DISCOVERING GRAMMAR

CECILIA ARRIAGADA CORREA

M.A. IN APPLIED LINGUISTICS
DISCOVERING GRAMMAR THE NOUN

Table of Contents

Some common abbreviations 3

Glossary of terms 4

Why English is so hard- Poem 5

What is grammar? 6

The Noun Phrase 8

The Noun classification 10

Exercises 13

Gender 20

Exercises 21

Number 23

Latin and Greek Plurals 27

Exercises 29

Derivation 30

Exercises 32

Compound nouns 36

Exercises 38

Sentence elements 40

Exercises 42

Self check 43

Web resources 47

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DISCOVERING GRAMMAR THE NOUN

SOME COMMON ABBREVIATIONS

A. A. = adverbial accusative
Adj. C. = adjective clause
Adj. = adjective
Adv. C. = adverb clause
Adv. = adverb
Conj. = conjunction
C.P. = complete predication
D.O. = direct object
I.O. = indirect object
I.P. = incomplete predication
I.V. = intransitive verb
N.C. = noun clause
N.E = noun equivalent
N.P. = noun phrase
O.C. = objective complement
O.P. = object of the preposition
P.ph. = prepositional phrase
S.C. = subjective complement
S. = subject
T.V. = transitive verb
V.P. = verb phrase

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DISCOVERING GRAMMAR THE NOUN

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

1. Adjective: a word that describes a person or thing.

2. Adverb: a word that adds more information about place, time, manner, cause or
degree to a verb, an adjective, a phrase or another adverb.
3. Clause: a group of words that includes a subject and a verb and forms a sentence
or a part of a sentence.
4. Noun: a word that refers to a person, a place or a thing, a quality or an activity.
5. Noun phrase: a group of words in a sentence that behaves in the same way as a
noun, that is , as a subject, an object, a complement, or as the object of a
preposition.
6. Phrasal verb: is a verb made up by a particle, which can be a preposition or an
adverb.
7. Object Complement: the word that is found before or after the D.O. in a
sentence with a transitive verb of incomplete predication. The O.C. tells us
something important about the direct object.
8. Subject: a noun, noun phrase or noun equivalent representing the person or
thing that performs the action of the verb about which something is stated or, in a
passive sentence, that is affected by the action of the verb.
9. Verb: a word or group of words that expresses an action or a state.
10.Subject Complement: the word or words found after a linking verb (to be,
appear, seem, etc). It tells us something important about the subject.

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DISCOVERING GRAMMAR THE NOUN

Why English is so hard

We’ll begin with a box, and the plural is boxes;

But the plural of ox should be oxen, not oxes.
Then one fowl is goose, but two are called geese;
Yet the plural of moose should never be meese.

You may find a lone mouse or a whole lot of mice,

But the plural of house is houses, not hice.
If the plural of man is always called men,
Why shouldn’t the plural of pan be called pen?

The cow in the plural may be cows or kine,

But the plural of vow is vows, not vine.
And I speak of a foot, and you show me your feet,
But I give you a boot – would a per be called beet?

If one of is a tooth and a whole set are teeth,

Why shouldn’t the plural of booth be called beeth?
If the singular is this, and the plural is these,
Should the plural of kiss be nicknamed kese?

Then one may be that, and the three may be those,

Yet the plural of hat would never be hose;
We speak of a brother, and also of brethren,
But though we say mother, we never say methren.

The masculine pronouns are he, his, and him,

But imagine the feminine she, shis, and shim!
So our English, I think you will all agree,
Is the trickiest language you ever did see.

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DISCOVERING GRAMMAR THE NOUN

WHAT IS GRAMMAR?

 Grammar is the business of taking a language to pieces, to see how it works.

(David Crystal, 1988)
 Basically grammar is the study of the classes of words, their inflection and their
functions and relations in the sentence. Grammar deals with three areas of
language:
a) Morphology : the rules governing the forms of words used in sentences
b) Syntax: The way words are combined to make acceptable sentences
c) Phonology: the rules governing the sounds of language

KNOWING GRAMMAR OR KNOWING ABOUT GRAMMAR?

If you are able to understand the sentence “where did you put your bag?” is because
you know about grammar. You recognize the word order and the way words are
stringed together, as well as the spelling and punctuation rules .

Then, you clearly recognize “you did bag put where your?” as a sentence that
breaks the rules you know .

Everyone who speaks English, Spanish or any other language knows the grammar of
that language; however, not everyone who speaks English, Spanish or any other
language knows about grammar.

KNOWING ABOUT GRAMMAR means:

 Being able to talk about what we know.
 Being able to describe what we do, when we string words together.
 Being able to work out what the rules are.
 Learning a number of technical terms (e.g. : inflection, root, suffix, etc) and using
them in a clear and consistent way.

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WHY, THEN STUDY GRAMMAR?

 Because it is there! As any other domain of knowledge.

