND the letter before the -y is a vowel, add s to make the noun plural.

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    Singular Plural
    boy boys
    ray rays
    Ends in -o Rule: Add ‑es to make this noun plural.

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    Singular Plural
    potato potatoes
    tomato tomatoes
    volcano volcanoes
    Exceptions to ends in -o Rule: Sometimes you simply add an -s to make such a noun plural.

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    Singular Plural
    photo photos
    piano pianos
    halo halos
    volcano volcanos
    Ends in -us Rule: Remove the -us and add an -i to make the noun plural.

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    Singular Plural
    cactus cacti
    focus foci
    locus loci
    Ends in ‑is Rule: Remove the -is and add ‑es to make the noun plural.

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    Singular Plural
    analysis analyses
    ellipsis ellipses
    oasis oases
    Ends in -on or -um Rule: Remove the ‑on and add ‑a to make a plural noun.

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    Singular Plural
    criterion criteria
    datum data
    phenomenon phenomena
    medium media
    No Change Rule: Some nouns don’t change at all when they’re pluralized.

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    Singular Plural
    deer deer
    fish fish
    moose moose
    series series
    Yet More Irregular Noun Endings Rule: Irregular nouns follow no specific rules, so it’s best to memorize these or look up the proper pluralization in the dictionary.

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    Singular Plural
    child children
    goose geese
    man men
    woman women
    tooth teeth
    foot feet
    mouse mice
    person people
    You may want to explore “People vs Person“.
    Concrete Noun Definition: A noun that a person, place or thing that is experienced through one or more of your five senses: taste, touch, sight, hearing, or smell.

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    Feel Hear See Smell Taste
    towel phone rainbow roast beef ice cream
    skin noise train flower chocolate
    fur whistling cloud armpit steak
    silk music cat garlic tomato
    What is that noise?

    After his retirement, Mr Bond pursued his dream of photographing rainbows.

    Would someone please answer the phone?

    That apple cobbler was delicious.

    I really prefer Irish butter.

    Legend:

    1. Green indicates the concrete noun

    Credit to: Concrete
    Idea Noun Definition: A word that expresses a concept.

    A.k.a. abstract noun

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    		 communism
    courage
    democracy
    dream
    education
    experience
    friendship
    hatred
    help
    humor    		 knowledge
    live
    love
    peace
    regret
    retirement
    sadness
    sleep
    stupidity
    understanding
    Possessive Noun Definition: Shows that the noun owns something.

    Also a noun phrase.

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    		 arm’s length
    Helene’s paintbrush
    the tree’s flowers
    Mikey’s boxes
    Predicate Noun Definition: A single noun or a noun phrase that renames the subject of a sentence and follows a stative or linking verb.

    When it follows an intransitive verb, the predicate noun completes the meaning of the sentence.

    A.k.a. completer, predicate nominative, subject complement

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    		 Mr. Smith is a doctor.

    My son became a professional soccer player.

    Mary Smith may be our next president.

    Dorothy Sayers is an excellent author.

    Wind turbines are an alternative source of power.

    Pavarotti was a great singer.

    For the next twenty years, we remained friends.

    Credit to: White

    Legend:

    1. Green indicates the predicate noun
    Quantity Noun Definition: Phrases or terms used to tell the quantities of things. Some quantity nouns tell the quantities of certain countable and uncountable nouns.

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    		 Rule: If the item is plural, use a plural quantity noun; if the quantity noun is plural, be sure the item is plural.
    a bottle of . . .
    a cup of . . .
    a set of . . .
    a pair of . . .
    a slice of . . .    		 a tube of . . .
    a stick of . . .
    a box of . . .
    a stack of . . .
    a loaf of . . .
    Compound Noun Definition: Two or more words, usually a noun + noun (modified noun)/adjective/preposition/verb, that is joined in one of four ways:

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    1. Closed Compound Noun
    2. Hyphenated Compound Noun
    3. Open Compound Noun
    4. Long Compound Noun

    Pluralizing a compound noun can be tricky as it’s always the primary noun, the head, that is pluralized, and that head is not always the last word. (See Plurals for lots more information!)

