Noun is an important component of sentence. It has different types, gender, number, roles, and forms. In this blog, “Role and properties of noun” You will learn about types, gender, number, and forms and roles of noun. And, know the correct usages of noun in day to day life.
Defination and types of noun
Noun is a word we use it to name things that we perceive by our five senses: smell, touch, think, see, listen, and taste. Clearly, it is a vital component of parts of speech in basic english grammar.
Noun: five types and examples
Thomas, a master craftsman, makes swords, arrows, spears from iron and steel and other metals. Apart from craftsmanship, his honesty and diligence make him different from other groups.
Thomas – name for person – proper noun.
Craftsman – name for class of professional – common noun.
Sword arrow, and spear – class of weapons – common noun.
Iron and steel – materials used to make things – material noun.
Craftsmanship, diligence – name for qualities – abstract noun.
Group, team – name for collectivity – collective noun.
Persons of noun: First, second, and third person
Let’s begin to understand role and properties of noun in step by step manner.
The First Person of nouns
The first person refers to the speaker or the writer. When using the first person, we are talking about ourselves. It includes pronouns like ‘I’, ‘we’, and ‘me’.
For example, ‘I am going to the park’ or ‘We won the game’.
The Second Person of nouns
The second person refers to the person being spoken to or addressed. It includes pronouns like ‘you’ and ‘your’.
For example, ‘You look great today’ or ‘Is this your book?’
Third Person of nouns
The third person refers to anyone or anything other than the speaker or the person being spoken to. It includes pronouns like ‘he’, ‘she’, ‘it’, ‘they’, and ‘them’.
For example, ‘He is running late’ or ‘They are going to the movies’.
Examples of the First, Second, and Third Person
Here are some more examples to help you understand the usage of the first, second, and third person:
First person: ‘I love pizza’
Second person: ‘You should try this restaurant’
Third person: ‘She sings beautifully’
Noun: types of number
It can be either singular or plural, depending on whether we are talking about one thing or more than one thing. Let’s take a closer look at the singular and plural forms of nouns, along with some examples and spelling rules.
Singular and Plural Nouns
A singular noun refers to one person, place, thing, or idea. For example, ‘cat’, ‘book’, ‘house’, and ‘idea’ are all singular nouns. On the other hand, a plural noun refers to more than one person, place, thing, or idea. Plural nouns are formed by adding ‘s’ or ‘es’ to the end of a singular noun. For instance, ‘cats’, ‘books’, ‘houses’, and ‘ideas’ are all plural nouns.
Examples of Singular and Plural Nouns
Here are some examples of singular and plural nouns:
Singular: dog, car, apple
Plural: dogs, cars, apples
Singular: child, man, woman
Plural: children, men, women
Singular: city, country, mouse
Plural: cities, countries, mice
Spelling Rules for Singular and Plural Nouns
There are a few spelling rules to keep in mind when forming the plural of nouns:
1. If a noun ends in a consonant and ‘y’, the ‘y’ is usually changed to ‘i’ before adding ‘es’. For example, ‘baby’ becomes ‘babies’.
2.If a noun ends in a vowel and ‘y’, simply add ‘s’ to form the plural. For example, ‘day’ becomes ‘days’.
3.If a noun ends in ‘s’, ‘x’, ‘z’, ‘ch’, or ‘sh’, add ‘es’ to form the plural. For example, ‘bus’ becomes ‘buses’.
Noun: Masculine, feminine and neutral
Masculine: brother, father, uncle
Feminine: sister, mother, aunt
Masculine: bull, stallion, rooster
Feminine: cow, mare, hen
Masculine, feminine, and neutral genders of nouns
1.Masculine Gender of nouns
Generally, masculine gender is assigned to nouns that refer to male beings or objects. For example, ‘boy’, ‘man’, and ‘king’ are all masculine nouns. The spelling of these words remains the same in both singular and plural forms.
Brother: He is my elder brother.
Lion: The lion is known for its strength and courage.
Actor: He won the Best Actor award at the ceremony.
King: The king ruled with authority and wisdom.
The masculine gender is typically associated with male beings or objects, while the feminine gender is associated with female beings or objects. For example, the word ‘man’ is masculine, while ‘woman’ is feminine. Similarly, ‘king’ is masculine, and ‘queen’ is feminine.
2. Feminine Gender of nouns
Feminine gender, on the other hand, is assigned to nouns that refer to female beings or objects. Examples of feminine nouns include ‘girl’, ‘woman’, and ‘queen’. In some cases, the spelling of the word changes when making it feminine. For instance, ‘prince’ becomes ‘princess’ and ‘actor’ becomes ‘actress.
Sister: She is my younger sister.
Lioness: The lioness is a skilled hunter.
Actress: She portrayed the lead role in the movie.
Queen: The queen was loved and respected by her subjects.
However, it is important to note that not all nouns have a clear distinction between masculine and feminine genders.
In some cases, the gender of a noun may be arbitrary or based on cultural or societal norms. For example, the word ‘book’ does not have a specific gender associated with it.
3. Neutral gender of nouns
It is important to note that not all nouns have a gender assigned to them. In English, most nouns are considered neutral and do not have a specific gender associated with them.
However, there are some exceptions where nouns are inherently masculine or feminine, such as words referring to male and female animals
Cot, bat, child, ball, pen, mobile, house, shop, train, blanket, bottle, gun, bomb, plane, letter, pencil, table, chair etc. are the examples of neutral gender of nouns.
Formation of masculine and feminine gender
One way to understand the masculine and feminine properties of nouns is to look for gender markers or suffixes. These are specific endings or modifications added to a base word to indicate its gender. For example: ess, er, or.
Waitress
Actress
Princess
Lawyer
Cleaner
Actor
Another way to determine the gender of a noun is through context. Sometimes, the gender of a noun can be inferred from the words or phrases used around it.
For example, if we say ‘she is a doctor’, we can infer that the noun ‘doctor’ is being referred to in the feminine sense.
Role of Nouns: Subject Object and Complements
Subject
Subject: The subject of a sentence is the noun that performs the action or is being described. For example, in the sentence ‘The cat is sleeping.’, ‘cat’ is the subject.
Object
Object: The object of a sentence is the noun that receives the action of the verb. For example, in the sentence ‘She bought a book.’, ‘book’ is the object.
Complement
Complements: Complements are nouns or noun phrases that provide additional information about the subject or object. They can be either direct or indirect.
For example, in the sentence ‘I am a teacher.’, ‘teacher’ is a complement providing information about the subject ‘I’.
Last words on Role and properties of noun,
So far, we have systematically learnt about definition, number, gender, forms, and roles of noun in details. Study of noun is so much confusing yet interesting. I hope this piece of writing on role and properties of noun will serve your purpose. In the next articles, you read about types of noun. So, be with us.Parts of Speech: elements of Sentence