Nouns

People, places, things, and ideas

In this lesson, you’ll learn what nouns are, the main types of nouns, how to form plurals and possessives, and how nouns function in sentences.

Lesson Objectives

Recognize Nouns

Identify nouns in sentences and phrases.

Understand Types

Common, proper, concrete, abstract, collective.

Form Plurals

Apply regular, spelling-change, and irregular rules.

Use Possessives

Correctly write singular/plural possessives.

What is a Noun?

Names a person, place, thing, or idea

Person: teacher, Ana
Place: school, Manila
Thing: laptop, bicycle
Idea: freedom, love

Remember: If you can add a/an/the or make it plural (book → books), it’s probably a noun.

SentenceThe teacher read a book in the library.

SentenceLove brings people together.

Common vs Proper Nouns

Common

city, month, teacher

river, country, museum

Proper

Paris, January, Ms. Santos

Pasig River, the Philippines, National Museum

Remember: Proper = specific names → capitalize (Rizal Park). Common = general names → lowercase (park).

Concrete vs Abstract Nouns

Concrete

dog, music, perfume

pizza, rain, smartphone

Abstract

happiness, bravery, truth

friendship, knowledge, honesty

Tip: If you can see, hear, smell, taste, or touch it, it’s concrete. If it’s an idea or feeling, it’s abstract.

ConcreteI dropped my phone into the water.

AbstractHonesty builds trust.

Count vs Noncount Nouns

Count

three apples, many books

a car, two bottles, few mistakes

Noncount

rice, water, information

advice, furniture, homework

Quick guide: Count nouns use numbers/many/few and can take a/an. Noncount nouns use much/little and do not take a/an.

CountI bought two books and a pen.

NoncountWe need more water and a little rice.

Collective Nouns

Group treated as one: team, class, family, flock
Verb agreement may vary by variety of English and meaning

Note: In American English, collective nouns usually take a singular verb (The team is winning.).

ExampleThe team is practicing after school.

ExampleMy family is planning a trip.

Plural Nouns — Regular

Rule	Example
Add -s	book → books; cat → cats
Add -es (s, x, z, ch, sh)	bus → buses; box → boxes
Vowel + y → add -s	toy → toys; key → keys

Easy rule: Most nouns add -s. Nouns ending in s, x, z, ch, sh add -es.

-sbook → books, cat → cats

-esmatch → matches, dish → dishes

Plural Nouns — Spelling Changes

consonant + y → ies: city → cities
f/fe → ves: leaf → leaves
knife → knives; wife → wives
baby → babies; library → libraries

Remember: For consonant + y, drop y add ies. For f/fe, change to ves.

Plural Nouns — Irregular

child → children; man → men; mouse → mice
same form: sheep → sheep; deer → deer
tooth → teeth; foot → feet
person → people; goose → geese

Tip: Irregular plurals must be memorized. Keep a short list and review.

Possessive Nouns

Forms

Singular: add 's → the cat's tail

Plural ending in s: add ' → the teachers' room

Irregular plural: add 's → children's books

Singular ending in s: add 's → the bus's door

Examples

Maria's bag; the dogs' park; the men's locker room

the women's team; my brother's bike; the bus's driver

Quick rule: Singular → 's (the cat's). Plural ending in s → ' (the teachers'). Irregular plural → 's (children's).

SingularThis is Alex's notebook.

PluralThe students' projects are on the table.

How Nouns Work in Sentences

Subject: The sun rises.
Direct object: I read a book.
Object of preposition: She sat on the chair.
Appositive: My friend, Alex, loves music.

Remember: Nouns answer Who/What in the sentence (Who/what does the action? Who/what receives it?).

SubjectBirds migrate in winter.

Direct objectWe watched a funny movie.

PrepositionHe placed the keys on the table.

AppositiveMy friend, Jin, plays guitar.

Articles with Nouns

Count singular: a/an, the (a book, an apple)
Count plural: books, the books (no a/an)
Noncount: water, the water (no a/an)

Tip: a/an = one countable thing. Noncount nouns never use a/an.

a / anI ate an apple and read a book.

theClose the door, please.

Capitalization of Proper Nouns

Capitalize names of people, specific places, organizations, days, months, holidays, and titles before names.

ProperWe met Dr. Cruz at Rizal Park in July.

ProperI saw Dr. Reyes on Monday in Cebu City.

Remember: Don’t capitalize seasons (spring, summer), but do capitalize days, months, holidays, and titles before names.

Common Mistakes

Wrong Plurals

Wrongcitys, leafs

Rightcities, leaves

Misusing Possessives

Wrongthe teachers's room

Rightthe teachers' room

Fix it fast: y → ies, f/fe → ves, and never add 's to make regular plurals.

Guided Practice

Find the noun or choose the best plural/possessive form.

Singularleaf → leaves

Possessivethe boys' bags

IdentifyFind the noun: The dog barked loudly.

Pluralbox → boxes

Practice: Choose the Correct Answer

Question:

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Tip: Pick the best answer. After you choose, a short explanation will appear.

Score: 0

Activities

Noun Hunt

In pairs, read a short passage and highlight all nouns. Classify them by type.

Plural Challenge

Write plural forms for 10 nouns (regular, spelling changes, irregular). Compare answers.

Possessive Builder

Convert phrases into possessive noun forms (e.g., the bags of the boys → the boys’ bags).

Writing Prompt

Write five sentences using at least: one proper noun, one abstract noun, one collective noun.

ExampleOur team visited Rizal Park and felt great joy.

Reading → Identify Nouns

Passage→"The children played in the garden near the library."

Highlight: children, garden, library (common, concrete nouns).

Quick Check

IdentifyFind the nouns in: "My friend Ken likes music."

Answerfriend, Ken, music

IdentifyFind the nouns in: "The children played in the garden."

Answerchildren, garden

Practice Booster

Continue the interactive practice to boost accuracy.

Question:

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Remember: Read carefully. The explanation box helps you learn from each question.

Score: 0

Assessment

How to take this: Choose the best answer for each question, then click Check Answers. You can review explanations and retake.

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Open Printable Worksheet

Summary & Key Takeaways

Nouns = names (people, places, things, ideas).

Proper nouns are capitalized; common nouns are not.

Plural basics: add -s; add -es after s, x, z, ch, sh; memorize irregulars.

Possessives: singular 's; plural (ending in s) just '; irregular plural 's.

Count nouns use a/an and many/few; noncount use much/little (no a/an).

Nouns answer Who/What in the sentence (subject/object/etc.).

Great Job!

You completed the Nouns lesson

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Next Steps

Retake the assessment
Practice with more noun identification
Write sentences using different noun types