 As social beings, we cannot live without language. And grammar is the
fundamental organizing principle of language.
 Our grammatical ability is quite extraordinary. There is no limit to what we can
say or write and yet all of this potential is controlled by a finite number of rules.
 Learning about grammar provides a basis for learning other languages. Other
languages have tenses, verbs, clauses, adjectives, too.
 After studying grammar, we should be more alert to the strength, flexibility and
variety of our language, and thus be in a better position to use it and to evaluate
others’ use of it.

It is a conscious process, and it does not come naturally.

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DISCOVERING GRAMMAR THE NOUN

NOUN PHRASE

A noun is not always alone in a sentence. It is usually accompanied by other

words that ‘modify’ it. Together they form a group called noun phrase because its
nucleus or head is the noun. The modifiers can be:

1. A determiner: a word like an article, that doesn’t describe it but helps to identify
the noun:

The book
My book
This book
Some book
Which book...?

2. An adjective or an adjective phrase: they are usually placed before the noun:

Beautiful flowers...
The very good students...
Those extremely low wages...

3. Another noun: this noun can be in normal or in genitive case:

The milk bottle

Mother’s bag
A leather belt
My friends’ shoes

4. A prepositional phrase: it’s a preposition + a noun ( phrase )

This group of words comes after the noun.

The boy with blue eyes.

That girl in the corner.
The teacher from Arkansas.

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5. A relative clause: it begins with who, which, that, ... and comes right after a
noun it describes:

I don’t like men who wear mustache

Did you see the girl that was wearing a black velvet jacket?
The book you lent me was torn.
Students who are registering for this semester must fill in this form.

6. A participle phrase: a group of words which begins with a PARTICIPLE.

The students studying in the library are friends of mine.

The boy sent home this morning was feeling sick.

7. An infinitive phrase: it begins with TO and comes right after a noun:

The idea to finish early was rejected.

She felt the impulse to hug him.
Everybody noticed his attempt to impress her.

8. Occasionally, an adverb: it’s a word defined as such in the dictionary:

The people there are on strike.

The students outside are marching against APEC summit.

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DISCOVERING GRAMMAR THE NOUN

THE NOUN

Nouns: words which refer to people, places, things and abstract ideas, feelings or
qualities.

Martin moved to a new apartment.

Alcoholism and drugs ruined his career.
We’ll go to California on vacations next summer.
Van Gogh often suffered fits of madness.
Money doesn’t make happiness.

Nouns can be classified into five main classes. The first division is into concrete and
abstract nouns. Concrete nouns can then be divided into proper, common,
collective and material.

CONCRETE PROPER
COMMON
NOUNS COLLECTIVE
MATERIAL
ABSTRACT

CONCRETE NOUNS: refer to something we can touch or see:

1) Proper nouns: name one particular person or thing, place or institution, time,
occasions, events, publications, and so on.

John F. Kennedy was shot by Leo Harry Oswald in 1962.

The Nile River is the longest river in the world.
Christmas is celebrated everywhere with parties.

2) Common nouns: name general persons, places or things.

A train derailed on the way to Boston last week.

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DISCOVERING GRAMMAR THE NOUN

3) Collective nouns: are words that are singular in form but that refer to a group
of people or things considered as a whole.

Team: a group of players

Crowd : a group of people
Bunch: a group of flowers
School/shoal: a group of fish
Pack: a group of wolves or cards
Troop: a group of kangaroos
Ring: a group of thieves
Flock: a group of birds
Crew: a group of people working on a ship
Pride: A group of lions
Colony: a group of ants
Swarm: a group of bees
Fleet: a group of ships
Jury: a group of judges

Collective names of animals

There are no rules about these collective nouns. Some phrases make good sense if
the animal’s habitat is known, others can be understood only if their origins are traced
in the dictionary; and still others continue to puzzle scholars. However these collective
nouns came into English, they can be classified into four groups:
 Appearance
 Characteristic
 Habitat
 Onomatopoeia

The collective name may describe the appearance of the animal. For example:
A “pride of lions”, for a group of lions because of the lion’s regal bearing.

The name may also describe a distinctive behavior, like:

A “leap (leep) of leopards” because it describes how a leopard jumps on its
prey.

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DISCOVERING GRAMMAR THE NOUN

Where or how animals live is another way of creating collective names. For
example,
A “rookery of penguins” describes the place where penguins nest in the
Antartic.
Finally , the sound of the collective name can describe an aspect of the animal’s
behavior,
A “gaggle of geese” where “gaggle” sounds like the noise that the geese
make.

4) Material nouns: name some particular kind of substance: sugar, wine, cork,
silver, etc.

There isn’t any sugar in the pot.

This necklace is made of gold.

ABSTRACT NOUNS

Abstract nouns: describe a quality, idea, action or experience rather than something
physical or concrete. For example: joy, size, language.

