Nouns

1. Nouns A noun names a person, place thing, or idea.

2. Proper and Common Nouns • Proper Nouns name a specific person, place or thing and are capitalized. • Common Nouns name any person, place, or thing and are NOT capitalized.

4. List the common and proper nouns in the following sentences. Remember to capitalize all proper nouns. • Martin luther king jr. was born in atlanta, georgia. • His family lived in a two-story house on auburn avenue. • His mother, alberta williams king was a teacher. • His father was a minister. • King graduated from morehouse college. • The young man went on to graduate from seminary in chester, pennsylvania. • King married coretta scott and they had four children: yolanda, martin luther III, dexter, and bernice. • King was called to preach at dexter avenue baptist church in montgomery, alabama. • King was dedicated to the equal right’s movement. • He led in peaceful protests against the descrimination of african americans.

6. Possessive Nouns • Possessive nouns name who or what has something. They can be common, proper, singular, or plural. They show ownership. • To form the possessive of all nouns not ending in s add an apostrophe and s. • To form the possessive of all nouns ending in s only add an apostrophe. Examples: Lucy’s cat boys’ bicycles women’s shoes puppies’ toys

7. Write the correct possessive form of the noun in parenthesis. • _______________ hands felt cold and clammy. (maria) • The _____________ performance was not good enough to win. (players) • The _________________ vacation was relaxing and fun. (Williams) • The teacher enjoyed the sound of the _____________ laughter. (children) • During the autumn, the __________________ change colors. (leaves)

8. Singular and Plural Nouns • Singular nouns are nouns that stand for one person, place, or thing. • Plural nouns are nouns that stand for two or more people, places, or things.

9. In the following sentences, circle each plural noun and underline each possessive noun. • The singers wrote the songs they like to sing. • The singers’ song was enjoyable. • The drummers were playing a solo. • The back-up singers were singing harmony. • The lead singer was singing the song’s melody.

10. Appositives • An appositive is a noun that is placed next to, or in apposition to, another noun to identify it or add information to it. • Example: Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s wife, Eleanor, was a famous humanitarian. • An appositive phrase is a group of words that includes an appositive and other words that describe the appositive. • Example: Roosevelt, our thirty-second president, was the only president to be elected four times. • The appositive or the appositive phrase is set off with commas.

11. Add commas to set off the appositives or appositive phrases in the following sentences. • George Washington commander of the Continental Army led troops during the Revolutionary War. • Washington’s picture is on a coin the quarter. • Thomas Jefferson wrote the first draft of the Declaration of Independence a historic document. • John Adams succeeded the president George Washington as president of the United States. • Adam’s wife Abigail was well-read and outspoken.

12. Test Item • Which of the following sentences contains an appositive phrase? • F. Mrs. Reiner, her sister, and her daughter shopped at their local grocery store for flowers. • G. Hudson and his dad packed a tent, sleeping bags, food, and a lantern for their two-night camping trip. • H. Miss Greene, my fourth-grade teacher, moved to a different building within our school district this year. • J. Amelia studied two hours for the test in her science class last week, so she yawned all morning.

13. Collective Nouns • A collective noun names a group of people, places, or things. • Examples: team, class, family, herd, audience, flock • Collective nouns can have singular or plural meaning. • When referring to the group as a unit, the noun is singular and takes a singular verb. • When referring to the individual members of the group, the noun is plural and takes a plural verb. • Examples: The team works on its plays. • The team go to their individual lockers.

14. Circle the collective noun and underline the correct verb. • The audience (leaves, leave) their seats. • The class (is, or) going on a bus to the art museum. • The theater troupe (comes, come) out separately. • The jury (argue, argues) over the verdict. • The band (put, puts) their instruments away. • The budget committee (reaches, reach) a final decision. • The choir from East High School (sing, sings) the loudest. • The book club (discuss, discusses) their opinions.

15. Test Item • Which of the following sentences uses a collective noun? • F. The actors from the community theater will complete the new stage set tonight. • G. The litter of Siberian husky puppies will be old enough to be adopted next month. • H. Four generations of my relatives plan to attend our twentieth family reunion next March at my grandmother’s home. • J. The neighborhood girls hope to earn enough money at the bake sale to buy a swing set for the elementary school playground.

16. Concrete and Abstract Nouns Concrete nouns name things that can be experienced with the senses: touch, smell, taste, sight, or hearing. Abstract nouns name ideas, qualities, or feelings. They cannot be experienced with the senses. Examples: Concrete Nouns: frown, book, rain, music Abstract Nouns: truth, intelligence, justice, freedom

17. Underline each concrete noun and circle each abstract noun. • A commercial pilot must have a lot of flying experience. • The judge reminded the witness to tell the truth. • The veterinarian spent time and energy examining the horses. • The preschool teacher showed much patience. • My cat gets great pleasure on the windowsill on a sunny day.

18. Test Item • Which of the following sentences does not have an abstract noun? • A. Michael received an invitation to the band concert at school. • B. Jonas accepted the challenge to make the honor roll. • C. Sarah experienced success when she won an award for her essay. • D. Shivandra enjoyed the entertainment at the talent show.