    Anatomy of a Compound Noun:
    Because grammarians like to get really detailed, they’ve come up with categories for the various parts of a compound noun:

    • Head describes the primary noun (the one that’s pluralized)
    • Head-initial is right-branching
    • Head-final is left-branching
    • Head-medial is a combination of right- and left-branching

    NOTE: You don’t really need to remember all this branching stuff; I’m including it so that when you do run across it, it doesn’t throw you for a loop!

    Closed Compound Noun Rule: Words are joined together.

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    Compound Word Primary Noun Modifying Word Part of Grammar
    birdsong song bird noun
    toothpaste paste tooth noun
    underground ground under preposition
    haircut hair cut verb
    output put out preposition
    Hyphenated Compound Noun Rule: Words are joined by a hyphen. The primary noun may come before or after the modifying word.

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    Compound Word Primary Noun Modifying Word Part of Grammar
    daughter-in-law daughter -in-law adjective
    over-the-counter counter over-the- prepositional phrase
    six-pack pack six- adjective
    Open Compound Noun Rule: Words are not joined together.

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    Compound Word Primary Noun Modifying Word Part of Grammar
    dry cleaning cleaning dry adjective
    major general general major adjective
    hot tub tub hot adjective
    Learn English Grammar Network which has a huge, and I mean huge list of compound words. An easy way to check to see if your phrase is a compound word is to look in an accredited dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Oxford English, and American Heritage are the most preferred by editors, ahem.
    Long Compound Noun Definition: When multiple nouns modify another noun, it can be exhausting to keep reading and wondering when the end will come. It can become confusing to understand what is being modified.

    A.k.a. packed noun phrase, stacked noun phrase

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    		 uniform resource locator protocol problem

    lake water pollution reduction log

    veteran employee discount clearance card

    low-emission fossil fuel injection pump
    Collective Noun
    DISCLAIMER: The concept of the collective noun is easy enough to grasp. What’s confusing is the number of books and sites that sway back and forth about how collective feeds into the countable or uncountable nouns. Most infer that countable and uncountable all come under the umbrella of collective; a few imply that the uncountable nouns are the collective. I’m aggregating what I’ve learned with countable and uncountable under one heading — collective — and it may change at any time.
    Definition: A countable or uncountable noun that appears to be singular, but refers to a group of people, animals, or things that act as one. It can be treated as either singular or plural.

    A.k.a. group nouns
    Rule: Whether a group noun is singular or plural depends on if the action is undertaken by the group as a whole or if the action taken by people within the group are individual moves.

    Singular: Everyone acts as one unit

    Plural: Members of that group act individually

    The British tend to treat all group nouns as plural.
    Singular: Group Acts as One Plural: Group Acts as Individuals
    The class has decided to buy their teacher a group gift.

    The staff vehemently opposes working on New Year’s Day.

    The family was united on this question.

    Seven hours seems like a long time to wait for tickets.

    One hundred dollars has been added to your account.

    A large percentage of the state favors the death penalty.

    Most of the roast beef was eaten immediately.

    The location of the cows is not my problem.

    The theme of those movies gives me the shivers.

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    		 For Parents’ Day, the class are dressing in their parents’ old clothes.

    The prison population were writing revolutionary slogans on the walls of their cells.

    My family are always fighting among themselves.

    A large percentage of the voters are dissatisfied with our senator.

    Most of my friends are vegetarians.

    Rule: Single item that consist of two parts (and uses a plural verb)
    two trousers
    a pair of . . .

