Types of Nouns

A noun is a word that functions as the name of something. Nouns are the most common class of word in English.
Below we have a list of the different types of nouns in English with an explanation of what each one is and with examples of
each type of noun.
Common Nouns
Common nouns are used to name a GENERAL type of person, place or thing.
Common nouns can be divided into smaller classes such as countable and uncountable nouns, concrete and abstract nouns
and collective nouns.
Examples of common nouns: girl, city, animal, friend, house, food
Proper Nouns
Proper nouns are used to name a SPECIFIC person, place or thing. In English, proper nouns begin with a capital letter. Proper
nouns do not normally have a determiner before them (e.g. the London, the Mary etc.) though there are some exceptions (e.g.
Is she the Mary that we met at the conference?).
Examples of proper nouns: John, London, Pluto, Monday, France
Compound Nouns
Compound nouns are two or more words that create a noun. Compound nouns are sometimes one word (haircut), words
joined by a hyphen (son-in-law) or as separate words (bus stop). The main stress is normally on the first part of the compound
word (sunglasses, swimming pool)
Examples of compound nouns: toothbrush, rainfall, sailboat, mother-in-law, well-being, alarm clock, credit card
Countable Nouns
Countable nouns are nouns that CAN be counted. They have a singular and a plural form and can be used with a number.
Sometimes countable nouns are called count nouns.
Examples of countable nouns: car, desk, cup, house, bike, eye, butterfly
See more information about Countable vs Uncountable Nouns.
Uncountable Nouns
Uncountable nouns are nouns that CANNOT be counted. These are sometimes called Mass Nouns. Uncountable nouns often
refer to:
substances: paper, wood, plastic
liquids: milk, oil , juice
gases: air, oxygen
abstract ideas: happiness, time, information
Examples of uncountable nouns: water, coffee, cheese, sand, furniture, skin, wool, gold, fur
See more information about Countable vs Uncountable Nouns.
Collective Nouns
Collective nouns are words that refer to a set or group of people, animals or things.
Examples of collective nouns: staff, team, crew, herd, flock, bunch
See our list of Collective Nouns
Concrete Nouns
Concrete nouns are nouns which refer to people and things that exist physically and that at least one of the senses can detect
(can be seen, felt, heard, smelled/smelt, or tasted).
Examples of concrete nouns: dog, tree, apple, moon, coin, sock, ball, water
Abstract Nouns
Abstract nouns are nouns that have no physical existence and are not concrete. They refer to ideas, emotions or concepts so
you CANNOT see, touch, hear, smell or taste something that is an abstract noun. Many abstract nouns are uncountable.
Examples of abstract nouns: love, time, happiness, bravery, creativity, justice, freedom, speed
Gerunds
A gerund, sometimes called a verbal noun, is a noun formed from a verb. Since all gerunds end in -ing, they are sometimes
confused as being a verb (present participle).
Example: Running is good for you.
Here running looks like a verb because of its -ing ending but it is a noun (gerund) because we are talking about the concept of
running, we are talking about a thing.
Examples of gerunds: reading, writing, dancing, thinking, flying
The Different Types of Pronouns
The term pronoun covers many words, some of which do not fall easily under the
description given in the section What are Pronouns? There are many different kinds of
pronouns. In general, these do not cause difficulties for native English speakers. The list
below is mainly for reference purposes.
Demonstrative Pronouns
These pronouns are used to demonstrate (or indicate). This, that, these and those are all
demonstrative pronouns.

Examples:
This is the one I left in the car.
(In this example, the speaker could be indicating to a mobile phone, in which case, the
pronoun this replaces the words mobile phone.)
Shall I take those?
More on demonstrative pronouns...
Indefinite Pronouns
Unlike demonstrative pronouns, which point out specific items, indefinite pronouns are
used for non-specific things. This is the largest group of
pronouns. All, some, any, several, anyone, nobody, each, both, few, either, none, one and n
o one are the most common.

Example:
Somebody must have seen the driver leave.
(somebody – not a specific person)
We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars. (Oscar Wilde)
I have nothing to declare except my genius. (Oscar Wilde)
More on indefinite pronouns...
Interrogative Pronouns
These pronouns are used in questions. Although they are classified as pronouns, it is not
easy to see how they replace nouns. Who, which, what, where and how are all interrogative
pronouns.

Example:
Who told you to do that?
Which dog won the race?
More on interrogative pronouns...
Personal Pronouns
The personal pronouns are I, you, he, she, it, we, they, and who. More often than not (but
not exclusively), they replace nouns representing people. When most people think of
pronouns, it is the personal pronouns that usually spring to mind.