The psychologists contrast romantic love with what they call rational love.

Teenagers’s natural shyness and self-consciousness may make them

awkward in the company of their peers, especially of the opposite sex.

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DISCOVERING GRAMMAR THE NOUN

EXERCISES

VOCABULARY PRACTICE

Put the words in the list below in the correct category.

owl – whisk – willow - lilies – blender – mixer – robin – elm – daisy - carnation – torch
forget-me-not – woodpecker – oak – maple – crow.

TREES

B G
I A
R D
D G
S E
T
S

FLOWERS

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DISCOVERING GRAMMAR THE NOUN

Match the pictures with the words.

1. goose 2. goat 3. peacock 4. quail 5. owl 6. ram 7. crow

What do you call a number/group of:

1. People gathered together to hear or watch something: _______________

2. People chosen to judge a competition: ________________
3. People governing a country or state: ________________
4. People working on a ship: ________________
5. Organized singers: ________________
6. Actors in a play: ________________
7. Chairs, boxes, etc.: ________________
8. Cards: _________________
9. Ships: _________________
10. Thieves organized in a group: _________________
11. Trees: _________________
12. Papers, clothes, dishes, etc.: _________________
13. Tools: _________________
14. The people who perform religious ceremonies in the Christian church
_______________

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DISCOVERING GRAMMAR THE NOUN

What do you call each of the groups of animals below? Choose the correct
alternative.

1. Bats
a) herd b) flock c) colony
2. Peacocks
a) ostentation b) parliament c) pack
3. Rhinos
a) troop b) crash c) leap
4. Owls
a) convocation b) parliament c) rookery
5. Cats
a) flock b) clowder c) leap
6. Penguins
a) rookery b) shoal c) bevy
7. Kangaroos
a) herd b) troop c) murder
8. Ants
a) colony b) swarm c) pack
9. Bees
a) swarm b) gaggle c) pack
10. Geese
a) rookery b) herd c) gaggle
11. Crows
a) pack b) murder c) herd
12. Sheep
a) pack b) flock c) pride
13. Lions
a) pride b) clowder c) flock
14. Wolves
a) pack b) flock c) pride
15. Quails
a) flock b) murder c) bevy

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DISCOVERING GRAMMAR THE NOUN

What is the diminutive for…? :

1. Robert ________________
2. William ________________
3. Elizabeth ________________
4. Margaret ________________
5. Michael ________________
6. John ________________
7. Alfred ________________
8. Deborah ________________
9. Edward ________________
10. Elisabeth ________________
11. Stephen ________________
12. Barbara ________________

Below is a list of some of the top 50 traditional baby boy and baby girl names
in the U.S. Match them with their meanings.

Andrew 1) This popular Latin name means "small."

Charles 2) This name comes from a Hebrew name and means "sea of bitterness,
sorrow." This name is widely popular and timeless.
David
3) A popular and enduring choice, this name means "free man" and has
Paul Old German roots.

Peter 4) A Greek name, this means "warrior."

Caroline 5) This popular name is the feminine form of the Latin name Carolus,
which is a version of the name Charles and means "full grown."
Catherine
6) This popular Latin name means "small."
Valerie 7) Another popular name with a bevy of nickname possibilities, this
name has Greek roots and means "pure."
Mary
8) An name with Old English origins, this means "wealthy guard." A
Hebrew name, this means "beloved."

9) This name comes from an old Roman family name and means "to be
strong, healthy."

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DISCOVERING GRAMMAR THE NOUN

Build up a pyramid of words, using the clues below. All the words begin with
the letter W.

An artificial covering of hair for head (3)

An outdoor current of air (4)
A very large sea mammal (5)
A man who is said to have magic powers (6)
A soldier of skilled fighting man (7)
The passage for air between mouth and lungs (8)
A natural fall of water from a height such as a rock or cliff (9)
A four-wheel chair used for moving from place to place by invalids (10)

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DISCOVERING GRAMMAR THE NOUN

Write in one minute as many words as you can in each of the subject
categories below. Then compare your answers with your partner.

Tools _____________ ______________ ______________

_____________ ______________ ______________
_____________ ______________ ______________
_____________ ______________ ______________
_____________ ______________ ______________
_____________ ______________ ______________

Fish _____________ ______________ ______________

_____________ ______________ ______________
_____________ ______________ ______________
_____________ ______________ ______________
_____________ ______________ ______________
_____________ ______________ ______________

Furniture _____________ ______________ ______________

_____________ ______________ ______________
_____________ ______________ ______________
_____________ ______________ ______________
_____________ ______________ ______________
_____________ ______________ ______________

Insects _____________ ______________ ______________

_____________ ______________ ______________
_____________ ______________ ______________
_____________ ______________ ______________
_____________ ______________ ______________
_____________ ______________ ______________

How well did you do? Search for the top ten words for each category at Merriam
Webster’s online Visual Dictionary www.m-w.com

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DISCOVERING GRAMMAR THE NOUN

Read the proverbs and sayings below. Underline and classify the nouns and
then write their corresponding equivalent in Spanish.