    • . . . trousers
    • . . . earrings
    • . . . eyeglasses
    • . . . jeans
    • . . . pajamas
    • . . . pants
    • . . . pincers
    • . . . pliers
    • . . . scissors
    • . . . shorts
    • . . . tights
    • . . . tweezers

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    [Some] Collective Noun Examples Used For Things
    bouquet
    bunch    		 fleet
    forest    		 galaxy pack (of cards, of lies)
    a pair of . . .    		 range
    wad
    [Some] Collective Noun Examples Used For Things
    Rule: Plural noun uses singular verb
    athletics
    billiards    		 cards
    darts    		 economics
    gymnastics    		 mumps
    measles
    news    		 politics
    physics
    rabies
    [Some] Collective Noun Examples Used For Things
    [Some] Collective Animal Noun Examples
    brood
    colony
    clutch    		 drove
    flight
    flock
    gaggle    		 herd
    hive
    litter
    nest    		 pack
    plague
    pride    		 skein
    swarm    		 tribe
    troop
    yoke
    [Some] Collective Noun Examples Used For Things
    Countable & Uncountable Nouns
    CAUTION: Depending upon the quantifier or determiner used, a countable can become uncountable and vice versa. And then there are nouns which swing from countable to uncountable and can mean different things.

    See Quantifier for a list of words and phrases used with countable and uncountable nouns.
    Countable Noun Definition: People or things which are treated as separate items which can be counted, modified by a number or quantified with size, amount, or value related words, i.e., things that we can count.

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    		 Countable nouns can be singular or plural and are used with:
    [Some] Countable Nouns
    We can count pens. We can have one, two, three or more pens.

    Hovering over words with a dotted underline will tell you if it’s an article, quantifier, or determiner.

    dog, cat, animal, man, person
    bottle, box, litre
    coin, note, dollar

    cup, plate, fork
    table, chair, suitcase, bag
    an apple, ten apples
    my aunt, three aunts
    a book, a shelf full of books
    a car, four cars
    a DVD, ten DVDs
    computer, a few computers
    Examples:
    My dog is playing.
    My dogs are hungry.
    A dog is an animal.
    I’ve got some dollars.
    Have you got any pens?
    I’ve got a few dollars.
    I haven’t got many pens.
    Rule: Singular countable nouns need a word like a, the, my, this with it.
    I want an orange. I want orange

    Where is my bottle? Where is bottle?
    Rule: Plural countable nouns can be used alone.
    I like oranges. I like an oranges.

    Bottles can break. A bottles can break.
    Uncountable Noun Definition: People or things which may be seen as a whole or as a mass, substances, or concepts, etc., that can’t be divided into separate elements. They cannot be separated or counted.

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    		 We cannot count them.

    For example, we can count bottles of milk or litres of milk, but we cannot count milk itself.

    A.k.a. mass noun, non-count noun

    [Some] Uncountable Noun Examples
    accommodation
    advice
    aggression
    air
    anger
    applause
    army
    array
    art
    assistance
    attention
    audience
    baggage
    band
    beauty
    beef
    bevy
    board
    bravery
    bread
    bunch
    business
    butter
    cabinet
    cake
    cast
    cement
    cereal
    cheese
    chess
    chocolate
    choir, chorus
    class
    clergy
    cloud
    coffee
    committee
    company
    congregation
    corporation
    council
    courage
    cream    		 crowd
    curiosity
    currency
    department
    dirt
    dust
    earnings
    education
    electricity
    enemy
    entertainment
    equipment
    fabric
    faculty
    faith
    family
    firm
    fleet
    flock
    flour
    freedom
    fruit
    fun
    furniture
    gang
    garbage
    gas
    glass
    gold
    government
    grass
    grief
    group
    groceries
    guilt
    happiness
    heat
    help
    homework
    honesty
    honey
    hope
    housework    		 humor
    information
    iron
    jam
    joy
    judo
    jury
    knowledge
    land
    lightning
    literature
    love
    luck
    luggage
    mail
    majority
    mess
    milk
    minority
    money
    mud
    music
    nature
    navy
    news
    number
    oil
    pack
    pad
    paint
    panel
    paper
    party
    pasta
    peace
    permission
    pizza
    plethora
    poetry
    police
    population
    pork
    power    		 pride
    progress
    public
    rain
    research
    rice
    rubbish
    sadness
    salt
    satisfaction
    school
    senate
    society
    sleep
    sleet
    snow
    staff
    sugar
    sunshine
    surveillance
    tea
    team
    tears
    thunder
    time
    traffic
    transportation
    travel
    troupe
    water
    weather
    wine
    wisdom
    work
    yoga
    Rule: Uncountable nouns are usually treated as singular and use a singular verb.
    This news is very important.
    Your luggage looks heavy.
    Rule: Uncountable nouns don’t usually use the indefinite article — a or an. There is no an information or a happiness, although you can “contain” it . . . a something of . . .
    a piece of news
    a bottle of water
    a grain of rice
    Rule: There are specific quantifiers that are used with uncountable nouns, including some, any, a little or much.
    I’ve got some money.
    Have you got any rice?
    I’ve got a little money.
    I haven’t got much rice.
    Countable Nouns That Can Be Uncountable Definition: Sometimes, the same noun can be countable and uncountable, often with a change of meaning.

