All About Nouns

Nouns are the part of speech used to label or name an abstract idea, a person, place, animal or thing. Nouns are generally the first words an infant learns and uses. There are lot of different types of nouns, along with various uses.

These proceeding sentences contain words in bold, which are all different types of nouns:

Avant-garde is a celebrated type of art.

The onset of summer brought cheer to many.

Computer graduates have good jobs awaiting them.

Was Nietzche an existentialist?

Ella Fitzgerald is one of the most popular jazz singers in history.

As you will have noticed, nouns vary based on the type and usage. Nouns can be employed in sentences as a subject, a subject complement, an indirect object, a direct object, an object complement, an adjective, an adverb, or an appositive. This paper shows some of the uses and types of nouns.

Plural Nouns

Many nouns are transformed from the singular form into the plural form to connote a number of two or more with the addition of "s" or "es." Other nouns of the singular form can be turned into the plural form by altering the last letter of the word before affixing "s." There are different rules for different words. Some words that end in the letter F can be transformed into the plural form by removing the "f" and appending "ves". Words that end in "y" change to plural by getting rid of of the "y" and adding "ies."

Examples:

Half (singular) - halves (plural)
Rash (singular) - rashes (plural)
Story (singular) - stories (plural)
Fruit (singular) - fruits (plural)

Some nouns use irregular rules to form the plural. A speaker or writer who is well-versed in the English language will have a good understanding of what these nouns are. Find a trustworthy reference, such as language websites or a reputable dictionary.

Examples:

Criterion (singular) - criteria (plural)
Cactus (singular) - cacti (plural)

Gender in Nouns

Almost all common nouns, for instance "helper" or "student", can be used for both men and women. In the past, gender would change the form of many English nouns, with the addition of "ess," and other suffixes, to the male form of the noun. Due to recognition of gender equality, it is very uncommon for gender-specific nouns to be used in present times. With that said, some nouns featuring male and female forms still survive today, primarily in categories that pertain to occupations.

Aside from the types and uses brought up above, there are other types of nouns with differing purposes. If you do not have English as a first language, it is helpful to familiarize yourself with well-written English literature to become more confident in your use of nouns.

For online English writing resources and information on English grammar software please visit EnglishGrammarSoft.com.