1. Curiosity killed the cat.

2. Love is blind.
3. Money talks.
4. Birds of a feather flock together.
5. When in Rome, do as Romans do.
6. Don’t put all your eggs in the same basket.
7. All roads lead to Rome.

Underline and then classify the nouns in the passage below:

“If only took Harry one trip upstairs to move everything he owned from the cupboard
to this room. He sat down on the bed and started around him. Nearly everything in
here was broken. The month-old video camera was lying on top of a small, working
tank Dudley had once driven over the next door neighbor’s dog; in the corner was
Dudley’s first-ever television set, which he’d put his foot through when his favorite
program had been canceled, there was a large birdcage, which had one held a parrot
that Dudley had swapped at school for a real air rifle, which was up on a shelf with the
end all bent because Dudley had sat on it.

( extracted from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone – p. 37 )

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DISCOVERING GRAMMAR THE NOUN

GENDER

There are four genders:

 Masculine: male sex man , lord, king, husband

 Feminine: female sex woman, lady, queen, wife
 Common: either sex secretary, doctor, person
 Neuter: neither sex desk, computer, calendar

There are three different ways to express gender:

a) by using different words:

father mother
boy girl
stallion mare
b) by adding –ess or by changing “or” or “er” into “ress” or by similar changes:
lion lioness
actor actress
tiger tigress
god goddess
c) By prefixing or suffixing a word denoting the sex:
Grandfather grandmother
Landlord landlady
Manservant maidservant

Exceptions:
Widower widow
Bridegroom bride
Fox viken (*dated)

Foreign words:
Executor executrix
Hero heroine
Beau belle
Czar czarina

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DISCOVERING GRAMMAR THE NOUN

VOCABULARY PRACTICE

Write the masculine or feminine of the following nouns

MASCULINE FEMININE

1. Lord/gentleman __________________________
2. Heir __________________________
3. ________________________ Hostess
4. Ram __________________________
5. Billy goat __________________________
6. Priest __________________________
7. Rabbit __________________________
8. ________________________ Mistress
9. Sultan __________________________
10. Stallion __________________________
11. Prophet __________________________
12. Gander __________________________
13. ________________________ Jewess
14. Poet __________________________
15. Usher __________________________
16. Bachelor __________________________
17. ________________________ Witch
18. ________________________ Heroine
19. ________________________ Tib-cat
20. ________________________ Manageress
21. Bull __________________________
22. Landlord __________________________
23. Widower __________________________
24. ________________________ Bride

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Write the titles of nobility

MASCULINE FEMININE
1. Marquis _________________
2. __________________ Countess
3. Duke _________________
4. Baron _________________
5. Prince _________________
6. Viscount _________________
7. __________________ Empress

Check the following list of sexist language* and provide a non-sexist term.

Sexist language is considered to

be any language that is supposed
to include all people, but,
unintentionally (or not) excludes
a gender—this can be either
males or females.

Instead of … You could use…

1. fireman ________________________
2. postman ________________________
3. chairman ________________________
4. housewife ________________________
5. barman ________________________
6. spokesman ________________________

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NUMBER

THE FORMATION OF PLURALS

1. The plural of nouns is generally formed by adding “s” to the singular.

Car cars
Ball balls
2. Nouns ending in s, ss, z,zz, ch, sh, and x form their plural by adding “es”.
Bus buses
Glass glasses
Buzz buzzes
Watch watches
Wish wishes
Wax waxes
3. Most nouns ending in “o” preceded by a consonant take “es ” in the plural.
Hero heroes
Exceptions: piano pianos
solo solos
4. All nouns ending in “o” preceded by a vowel take “s ” in the plural.
Radio radios
Cuckoo cuckoos
Studio studios
Hindoo Hindoos
5. All nouns ending in “y” preceded by a consonant change the “y” into “ ies ”, except
proper nouns but if the “y” is preceded by a vowel, only “s ” is added.
Diary diaries
Lady ladies
Fly flies
Mary Marys
Day days
Key keys
Boy boys
6. Nouns ending in “f “ and “fe” change these letters into “ ves” in the plural.
Leaf leaves
Knife knives

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Exceptions: safe safes

strife strifes
coif coifs
reef reefs
7. Nouns ending in “oof”, “ief” “rf” and “ff” take “s” in the plural.
Roof roofs
Chief chiefs
Cliff cliffs

Exceptions: thief thieves

Hoof hoofs – hooves
8. In compound nouns, the plural sign is generally added to the principal component.
Maidservant maidservants
Mother in law mothers in law
Stepson stepsons

Sometimes both components are pluralized:

Manservant menservants
Womanservant womenservants
9. Compounds in “ful” take “s” in the plural.
Spoonful spoonfuls
Handful handfuls
10.Some nouns change their inside vowel.
Man men
Tooth teeth
Foot feet
11.Some nouns form their plurals in “en” or “ne”.
Child children
Ox oxen
Brother brethren
Cow cows – kine (*rarely used in modern English)

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12.Many foreign nouns retain their original plurals.