Example:
We can't all be heroes because somebody has to sit on the curb and clap as they go by.
I bought some batteries, but they weren't included.
More on personal pronouns...
Possessive Pronouns
Possessive pronouns are used to show possession. As they are used as adjectives, they are
also known as possessive adjectives. My, your, his, her, its, our and their are all possessive
pronouns.
Have you seen her book?
(In this example, the pronoun her replaces a word like Sarah's.)
More on possessive pronouns...
Relative Pronouns
Relative pronouns are used to add more information to a
sentence. Which, that, who (including whom and whose) and where are all relative
pronouns.

Examples:
Dr Adam Sissons, who lectured at Cambridge for more than 12 years, should have known
the difference.
(In this example, the relative pronoun who introduces the clause who studied at Cambridge
for 12 years and refers back to Dr Adams Sissons.)
The man who first saw the comet reported it as a UFO.
(In this example, the relative pronoun who introduces the clause who first saw the
comet and refers back to the man.)
More on relative pronouns...
Absolute Possessive Pronouns
These pronouns also show possession. Unlike possessive pronouns (see above), which are
adjectives to nouns, these pronouns sit by
themselves. Mine, yours, his, hers, ours and theirs are all absolute possessive pronouns.

Examples:
The tickets are as good as ours.
Shall we take yours or theirs?
More on absolute possessives...
Reciprocal Pronouns
Reciprocal pronouns are used for actions or feelings that are reciprocated. The two most
common reciprocal pronouns are each other and one another.

Examples:
They like one another.
They talk to each other like they're babies.
More on reciprocal pronouns...
Reflexive Pronouns
A reflexive pronoun ends ...self or ...selves and refers to another noun or pronoun in the
sentence (usually the subject of the sentence). The reflexive pronouns
aremyself, yourself, herself, himself, itself, ourselves, yourselves and themselves.

Examples:
The dog bit itself.
(In this example, the intensive pronoun itself refers back to the noun the dog.)
Are you talking to yourself?
More on reflexive pronouns...
Intensive (or Emphatic) Pronouns
An intensive pronoun (sometimes called an emphatic pronoun) refers back to another noun
or pronoun in the sentence to emphasize it (e.g., to emphasize that it is the thing carrying
out the action).

Examples:
John bakes all the bread himself.
(In this example, the intensive pronoun himself refers back to the noun John.)
The cat opened the door itself.
Physical Verbs – Definition and Examples
Physical verbs are action verbs. They describe specific physical actions. If you can create a motion with your body or use a tool
to complete an action, the word you use to describe it is most likely a physical verb.
Physical Verb Examples
The physical verb examples in the following sentences are in bold for easy identification.
Let’s run to the corner and back.
I hear the train coming.
Call me when you’re finished with class.
Mental Verbs – Definition and Examples
Mental verbs have meanings that are related to concepts such as discovering, understanding, thinking, or planning. In general,
a mental verb refers to a cognitive state.
Mental Verb Examples
The mental verb examples in the following sentences are in bold for easy identification.
I know the answer.
She recognized me from across the room.
Do you believe everything people tell you?
States of Being Verbs – Definition and Examples
Also known as linking verbs, state of being verbs describe conditions or situations that exist. State of being verbs are inactive
since no action is being performed. These verbs are usually complemented by adjectives.
States of Being Verb Examples
The state of being verbs in the following sentences are in bold for easy identification.
I am a student.
We are circus performers.
Please is quiet.

Types of Verbs
How many types of verbs are there? In addition to the main categories of physical verbs, mental verbs, and state of being
verbs, there are several other types of verbs. In fact, there are more than ten different types of verbs that are grouped by
function.
List of all Verb Types
Action Verbs
Action verbs express specific actions, and are used any time you want to show action or discuss someone doing something.
Transitive Verbs
Transitive verbs are action verbs that always express doable activities. These verbs always have direct objects, meaning
someone or something receives the action of the verb.
Intransitive Verbs
Intransitive verbs are action verbs that always express doable activities. No direct object follows an intransitive verb.
Auxiliary Verbs
Auxiliary verbs are also known as helping verbs, and are used together with a main verb to show the verb’s tense or to form a
question or negative.
Stative Verbs
Stative verbs can be recognized because they express a state rather than an action. They typically relate to thoughts, emotions,
relationships, senses, states of being, and measurements.
Modal Verbs
Modal verbs are auxiliary verbs that are used to express abilities, possibilities, permissions, and obligations.
Phrasal Verbs
Phrasal verbs aren’t single words; instead, they are combinations of words that are used together to take on a different
meaning to that of the original verb.
Irregular Verbs
Irregular verbs are those that don’t take on the regular spelling patterns of past simple and past participle verbs.