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    Countable Uncountable
    There are two hairs in my coffee! I don’t have much hair.
    There are two lights in our bedroom. Close the curtain. There’s too much light!
    Shhhhh! I thought I heard a noise. There are so many different noises in the city.
    It’s difficult to work when there is so much noise.
    Have you got a paper to read? Hand me those student papers.
    Have you got some paper? I want to draw a picture.
    Our house has seven rooms. Is there room for me to sit here?
    We had a great time at the party. Have you got time for a cup of coffee?
    I’ve told you twice to take out the garbage. How many times have I told you no?
    Macbeth is one of Shakespeare’s greatest works. I have no money. I need work!
    Two teas and one coffee please. tea
    coffee
    water
    orange juice
    Noun Suffix Definition: A word ending that changes the word it is
    based on to a noun.

    The original word may be a verb or an adjective.

    Source: Suffixes

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    		 Noun Suffixes
    Adjective or Verb Suffix Becomes Noun
    appoint
    state    		 -ment appointment
    statement
    kind
    other    		 -ness kindness
    otherness
    assume
    introduce    		 -tion assumption
    introduction
    honest
    royal    		 -ty honesty
    royalty
    Examples
    Yesterday, my mother had an appointment to come to my class.

    Mrs. Wilson told my mom that I was doing well in addition and capitalization.

    Jane was amazed at the large collection of rocks I had.

    She also loved my honesty; she said that I always told the truth.

    Mom thanked her for her observations.

    She also thanked her for giving me such a good education.

    Legend:

  • Green indicates the adjective
  • Blue indicates the verb
    		•
    Gender
    Definition: Certain nouns (Latin words and personal names) change depending on whether they’re masculine, feminine, or neuter.

    Suffixes such as -ess, -ette, and -er may be used to affect the difference between feminine and masculine, with the feminine being much more common.

    Feminine Masculine Neuter
    alumna alumnus
    Andrea Andrew
    chairwoman chairman chair
    chairperson
    doe buck bunny
    girl boy child
    girlfriend boyfriend lover
    significant other
    partner
    jenny jack ass
    mistress master
    Paula Paul
    princess prince
    spinster bachelor
    stewardess steward flight attendant
    tigress tiger tiger
    waitress waiter server
    wife husband spouse
    woman man person

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    Noun Phrase
    Definition: A word or group of words that functions in a sentence as subject, object, or prepositional object, using a noun (or indefinite pronoun) as its head word + a modifier.

    A.k.a. nominal phrase, NP

    The Modifier for a Noun Phrase Definition: A word that that comes before or after the head noun, pronoun, or numeral.

    This modifier can be anything from an adjective, complement, determiner, infinitive phrase, noun, participial phrase, possessive, preposition, or verb.