Radius radii – radiuses
Oasis oases
Cactus cacti
Basis bases
13.Some nouns singular in form, are used only in a plural sense:
Poultry
People
Cattle
Mankind
Police
Public
Clergy
14.Some nouns have the same form for the singular as for the plural:
Deer
Sheep
Series
Species
Means
15.Some nouns have two plural forms each with a different meaning:
Brother brothers
brethren: members of a religious group
Index indexes: tales of contents
indices: signs in math
Cloth cloths: pieces of cloth
clothes: articles of clothing
Genius geniuses: people of great talent
genii: spirits
Medium mediums: people who communicate with spirits
media: means of communication

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16.Sometimes the meaning of the plural form of a noun is different from its meaning
in the singular:
Air The air in Santiago is polluted.
He put on airs. (=he assumed a naughty manner)
Color What’s your favorite color?
The colors were saluted. (=flags)
Copper Is that saucepan made of copper?
My grandfather used to give some coppers for school. (=coins)
Custom Chinese have different customs.
What are the customs on these goods? (=taxes)
17.If the word “man” has entered into combination with another word, “man”
becomes “men” in the plural.
Fireman firemen
Frenchman Frenchmen
18.The names of peoples which end in “ss” and “se” have one and the same form for
singular and plural.
Japanese Swiss Chinese Portuguese
19.The names of many sciences ending in “ics” take a singular verb.
Linguistics mechanics physics statistics
20.The following nouns are followed by verbs in the plural:
Alms bowels compasses customs glasses measles
Mumps savings scissors trousers wages
21.Some nouns have more meanings in the singular than in the plural.
Foot part of the body feet Wood Forest Woods
12 inches Timber
bottom
infantry
People nation peoples (nations)
persons

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LATIN AND GREEK PLURALS

SINGULAR PLURAL

Alga Algae
Alumna Alumnae
Alumnus Alumni
Analysis Analyses
Antenna Antennae (bio.) – antennas (general-electricity)
Apex Apices – apexes
Axis Axes
Bacillus Bacilli
Basis Bases
Criterion Criteria
Curriculum Curricula – curriculums
Datum Data – datums
Desideratum Desiderata
Ellipsis Ellipses
Erratum Errata
Focus Foci – focuses
Formula Formulae (mat.) – formulas (general)
Index Indices
Locus Loci
Matrix Matrices – Matrixes
Medium Media – mediums
Memorandum Memoranda – Memorandums
Nebula Nebulae
Nucleus Nuclei – nucleuses
Parenthesis Parentheses
Phenomenon Phenomena
Radius Radii – radiuses
Terminus Termini – terminuses
Thesis Theses
Vertex Vertices – Vertexes

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EXERCISES

Using the words in the list above, complete the rules used to make foreign
plurals.

1. Words ending in –US change their ending to _________ in the plural.

2. Words ending in –A change their ending to __________ in the plural.
3. Words ending in - ____ change their ending to –A to indicate the plural.
4. Words ending in –EX –IX change their ending to _______
5. Words ending in - ____ change their ending to –ES.
6. Words ending in - ____ change their ending to -A

Give the plural forms of the following words.

SINGULAR PLURAL
1. Syllabus ____________________________
2. Oasis ____________________________
3. Bacterium ____________________________
4. Appendix ____________________________
5. Crisis ____________________________

Fill in the blanks in the following sentences with an appropriate word from
the list.

Nuclei Stimulus Axes Medium Species Bacteria

1. The spread of sound is determined by the ____________ used to send it.

2. There are several hundreds of _________________________________
3. All planets rotate on their own ______________________________
4. Among all life forms, the response to a _________________________ is a vital
factor in the learning situation.
5. Communication and group interaction are vital elements in the preservation and
extension of many plant and animal ___________________________
6. Energy is produced when the ___________________________ of atoms are either
split or united.

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Give the plural forms of the following words:

SINGULAR PLURAL
1. Passer-by _________________________
2. Witness _________________________
3. Louse _________________________
4. Daisy _________________________
5. Criterion _________________________
6. Swiss _________________________
7. Brother _________________________
8. Witch _________________________
9. Quiz _________________________
10. Ox _________________________
11. Belief _________________________
12. Loaf _________________________
13. News _________________________
14. Scissors _________________________
15. Toothbrush _________________________
16. Deer _________________________
17. Branch _________________________
18. Mouse _________________________
19. Goose _________________________
20. Genius _________________________
21. Medium _________________________
22. Japanese _________________________
23. Chief _________________________
24. Piano _________________________
25. Cherry _________________________
26. Do _________________________
27. Grandchild _________________________

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DERIVATION

It’s a process by means of which new words are formed by adding prefixes or
suffixes to a root already in existence.

