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I.Grammar1.1:TheNoun
WorldEnglishInstitute
INTRODUCTIONTOTHENOUN
IntheIntroductoryLesson,welearnedthatallEnglishwordscanbedividedintoeight"partsofspeech":nouns,
pronouns,adjectives,verbs,adverbs,prepositions,conjunctions,andinterjections.ReviewtheIntroductory
Lessonuntilyouareabletolisttheeightpartsofspeechandexplaineachone.Inthislesson,webeginourstudy
ofthenoun.Wewilllearntorecognizeandtousedifferentkindsofnouns:proper,common,collective,
concrete,abstract,specific,andnonspecific.Don'tbeafraidofthesewords.Youwillunderstandtheirmeaning
bythetimeyoufinishthislesson.
NOUNSTOLEARN
1."cell"(noun)thesmalleststructuralunitinthebodyofaplantoranimal.
Sentence:"Ananimalcellissosmallthatwecannotseeonewithoutamicroscope."
2."evidence"(noun)thefactsonwhichajudgmentcanbemade.
Sentence:"Fossilrecordsprovidelittleornoevidencetosupportthetheoryofevolution."
3."handiwork"(noun)theworkthatsomeonehasdonebyhand.
Sentence:"Whenwelookatasunsetorarainbow,weseethehandiworkofGod."
4."mystery"(noun)somethingthatisunknownorunexplained.
Sentence:"Therearemanymysteriesinnaturethatscientistshavenotbeenabletoexplain."
5."personality"(noun)thequalitiesofbeingaperson.
Sentence:"Godhasallthequalitiesofpersonality."
6."theory"(noun)asystemofconclusionsbasedonreasoning.
Sentence:"Atheoryissomethingapersonbelievesbutisnotabletoprove.
7."universe"(noun)allthingsthatexist,regardedasawhole.
Sentence:"Nooneknowshowbigtheuniversereallyis."
OTHERWORDSTOLEARN
1."create"(verb)tocausetoexist.
Sentence:"Inthebeginning,Godcreatedtheearthandsky."
2."design"(verb)tocreateaplan,sketch,orpattern.
Sentence:"Couldanymanhavedesignedthehumanbody?"

3."evolve"(verb)todevelopslowly.
Sentence:"Somescientistsbelievethatlifeonearthevolvedspontaneously,withoutthehelpofGod."
4."generate"(infinitive)[averbprecededby"to"]tobringintoexistence.
Sentence:"Fallingwaterisoftenusedtogenerateelectricity."
5."reproductive"(adjective)servingtoreproduceortobringforthagain.
Sentence:"Theacornispartoftheoaktree'sreproductivesystem."
6."spontaneously"(adverb)withoutoutsidecause.
Sentence:"Oilyragssometimesburstintoflamesspontaneously."
WHATISANOUN?
Anounisawordthatnamesaperson,place,orthing(object,animal,idea,action,quality,feeling,orevent).
Theterm"noun"means"name."
Allpeoplehavenames.Youhaveafamilyname,agivenname,andprobablyamiddlename.Whatareyour
names?Writethemdown.Eachofyournamesisanoun.
Youalsohaveothernames.Youareastudent,ateacher,aworker,aboy,girl,man,orwoman.Youareabrother,
sister,son,daughter,mother,orfather.Thesewordsarenouns.Theyarenamesgiventopeople.
Places,too,havenames.Wheredoyoulive?Onwhatstreetorroad?Inwhatvillage,town,orcity?Inwhat
county,state,province,ornation?Bywhatriverorlake?Thesewordsarenounsalso.Theyarenamesofplaces.
Thingshavenamesalso.Lookaroundyou.Makealistofthethingsyousee.Thewordsthatyouwritedownare
nouns.Makealistofthingsyouateforbreakfastandlunchtoday.Youhavejustmadeanotherlistofnouns.
Thingsliketrees,grass,fishandbirdsarenouns.Soarequalitieslikewisdom,power,andtruth.Soarefeelings
suchasfear,love,happiness,andjoy,andeventssuchasthecreation,ameeting,avacation,oraparty.Allthese
wordsarenouns.Theyarenamesofthings.
Person Place Thing
child
school desk
mother nursery diaper
president company profit
Sometimesanounisagroupofwords.
Examples:"maidofhonor,""justiceofthepeace,""MountHood,""seagull,""icecream."Sincethesewords
mustgotogethertomakesense,eachgroupofwordsisconsideredonenoun."Icecream"isonenoun.
PROPER,COMMON,ANDCOLLECTIVENOUNS
A"propernoun"namesaspecificperson,place,orthingandalwaysbeginswithacapitalletter.Examples:
Adam,Tigris,Beijing,China,Monday,July,English.Thefirstwordinasentencealsostartswithacapitalletter.
Writethenamesofpeopleinyourfamily.Thesenamesarepropernouns.Examples:John,Eve
Namesofyourstreet,city,stateorprovince,andnationarepropernouns.Example:15OakStreet,Cole,Iowa
97030U.S.A.
Makealistofmountains,rivers,lakes,seas,oroceansinyourarea.Eachofthesewordsisapropernounand
shouldbeginwithacapitalletter.Examples:MountEverestNileRiverDeadSea.
A"commonnoun"isawordthatnamesanykindofperson,place,orthing.Examples:man,woman,river,
lake,city,country,day,month,language.Acommonnounneverbeginswithacapitalletterexceptatthe
beginningofasentenceorwhenusedwithapropernoun.Thewords"river"and"college"arecommonnouns,

butwhentheyareusedtospecifyacertainriverorcollege,theybecomepropernounsandarecapitalized.
Examples:ColumbiaRiverColumbiaChristianCollege.Wheneveracommonnounisusedtosetaperson,
place,orthingapartfromothersofthesameclass,itbecomesapropernoun.
A"collectivenoun"referstoagroupofpeopleorthingsthatareboundtogetherasaunit.Acollectivenounis
singularinform,butreferstomorethanone.
Examples:assembly,crew,fleet,flock,herd,jury,litter,swarm,school.
Proper
Common Collective
JoeMontana
quarterback team
U.S.S.Missouri battleship fleet
Snoopy
dog
litter
Eve
woman
family
CONCRETEANDABSTRACTNOUNS
A"concretenoun"namesaperson,place,orthingthatcanbeheard,seen,smelled,tasted,ortouched.
Examples:owl,banana,cake,train,oil,pig,man.
Webecomeawareofthesepersonsandmaterialobjectsthroughthephysicalsenses.
An"abstractnoun"namesaquality,feeling,oridea.
Examples:love,fear,intelligence,goodness.
Thesearegeneral.Theydonotrefertoacertaincaseorexampleortoamaterialobject.Webecomeawareof
themthroughourthoughtsandemotions.
ConcreteNouns AbstractNouns
horse
strength
swan
grace
flower
beauty
joke
humor
SPECIFICANDNONSPECIFICNOUNS
A"specificnoun"isanounthatnamesacertainclassofpersonsorthings.
Anonspecificnounisgeneralinnatureanddoesnotspecifyacertainclassofpersonorthings.
SpecificNouns NonspecificNouns
dog
animal
crow
bird
rose
flower
ant
insect
NowanswerthequestionstothislessonthengotoReadingAssignment1andlookfornouns.Noticehow
manynounsthereareinthelessonandhowimportantnounsaretotheEnglishlanguage.Completethe
questions,andLessons2willbesenttoyou.
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