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    		 Grammar Modifier Noun Phrase Examples
    adjective the tall and brilliant professor
    complement The convention named Dogbreath vice president.
    determiner that darn cat
    infinitive phrase the first man to walk on the moon
    modifying clause the presentation that he had made the day before

    that art
    noun car door
    hall closet
    french door
    dining table
    participial phrase the road following the edge of the frozen lake
    possessive Matisse’s art
    prepositional phrase the building next to the lodge, over by the highway

    the art over the sofa
    verb the running man

    Legend:

    1. Green indicates the phrase
    2. Blue indicates the noun
    3. Bold indicates the modifier
    Noun in a Noun Phrase Rule: Usually the modifier precedes the noun and consists of a determiner and sometimes an adjective phrase.

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    Noun Phrase
    Legend:

    1. Green indicates the determiner
    2. Blue indicates the noun
    3. Orange indicates the adjective or adjective phrase

    the toys
    many toys
    the many toys
    the blonde
    long-haired blonde
    the long-haired blonde
    Noun Modifier Definition: Two nouns used together show that one thing is a part of something else; it modifies the meaning of the primary noun (British Council).

    A.k.a. attributive noun, noun adjunct, noun premodifier

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    		 Modified Noun Its Meaning
    ice bucket a bucket to keep ice in
    ice cube a cube made of ice
    ice breaker a ship which breaks ice
    ice age the time when much of the earth was covered in ice
    Rule: Noun modifiers are placed after adjective.
    Legend:

    1. Green indicates the primary noun
    2. Blue indicates the adjective
    3. Bold indicates the modifying noun

    old newspaper seller

    tiring fifty kilometer journey
    Rule: Use noun modifiers to show what something is made of.
    Legend:

    1. Green indicates the primary noun
    2. Bold indicates the modifying noun

    gold watch
    leather purse
    metal box
    Rule: Nouns ending in -er and -ing are often used as noun modifiers
    Legend:

    1. Green indicates the primary noun
    2. Bold indicates the modifying noun

    office worker
    jewelry maker
    potato peeler
    shopping list
    swimming lesson
    walking holiday
    Rule: Measurements, age, or value can be used as noun modifiers.
    Legend:

    1. Green indicates the primary noun
    2. Bold indicates the modifying number

    thirty-kilogram suitcase
    two-minute rest
    five thousand euro platinum watch
    fifty-kilometer journey
    Rule: Sometimes more than two nouns are used together.
    Legend:

    1. Green indicates the primary noun
    2. Bold indicates the modifying noun

    London office workers
    grammar practice exercises
    Noun Phrase as Prepositional Complement Definition: Noun phrases most frequently function as prepositional complements.

    Rule: A preposition introduces the noun phrase.

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    Legend:

    1. Green indicates the preposition
    2. Blue indicates the noun phrase

    The keys are on the hall table.

    I hate it when people get up during the movie.

    I saw him going into the motel.

    Numerals in a Noun Phrase Rule: Numerals, when used as a noun, may also be heads.

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    Noun Phrase
    Legend:

    1. Green indicates the numeral as noun
    2. Orange indicates the noun phrase

    Four of the puppies are cross-eyed.
    The first to buy tickets was Helen.
    The second horse to win was Heaven’s Treasure.

    Pronouns in a Noun Phrase Rule: Pronouns in a noun phrase do not use determiners and adjective phrases are not used before the pronoun, although they may be used after the pronoun.

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    Legend:

    1. Green indicates the pronoun
    2. Orange indicates the adjective or adjective phrase
    Noun Phrase
    He hates drooling dogs.
    This is my dog with fleas.
    She gave me a great haircut.
    Those who don’t bring a dish, don’t eat.
    Types of Noun Phrases
    Discontinuous Noun Phrase Definition: A broken noun phrase; it may be split or delayed and placed at the end of a sentence to give a greater emphasis or focus on that last part of the phrase. The ending part of the phrase is usually a modifying phrase: participial or prepositional.