Affixes prefix : a particle added before the root.

suffix : a particle added after the root .

Affixes inflectional
derivational

Inflection: process by means of which a particle is added to a root to indicate

grammatical features.

Car-S (NUMBER)
Talk-S (TENSE, PERSON)

Derivation: process by means of which a language can form different family words.

Family words: different words derived from a root + prefix /suffix.

Vertical (Adj.)
Vertical – ly (Adv.)
Vertical – ness (Noun)
Vertical – ity (Noun)

Create (Verb)
Creat – ion (Noun)
Creat – ivity (Noun)
Creat – ive (Adj.)
Creat– ive – ly (Adv.)

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Some common suffixes used to form abstract nouns

- age marriage, usage
- al approval, refusal
- ance avoidance
- ation, - ition, - ion (from a verb) creation, information
- dom freedom, kingdom
- ence intelligence, violence
- ency fluency
- hood (from proper nouns ) childhood, brotherhood
- ics mathematics, ethics
- ism classicism, criticism
- itude gratitude
- ment (from verbs) agreement, acknowledgement
- ness (from adjectives) weakness, kindness
- (o) cracy democracy, bureaucracy
- ship friendship, lordship
-y honesty
Some common suffixes used to form common nouns
- ee nominee, refugee
- er (from verbs) operator, learner
- ery (latin) bakery, library
- ess countess, hostess
- ist biologist, pianist

Some common prefixes used to form nouns

anti- (greek) antiabortion
auto- autobiography
co- coeducation
contra- (latin) contraception
counter- counter-attack
mal- (mis-) maladjustment, misconception
neo- (greek) neo-classicism
non-(latin) nonsense
post- (latin) postwar
pre- (latin) prewar
pseudo- (greek) pseudonym

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DISCOVERING GRAMMAR THE NOUN

EXERCISES

Make nouns from the following words:

VERB NOUN
1. Exist -----------------------------------
2. Improve -----------------------------------
3. Reduce -----------------------------------
4. Produce -----------------------------------
5. Accept -----------------------------------
6. Equip -----------------------------------
7. Define -----------------------------------
8. Establish -----------------------------------
9. Add -----------------------------------
10. Suggest -----------------------------------
11. Discover -----------------------------------
12. Develop -----------------------------------
13. Criticize -----------------------------------
14. Divide -----------------------------------
15. Maintain -----------------------------------

ADJECTIVE NOUN
1. Simple -----------------------------------
2. Probable -----------------------------------
3. Relative -----------------------------------
4. Complex -----------------------------------
5. Bitter -----------------------------------
6. Sweet -----------------------------------
7. Mad -----------------------------------
8. Weak -----------------------------------
9. Sour -----------------------------------
10. Dark -----------------------------------
11. Lonely -----------------------------------
12. Soft -----------------------------------

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DISCOVERING GRAMMAR THE NOUN

NOUN NOUN
1. Man -----------------------------------
2. Mother -----------------------------------
3. Parent -----------------------------------
4. Child -----------------------------------
5. Brother -----------------------------------

Add the appropriate suffixes to form the names of specialists in the following
disciplines:

1. Economics -----------------------------------
2. Ecology -----------------------------------
3. Archaeology -----------------------------------
4. Obstetrics -----------------------------------
5. Anthropology -----------------------------------
6. Physics -----------------------------------
7. Numerology -----------------------------------
8. Psychiatry -----------------------------------
9. Politics -----------------------------------
10. Biology -----------------------------------
11. Ornithology -----------------------------------
12. Pediatrics -----------------------------------
13. Zoology -----------------------------------
14. Statistics -----------------------------------
15. Gynecology -----------------------------------
16. Science -----------------------------------
17. Chemistry -----------------------------------
18. Philosophy -----------------------------------
19. Geology -----------------------------------
20. Mathematics -----------------------------------

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DISCOVERING GRAMMAR THE NOUN

All of the suffixes listed in the chart below can be added to verbs and nouns
to form a person who does something as a job or hobby, or who studies a
subject. Two of the words can be used twice.

direct assist music employ act art account teach attend

create electric science train comedy

-er
-or
-ist
-ian
-ee
-ant

Make nouns by adding one of the suffixes in the chart to the verbs, nouns
and adjectives below. Sometimes you will have to change the spelling.

terror stupid insulate slave dry brave

carpenter slow starve cannibal Marx
royal black introduce cruel

-ery
-(a)tion
-(i)ty
-ness
-ism

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DISCOVERING GRAMMAR THE NOUN

Complete the definitions with the name of a specialist.

