Noun

To put it very simply, a noun is nothing but a name. Anything that is a name, is actually a noun! Here we will learn some rules and guidelines about how to use nouns correctly and in the proper form. And also look at some questions that are often asked in bank exams. Let us get started.

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What is a Noun?

A noun is anything that is an individual or a thing, a place, or even a feeling or idea. Basically, the noun is any word that is used to identify a particular entity. Let us understand it better with the following examples.

Browse more Topics under English Grammar

• Kinds Of Noun
• Pronouns
• Verbs
• Adjectives and Adverbs
• Paragraph Jumbles
• Subjective Verb Agreement
• Conjuctions & Prepositions
• Phrasal Verbs
• Articles
• Tense
• Active and Passive Voice
• Direct/Indirect Speech
• English Grammar Practice Questions

Examples of Noun

Name The teacher, the doctor, Mr. Jones, the banker, Mrs. Ray.

Thing: A ball, the swing, an umbrella.

Place: Classroom, Mumbai, the road, Canada.

Feeling: Concern, worry, beauty.

Action: Exchange, running, sleeping, breathing.

(Source: oxfordictionaries.com)

Singular and Plural Nouns

One thing you must remember is how to make singular nouns into plural ones. Singular noun refers to one single aspect, whereas plural is a reference to a collection of things (more than one). Let us take a look at a few pointers to keep in mind

• Generally in most cases to turn a singular noun to a plural noun we just add the letter “s” to the end. The tree becomes trees and cat becomes cats.
• If the noun ends in s, ss,  sh, o, x or z then the plural noun will end with an “es”. Crunch will become crunches, and mass becomes masses.
• If the noun ends with f or fe the plural nouns will end with “ves”. So plural of wife will be wives and calf will be calves.
• And if the noun will end with a y, then the ending of the plural nouns will be “ies’. Puppy in its plural form will be puppies. But if the letter before y is a vowel then you will only add a “-s”. So boy will be boys

Points to Keep in Mind

There are also some important rules or guidelines that you must keep in mind regarding nouns, that will be useful.

1. When dealing with a collective noun, we use gender-neutral pronouns. For example, “The class was doing their work in silence.” We do not use the pronouns his or her.
2. If it is an animal or creature or even a baby, again we use gender-neutral pronouns.
3. There are certain words that sound plural, but are actually singular nouns and used as such in a sentence. Some such nouns are Mathematics, Politics, Ethics, Optics, Economics etc. So, for example, Mathematics is a hard subject for Ricky. Notice we used “is and not “are”.
4. As opposed to that there are nouns that sound singular but are actually are plural. Some such nouns are Children, Cattle, Women. Men etc. The Women are walking towards the market. Again we used “are” since women is a plural noun.
5. And then there are a few fords whose plural and singular noun is the same. Words like sheep, deer, fish, aircraft, team etc can be used as both singulars as well as plural nouns.

Learn Kinds of Nouns here. 

Solved Questions

Type 1 Activity

Q: Every evening(1) the mothers-in-law(2) would meet to discuss their respective days(3). Which part of the sentence is incorrect?

1. 1
2. 2
3. 3
4. No errors in the sentence.

Ans: The correct answer is “B”. The plural form of mother-in-law would be mothers-in-law and not mothers-in-law.

Q: The laugh (1) was so loud (2) it could be heard from across the room (3). Which part of the sentence is incorrect?

1. 1
2. 2
3. 3
4. No errors in the sentence.

Ans: The correct answer is “A”. The noun form of “laugh” (which is a verb) must be used here, which is laughter.

Q: The deer (1) were terrified (2) and ran away from the car (3). Which part of the sentence is incorrect?

1. 1
2. 2
3. 3
4. No errors in the sentence

Ans: The correct answer is “D”. The plural form of deer is also deer, and the sentence is correctly formed.

Type 2 Activity

Q: ______ of people met at the ground and got to work.

1. Hundred
2. Hundreds

Ans: Correct answer is “B”. People is a plural noun by itself. So the correct sentence is “Hundreds of people met at the ground and got to work. ”

Q: Will you at least ____ the job?

1. Consider
2. Considered

Ans: The correct answer is “A’. Consider is the noun, and considered is the verb form. Here the correct sentence will be “Will you at least consider the job?

Practice Question

Q: Woman and men (1) should be treated (2) by society equally (3). Which part of the sentence is incorrect?

1. 1
2. 2
3. 3
4. No errors in the sentence.

Ans; Option A. Should be ‘men’.

Q: It was one of the most enjoyable experiences of his life. Which part of the sentence is incorrect?

1. 1
2. 2
3. 3
4. No errors in the sentence.

Ans: Option D. ‘Experience’ can be both singular and plural.

Q: He was certain that the ____ was false.

1. Informations
2. information
3. information’s
4. None of the above

Ans: Option B

Q: The punch knocked out for of his ____

1. tooth
2. teeth
3. tooths
4. None of the above

Ans: Option B