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    		 Several accidents have been reported involving passengers falling from trains.

    If the noun phrase were continuous:

    Several accidents involving passengers falling from trains have been reported recently.

    A rumor circulated among the staff that he was being promoted to vice president.

    A rumor that he was being promoted to vice president circulated among the staff.

    The time had come to stop spending money foolishly and to put something away for the future.

    The time to stop spending money foolishly and to put something away for the future had come.

    That hard drive was faulty that you sold me.

    That hard drive that you sold me was faulty.

    Legend:

    1. Green indicates the noun phrases
    Definite Noun Phrase Definition: A noun phrase that is known by the listener/reader.

    It occurs if there is a previous mention of the same noun phrase with the same referential index.

    Typically marked by the use of a definite article: the, others, that, my brother, etc.

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    		 I just saw the skydiver.

    Would you pick up the milk?

    I found your book.

    Tom stopped by earlier.

    Legend:

    1. Green indicates the definite article
    Indefinite Noun Phrase Definition: The first occurrence of a noun phrase that is not directly identifiable by the listener.

    It is typically marked by the use of an indefinite article: a or an, many, some, and numbers, before a noun that is general or when its identity is not known.

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    		 I just saw a skydiver.

    Would you pick up some groceries?

    I found some books.

    Someone stopped by earlier.

    Legend:

    1. Green indicates the indefinite article
    Vocative Noun Phrase Definition: The vocative case refers to someone who is being addressed directly. As a noun phrase, which is really just being picky, it’s more than one noun.

    It is always treated as parenthetical text set off with commas.

    If it is a proper noun, it may be referred to as a noun of address.

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    Dr. Fletcher, your patient is here.

    Madame President, the meeting is about to begin.

    You lily-livered gobshite, what are you doing?

    Whoever is making that racket, you’d better stop!

    Yes, Your Honor, that’s the truth.

    Wait a minute, detective, I’ve just thought of something.

    Legend:

    1. Green indicates the vocative noun phrase
    2. Blue indicates the noun of address
    Noun Clause
    Definition: A dependent clause that functions as a noun within a sentence and is introduced by a subordinate conjunction.

    Usually abstract in meaning, the noun clause may be a subject, object, or complement within the sentence and may function as an appositive or a complement of adjective or preposition. A noun clause may also incorporate non-finite clauses, and infinitive (-ing) clauses.

    A.k.a. nominal clause

    Function, Clause, etc. Sentence
    subject What happened next remains a mystery.
    object He alleges that he doesn’t remember a thing.
    complement The question is how we should proceed.
    complement of adjective I’m not sure if we should report this.
    complement of preposition It depends on what happens next.
    apposition The question whether this is a criminal matter, is not easy to answer.
    -ing clause He’s talking about facing the music.
    infinitive clause To err is human.
    non-finite clause All I did was laugh.

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    Noun Clause as Prepositional Complement Definition: It’s a noun clause introduced by a preposition.

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    Legend:

    1. Green indicates the preposition
    2. Blue indicates the noun clause

    Henry’s date will think about that he plans to divest her of her virginity on prom night.

    We are planning on whomever you bring to be a guy.

    The quarterback listened to what the coach had to say.
    Relative Noun Clause Definition: Can refer to people, things, or abstract ideas.

    A.k.a. nominal relative clause, fused relative construction, independent relative clause, free relative clause, wh- clause.

    See more on the post about relative clauses.

    Rule: Clause begins with a wh- word AND includes the antecedent within itself.

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    		 I don’t know what happened.
    Whoever told you that was wrong.
    Reported Question Definition: A form of reported speech, this clause restates a direct question as a statement.