1. A person who practises the art of stuffing dead animals, birds and fish.
_________________
2. A person who studies birds and their behaviour. _________________
3. A person who studies and collects postage-stamps. _________________
4. A person who studies insects. _________________
5. A person who studies and collects coins. _________________
6. A person who studies or makes genealogies. _________________

Complete the definitions with a suitable abstract noun.

1. The state of being noble ___________________
2. The state of being familiar ___________________
3. The ability to feel through the sense of touch ___________________
4. The act of obeying ___________________
5. The state of being obese ___________________
6. The act of exaggerating ___________________
7. The act of attending ___________________
8. A lack of knowledge or information about something ___________________
9. The state of being bored ___________________
10. The state of being tired ___________________
11. The desire for food ___________________
12. A starving state ___________________

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DISCOVERING GRAMMAR THE NOUN

COMPOUND NOUNS

A compound noun is a noun that is made up of two or more words. Most compound
nouns in English are formed by nouns modified by other nouns or adjectives. They
normally have two parts. The first part tells us what kind of object or person it is, or
what its purpose is (police, boy, water, dining, bed).The second part identifies the
object or person in question (man, friend, tank, table, room).

For example:

The words tooth and paste are each nouns in their own right, but if you join them
together they form a new word - toothpaste.

The word black is an adjective and board is a noun, but if you join them together
they form a new word - blackboard.

In both these example the first word modifies or describes the second word, telling us
what kind of object or person it is, or what its purpose is. And the second part
identifies the object or person in question.

Compound nouns can also be formed using the following combinations of words:

Noun + Noun toothpaste

Noun + Verb Haircut
Noun + Adverb Passer-by
Adjective + Noun Monthly ticket
Adjective + Verb Dry-cleaning
Verb + Noun Swimming pool
Verb + Adverb Drawback
Adverb + Verb Input
Adverb + Noun Onlooker

The two parts may be written in a number of ways:-

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DISCOVERING GRAMMAR THE NOUN

1. Sometimes the two words are joined together.

Example: tooth + paste = toothpaste | bed + room = bedroom

2. Sometimes they are joined using a hyphen.

Example: check-in

3. Sometimes they appear as two separate words.

Example: full moon

Stress is important in pronunciation, as it distinguishes between a compound noun

(e.g. greenhouse) and an adjective with a noun (e.g. green house).In compound
nouns, the stress usually falls on the first syllable

There are, however, quite a few exceptions to this rule:

meat pie; garden table.

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DISCOVERING GRAMMAR THE NOUN

EXERCISES

1. Which word does NOT go with the word 'HEAD' to make a new word?
(a)case (b)line (c)master (d)lift
2. Which word does NOT go with the word 'NEWS' to make a new word?
(a)reader (b)magazine (c)paper (d)flash
3. Which word does NOT go with the word 'BIRTH' to make a new word?
(a)day (b)mark (c)control (d)baby
4. Which word does NOT go with the word 'AIR' to make a new word?
(a)conditioning (b)mail (c)port (d)pilot
5. Which word does NOT go with the word 'BOOK' to make a new word?
(a)shop (b)worm (c)maker (d)library
6. Which word does NOT go with the word 'POLICE' to make a new word?
(a)person (b)woman (c)dog (d)force
7. Which word does NOT go with the word 'NIGHT' to make a new word?

(a)cap (b)owl (c)club (d)trip

8. Which word does NOT go with the word 'HAND' to make a new word?
(a)step (b)shake (c)writing (d)stand
9. Which word does NOT go with the word 'SNOW' to make a new word?
(a)white (b)board (c)flake (d)bow
10.Which word does NOT go with the word 'GREEN' to make a new word?
(a)house (b)eye (c)tea (d)back
11.Which word does NOT go with the word 'TRAFFIC' to make a new word?
(a)lights (b)jam (c)warden (d)rage

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DISCOVERING GRAMMAR THE NOUN

Give a simple definition of these words. For example:

Something you use to open / cut ....
1. A painkiller : ___________________________________________________
2. A cash machine: _________________________________________________
3. A pickpocket: ____________________________________________________
4. A piggy bank: ____________________________________________________
5. A rat race: _______________________________________________________
6. An onlooker: _____________________________________________________

Make compound nouns by matching the nouns in column A with the nouns in
column B.

COLUMN A COLUMN B

Life syrup
Candle lid
Hang brigade
Pain pick
Fire nap
Tooth burn
Black reliever
Eye stick
Bread tank
Cat out
Cough insurance
Heart crumbs
Water over

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DISCOVERING GRAMMAR THE NOUN

SENTENCE ELEMENTS

Subject: A person, thing, place or idea that is doing or being something.

A simple subject is the subject of a sentence stripped of modifiers.

Her detective novels are read all over the world.

Sometimes the subject can be more than one word, such as a clause:
[What he declared to the jury] was considered irrelevant.

In imperative forms, the subject does not actually appear in the sentence;
however it is understood:
(You) Remember to lock the front door.

