NounsKinds of Nouns

Compound NounsPossessive NounsCollective Nouns

Appositives

Kinds of Nouns

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

• A proper noun names a specific person, place, or thing (must be capitalized).– Thomas Edison, Maple Park, Target, Illinois

• A common noun names any person, place, or thing.– Person, restaurant, store

• A concrete noun names things you can see or touch.

– Apple, calendar, inventor

• An abstract noun names ideas, qualities, or characteristics.

– Gravity, time, idea

Practice – Identify the nouns you find in the following sentences as concrete or abstract.

1. People with imagination have been inventing things from the earliest time.

2. The first inventions were based on the need for food and protection.

3. Early tools were created from natural things – wood, bone, stone, and hides.

4. The discovery by early people that heated metal could be shaped was important.

Answers

1. People with imagination have been inventing things from the earliest time.

2. The first inventions were based on the need for food and protection.

3. Early tools were created from natural things – wood, bone, stone, and hides.

4. The discovery by early people that heated metal could be shaped was important.

Practice – Identify the nouns you find in the following sentences as common or proper. If

the noun is proper, please capitalize it.1. A station in pittsburgh

announced the results of the 1920 presidential elections.

2. The first commercial station was started that same year.

3. Franklin roosevelt often spoke to the nation on the radio.

4. Radio was once the most popular entertainment in the united states.

Answers

1. A station in Pittsburgh announced the results of the 1920 presidential elections.

2. The first commercial station was started that same year.

3. Franklin Roosevelt often spoke to the nation on the radio.

4. Radio was once the most popular entertainment in the United States.

Compound Nouns

• A compound noun is a noun that is made up of two or more words.

– One word – doorknob, homeroom– Hyphenated – mother-in-law, great-

grandmother– More than one word – dining room, maid

of honor

Making Compound Nouns Plural

• One word– Add –s to most words (bookmarks)– Add –es to most words that end in ch,

sh, s, or x (strongboxes)

• Hyphenated– Make the most important part of the

word plural (mothers-in-law, great-grandmothers)

Making Compound Nouns Plural

• More than one word– Make the most important part of the

word plural (dining rooms, maids of honor)

Practice – Write the plural form of each compound noun below.• father-in-law• public school• baby-sitter• dishwasher• wheelbarrow• home team• box seat

Answers

• fathers-in-law• public schools• baby-sitters• dishwashers• wheelbarrows• home teams• box seats

Possessive Nouns

• A possessive noun names who or what owns or has something.– Most singular nouns

• Add an apostrophe and s (‘s)

– The house belongs to the dog• The dog’s house

– The population of Maple Park• Maple Park’s population

More Possessive Nouns

• Singular Nouns ending in –s– Add an apostrophe and an s

• Alexis’s book

• Plural Nouns ending in –s– Add an apostrophe

• The Wrights’ plane

• Plural Nouns not ending in –s– Add an apostrophe and an s

• Children’s toys

Practice—Write the Possessive Form of each underlined word

below• Mrs. Mills puppy• Illinois highway• teacher workroom• student desk• Connor locker• Bryana book• Zoe homework

Answers

• Mrs. Mills’ puppy• Illinois’s highway• teacher’s workroom• student’s desk• Connor’s locker• Bryana’s book• Zoe’s homework

Distinguishing Plurals, Possessives, and

Contractions• Plural Noun—The teachers met.

– more than one teacher

• Plural Possessive Noun—The teachers’ classrooms were cleaned over the break.– the classrooms of the teachers

• Singular Possessive—The student’s report card was mailed home.– the report car of one student.

Contractions

• A contraction is a word made by combining two words into one by leaving out one or more letters.– Grace is going to study hall.

•Grace’s going to study hall.

Practice—Choose the word in parentheses that correctly

finishes the sentence.• The (student’s, students) all did their

homework.• The (teacher’s, teachers) going to freak

out.• (Rewards, Reward’s) were handed out.• The other (classes, class’s) members

were jealous.• We have the best (teachers, teacher’s)!

Answers

•students•teacher’s•rewards•class’s•teachers

Collective Nouns

• A collective noun names a group of individuals.

– team– club– class– crowd– herd– flock

Practice—Find the Collective Noun in each sentence

• The crowd gave a cheer.• The committee had a meeting.• The class gave its opinion.• The chorus sang its favorite song.• The band recorded a hit album.

Answers

• The crowd gave a cheer.• The committee had a meeting.• The class gave its opinion.• The chorus sang its favorite song.• The band recorded a hit album.

Appositives

• An appositive is a noun placed next to another noun to identify it or add information about it.– Mrs. Mills, a teacher, taught the

students grammar.– Mrs. Richards, a runner, is training for a

marathon.

Appositive Phrase

• An appositive phrase is a group of words that includes an appositive and other words that describe the appositive .– Matt, a seventh grade football player, is

recruited by the Bears.– An expert on volleyball, Abby helped

Megan improve her skills.

Practice—Write down the appositive or appositive phrase

from each sentence below.• My computer, a new Dell, isn’t working

correctly.• I tried calling Chris, an expert on

technology.• He said that the hard drive, the brains of

the computer, was bad.• I threw the hard drive through the window

of my car, a 2005 pick-up truck.

Answers

• My computer, a new Dell, isn’t working correctly.

• I tried calling Chris, an expert on technology.

• He said that the hard drive, the brains of the computer, was bad.

• I threw the hard drive through the window of my car, a 2005 pick-up truck.