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    Direct Question . . . . . . Restated as a Reported Question
    “Are you coming?” she asked. She asked me if I were coming.
    “What time is the movie?” he asked. He asked her what time the movie started.
    She asked, “Do you want a milkshake?” She asked if I’d want a milkshake.
    He asked, “Where do you want this?” He asked me where I wanted it.
    Mary asked, “How much does this cost?” Mary asked how much it cost.
    Leroy asked, “Who has seen Batman?” Leroy asked George who had seen Batman.
    Harvey asked, “Do you want milk or bitter chocolate?” Harvey asked me whether I wanted milk or bitter chocolate.
    That-Clause Definition: A clause beginning with that or where that could be inserted.
    That you believe it can happen is crazy.
    I’m sorry that you’re so upset.
    What is that you’re sewing?

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    C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!

    Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.

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    Resources for Noun

    Some of these links may be affiliate links, and I will earn a small percentage, if you should buy it. It does not affect the price you pay.

    “3.14 Modality.” Academic Writing. Ewriting. Resource.acu.edu.au. n.d. Web. 4 Mar 2023. <https://resource.acu.edu.au/acuskills/acstyle/3_14.html>.

    Apple Dictionary.com

    Burckmyer, Becky. Awesome Grammar. Franklin Lakes, NJ: Career Press, 2008. Print. 72.

    Concrete Nouns vs. Abstract Nouns.” Grammarly.com. n.d. Web. 7 May 2022. <https://www.grammarly.com/blog/concrete-vs-abstract-nouns/>.

    “Conversion.” Wikipedia. 10 Nov 2022. Web. 12 Feb 2023. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conversion_(word_formation)>.

    Crystal, David. Spell It Out: The Curious, Enthralling, and Extraordinary Story of English Spelling. New York: St. Martin’s Press: 2013. <https://amzn.to/3jWiYKO>. Ebook.

    Ellis, Matt. “Plural Nouns: Rules and Examples.” Grammarly.com. 18 Oct 2022. Web. n.d. <https://www.grammarly.com/blog/plural-nouns/>.

    Joseph, Sakshi. “29+ Modal Nouns Examples: Detailed Explanations.” Lambda Geeks. n.d. Web. 22 Feb 2023. <https://lambdageeks.com/modal-nouns-examples/>.

    Maddox, Maeve. “Nominalized Verbs. Daily Writing Tips. 2014. Web. 12 Feb 2023. <https://www.dailywritingtips.com/nominalized-verbs/>.

    “Nominalization (Creating Nouns).” The Free Dictionary. n.d. Web. 5 Nov 2022. <https://www.thefreedictionary.com/Nominalization-Creating-Nouns.htm>.

    “Nominalization of Infinitives.” Lesson 1. FatherPrada.com. n.d. Web. 12 Feb 2023. <https://fatherprada.com/portal/learn/nominalization-of-infinitives/>.

    Nordquist, Richard. “Substantive (Grammar).” ThoughtCo.com. 25 January 2018. Web. n.d. <https://www.thoughtco.com/substantive-grammar-1692157>.

    “Noun Suffixes.” DBQ Schools. n.d. Accessed 19 Sept 2024. <https://www.dbqschools.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/educational-resources-g3-noun-suffixes-2.pdf>. PDF.

    “Substantive Noun.” Nouns. Grammar. Glossary. Ultius.com. n.d. Web. n.d. <https://www.ultius.com/glossary/grammar/nouns/substantive-noun.html>.

    Towson.edu

    “Use of Modal Verbs, Modal Nouns, and Modal Adverbs.” Teachorial Channel. 2021. Web. 26 Feb 2023. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0m1kE3UgD6c>.

    White, Mary Gormandy. “Predicate Noun: What It is in Simple Terms.” YourDictionary.com. n.d. Web. n.d. <http://grammar.yourdictionary.com/parts-of-speech/nouns/predicate-noun.html>.

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    Pinterest Photo Credits:

    Beach Scene From the Boardwalk, Hampton Beach, New Hampshire, is courtesy of the publisher, Tichnor Brothers, and is in the public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

    Revised as of 6 June 2024
    By: Kathy Davie

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