Nouns

1. Nouns

2. A noun is a word • that names a: • person • place • thing • Idea or concept

3. Common Noun • A noun that names any: • person • place • thing • idea NEVER capitalized

4. Proper Noun • A noun that names a specific: • person • place • thing • idea Happy Valley Church Timmy Mr. Gatti’s Pizza Newton’s Theory of Gravity ALWAYS capitalize

5. Capitalize: Days of the week, months, and holidays, but not seasons. CAPS: Monday, December, Passover, Easter NO CAPS: autumn, fall, spring, winter, summer

6. Capitalize: Ranks and titles, but only when used with a particular person’s name. CAPS: This is Doctor Smith, this is Aunt Anne, and that man is General Bradshaw. NO CAPS: That man is my doctor, that woman is my aunt, and that man is a general in the army.

7. Capitalize: Geographic areas: cities, states, countries, counties, rivers, oceans, streets, parks, etc. CAPS: North Dakota, Ohio River, Atlantic Ocean, Franklin Street, Umstead Park, Lake Jordan, Rocky Mountains NO CAPS: The ocean is deep. The mountains are high.

8. Capitalize: Regions of the United States, but not simple directions. CAPS: I was born in the Midwest, but I grew up in the North. NO CAPS: I live on the north side of town.

9. Capitalize: Historical periods. CAPS: the Renaissance, World War II, the Middle Ages, the Civil War NO CAPS: It was a long war. We live in an age of computers.

10. Capitalize: Religions, nationalities, races of people, languages, countries and adjectives related to those countries. CAPS: Christians, Jews, Asians, Africans, Hispanics, Arabic, France, Germany, German measles

11. Capitalize: The various names for God, gods and goddesses, and the names of sacred texts. CAPS: God, Jehova, Allah, the Bible, the Koran NO CAPS: There are many gods and goddesses in Nordic myths.

12. Capitalize: Names of planets, but not sun and moon (not earth unless it is specifically referring to the planet. CAPS: Jupiter, Mars, Neptune, Earth NO CAPS: The moon is full tonight. More than five billion people live on the earth. The article the changes the meaning

13. Capitalize: • Titles of movies, books, chapters, and articles. • CAPS: • Jurassic Park, “The Lawnmower Man” • NO CAPS: • Little words (articles, conjunctions, and short prepositions) are usually not capitalized UNLESS • They are the beginning word: The Life and Times of King Joshua the Great • They are part of the verb: “Thief Holds Up Bank” (up is not a preposition here; it is part of the verb to hold up)

14. Singular Noun A noun that names one Plural Noun A noun that names more than one

15. Concrete Noun A noun that can be seen or recognized through any of the five senses. taste sight smell hear touch

16. Abstract Noun A noun that names ideas, actions, conditions, and qualities – things that cannot be recognized through the senses. intention love wonderment teamwork

17. jury • Collective Noun • A noun that names a group of: • people • things committee team class

18. Compound Noun A noun formed when two nouns are put together to form one noun bathtub homework firefly

19. Possessive Noun A noun that shows ownership or possession. This is where the mistakes happen, people.

20. To make a noun possessive, usually add an apostrophe and an s. Boris's mustache Most exceptions to this rule are old-fashioned or historical names: Jesus' parables Moses' tablets Achille's heel

21. If two people own the same thing, use an apostrophe and s for only the SECOND person. Adam and Denise's relationship If the two people don’t own the same thing, use an apostrophe and s for both people. Adam's and Denise's parents In formal writing, inanimate objects usually don’t own things. Okay: My bike’s tire Better: My bike tire The tire on my bike

22. Caution Major Mistake Territory! Proper nouns that end in s can scramble your brain. Here’s the key: Mr. and Mrs. Jones have a new car. The Joneses have a new car. Mr. Jones’s car is new. The Joneses’ car is new.

23. If the word ends in y and there’s a vowel before the y, add s: play—plays monkey—monkeys If the word ends in y and there’s a consonant before the y, change the y to i and add es: party—parties duty—duties If a proper noun ends in y, just add s: the Kennedy family—the Kennedys the Finley family—the Finleys

24. If a compound noun has a main noun in it, add the s to the main noun: one father-in-law, two fathers-in-law one chief of staff, two chiefs of staff If a compound noun has no main noun in it, add the s at the end: one follow-up, two follow-ups one trade-in, two trade-ins

25. Brain Ticklers 1. This is an amazing natural phenomena. Correct This is an amazing natural phenomenon.

26. Brain Ticklers 2. Marshall and David’s fingers were nearly frostbitten after playing in the snow for three hours. Correct Marshall’s and David’s fingers were nearly frostbitten after playing in the snow for three hours.

27. Brain Ticklers 3. I asked dad to drive me to Emily’s house. Correct I asked Dad to drive me to Emily’s house.

28. Brain Ticklers 4. I grew up in the south. Correct I grew up in the South. Major regions of the United States are capitalized.