Chapter 2: Nouns, Pronouns, and Adjectives

1. Chapter 2: Nouns, Pronouns, and Adjectives Mrs. Melissa Etheridge August 31, 2011

2. What is a noun? • (rule 2a) A noun is a word or word group that is used to name a person, place, thing, or idea. • Write 5 original sentences; underline the nouns in your sentence. • Elihu B. Washburne opened his gold watch; the spidery hands showed five minutes to six. • At the best of times, Congressman Washburne’stemper was a most unstable affair, and his sudden outbursts of rage were much admired in his adopted state of Illinois.

3. Compound Nouns • Some nouns are made up of more than one word~like your name or the Empire State Building. • These types of nouns are called compound nouns~they are nouns that are a combination of more than one noun. Each part of the word can stand alone as a noun. • They can be hyphenated, one-word, or be separated with a space. • Write a list of ten compound nouns. • Now, write five sentences using these nouns.

4. Write the following sentences, underlining the nouns in each. • Rebecca Motte was a great patriot. • During the Revolutionary War, British soldiers seized her mansion in South Carolina. • General Harold Lee told her that American soldiers would have to burn her house to smoke out the enemy. • Motte supported the plan and was glad to help her country. • She even supplied flaming arrows and a bow for the attack. • The house was saved after the enemy raised the white flag of surrender.

5. Proper and Common Nouns • A proper noun names a particular person, place, thing, or an idea. • A common noun names any one of a group of persons, places, things, or ideas. • Girl~Katy Perry, writer~Suzanne Collins, Country~Ireland, monument~ Eiffel Tower, book~Hunger Games, religion~Buddhism, language~Arabic, city~Ottawa.

6. Identifying Common and Proper Nouns • Write each of the following sentences. Underline each noun, then identify each noun as common or proper. • Mark visited an interesting museum in Colorado last month. • Mark and his parents went to the Black American West Museum and Heritage Center in Denver. • The museum displays many items that cowboys used. • These items are from the collection of Paul Stewart, the man who founded the museum. • Mark saw saddles, knives, hats, and lariats. • He also saw pictures of African American cowboys. • The museum is located in an old house that is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. • The house once belonged to Dr. Justina L. Ford. • She was the first black female physician in Colorado. • Mark was amazed by all of the old medical instruments in one display. • He said he was glad doctors don’t use equipment like that anymore.

7. Writing Activity • Write 5 common nouns that name persons, 5 that name places, 5 that name things, and 5 that name ideas. • Write 5 proper nouns that name persons, 5 that name places, and 5 that name things. • Now write 5 sentences that use these nouns. Underline your nouns and label them as common or proper.

8. Write each sentence, filling in the blanks with appropriate nouns; don’t use any noun more than once. • The _____ tastes even better than the _____. • The group’s new _____ has lots of _____. • My _____ is painted red and green. • Radha likes _____ better than _____. • Geoffrey stood on a _____ to hang the _____. • _____ and _____ are much bigger than _____. • _____ and _____ are both in my math class. • We used the _____ while the _____ was broken. • Marta bough a silver _____ instead of a _____. • She made a _____ with her new _____.

9. Revise the following nouns by substituting a proper noun for each common noun. You might have to change some other words in the sentences. You may make up proper nouns. • That painting is in a famous museum. • The police officer cheerfully directed us to the building on that street. • My relatives, who are originally from a small town, now live in a large city. • The librarian asked my classmate to return the book as soon as possible. • That newspaper is published daily; that magazine is published weekly. • The girl read a poem for her teacher. • That state borders the ocean. • The owner of that store visited two countries during a spring month. • A man flew to a northern city one day. • Last week the mayor visited our school and talked about the history of our city.

10. Exercise 4 Identifying and Classifying Nouns

11. Identify the nouns in the following sentences, and label each as a common or a proper noun. Lillian Evanti performed in Europe, Latin America, and Africa. Evanti was the first African American woman to sing opera professionally. Her talent was recognized early; when she was a child, she gave a solo concert in Washington, DC. As an adult, she performed in a special concert at the White House for President Franklin Roosevelt and his wife, Eleanor. Evanti also composed a musical piece called “Himno Panamericano,” which was a great success. Her career inspired many other African American singers. A few years later Marian Anderson stepped into the limelight. Always a champion of the arts, Mrs. Roosevelt again aided a great performer. With the assistance and encouragement of the former First Lady, Anderson sang at a most appropriate site—the Lincoln Memorial. Like Evanti, Anderson broke barriers; for before her, not other African American had sung at the famous Metropolitan Opera House in New York City. Honors Anderson earned include a place in the National Arts Hall of Fame.

12. Concrete and Abstract Nouns • A concrete noun names a person, place, or thing that can be perceived by one or more of the five senses (sight, hearing, taste, touch, smell). • An abstract noun names an idea, a feeling, a quality, or a characteristic.

13. Exercise 5 Writing sentences with concrete and abstract nouns

14. Identify each noun in the following list as concrete or abstract. Then, use each noun in an original sentence.

15. A collective noun is a noun that names a group.

16. Review A Using the different kinds of nouns

17. Complete the following poem. Add common, proper, concrete, abstract, or collective nouns as directed. For proper nouns you will need to make up names of people and places. Be sure to capitalize all proper nouns.

18. The Muscleman’s Might Meet my common, the really amazing, Truly tremendous proper, that’s who. You can see what abstract he gives The collective of fans who hang on him like glue. The walls of his gym on proper Are covered with concrete that show The muscled, tussled common aplenty, Who work out there, come rain or come snow. Eduardo, proper, and I really enjoy The abstract of hanging on tight Way above the concrete and swinging, Held up by the muscleman’s might.