Predicate: the verb plus its objects, complements, and adverbial modifiers that
tell what the subject does or is:
He bought a farm in Dayton.

Objects: any words or groups of words functioning as nouns. There are two types
of objects: direct object and indirect object

1. Direct object: represents or names:

 Something created by the subject
I knit a scarf.
Neruda wrote 20 poems of love.
 Something transformed or affected
Sam broke a glass.
We congratulated Tom on his birthday.
 Something apprehended.
I know a poem.
She read a book.

The Direct object answer the questions what? or whom?

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DISCOVERING GRAMMAR THE NOUN

2. Indirect object: represents the person or thing that gets the direct object.It
usually answers the questions to what /whom? or for what/whom?
I sent Kim a letter.
I sent a letter to her.
 Complements: complete the predicate in a sentence. There are two types of
complements: subject complements and object complements.

1. Subject complement: follows a linking or copular verb and modifies or

refers to the subject, its characteristics, another name for it or another
name of referring to it. A subject complement can be an adjective, a noun,
a pronoun, a word, or a group of words which acts as an adjective or noun.

Some linking verbs are:

 Be  Get
 Become  Turn
 Seem  Grow
 Appear  Taste
 Sound  Smell
 Feel  Look
 Act

Edith Piaf was a remarkable French singer.

He soon became a well-known trumpeter.

2. Object complement: modifies or refers to the direct object. An object

complement can be an adjective, a noun, a word, or a group of words,
which acts as an adjective, or noun. The object complement tells us:

 How it changed
I made her a queen.
 What its new shape or state
I found the box empty.
 The transformation the D.O. suffered
She made him a gentleman.

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DISCOVERING GRAMMAR THE NOUN

 Another name for the D.O.

You call this a spade.
 Some quality the subject ascribes to the D.O. to describe it.
I consider him clever.

Some verbs that can take an object complement are:

 Make  Paint
 Elect  Believe
 Find  Appoint
 Think  Paint
 Name  Consider
 Call  Judge
 Turn

Adverbial modifiers: any word or group of words that acts as an adverb within a
sentence:
People said he lived in a haunted house.

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DISCOVERING GRAMMAR THE NOUN

EXERCISES

Look at the underlined word(s) in the sentences below (a-e) and the
numbers under each. Answer the questions using the numbers in
parentheses.

a. After a moment, the patient stopped crying, opened his eyes, and looked
questioningly
(1) (2)
at the Vietnamese nurse .
b. The journals ever incite the reader to keep up with what is being published.
(3) (4)
c. What terrified her was the thought that the drowning was not yet over.
(5) (6)
d. My father’s main job was to train race horses.
(7)
e. The media made Marilyn Monroe a sex symbol.
(8)

1. Which is a prepositional phrase? ______

2. Which is a subjective complement? ______
3. Which is functioning as an object of a preposition? ______
4. Which word performs the function of direct object? ______
5. Which is a clause? ______
6. Which is a verb phrase? ______
7. Which noun phrase performs the function of a subjective complement? ______
8. Which noun phrase performs the function of objective complement? ______

Analyze the sentences below. Underline the Verb Phrase (VP), mark the
clauses using brackets [ ] , and the prepositional phrases using ( ).
1. You are a serious person and like to base your life on definite ideas and values.
2. The players like taking a shower after each game.
3. In former times, the clergy were more powerful.
4. Red wine, aged cheese, coffee, chocolate, nuts, and preserved meats contain
nitrates, caffeine, and tyramine, chemicals that may produce pounding headaches.
5. The process of mixing concrete is tricky.

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DISCOVERING GRAMMAR THE NOUN

SELF CHECK

I GIVE THE COLLECTIVE NOUN FOR A NUMBER/GROUP OF:

1. People of the church ____________________________
2. Penguins ____________________________
3. Cows and bulls kept as farm animals for their milk or meat__________________
4. Bees ____________________________
5. Flowers ____________________________

II STATE THE GENDER AND GIVE THE OPPOSITE FOR:

1. Doe rabbit ________ ______________________________
2. Landlady ________ ______________________________
3. Empress ________ ______________________________
4. Rooster ________ ______________________________
5. Broom ________ ______________________________

III STATE THE NUMBER AND GIVE THE SINGULAR OR PLURAL OF:
1. Mumps ________ ______________________________
2. Passer-by ________ ______________________________
3. Bacilli ________ ______________________________
4. Sally ________ ______________________________
5. Coif ________ ______________________________

IV MAKE NOUNS FROM THE FOLLOWING WORDS AND SUFFIXES:

A B
1. Vary -ation ___________________________
2. Store -ness ___________________________
3. Motivate -ee ___________________________
4. Address -age ___________________________
5. Calm -(i)ety ___________________________
-ance

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DISCOVERING GRAMMAR THE NOUN

V PICK OUT THE NOUNS IN THE FOLLOWING SENTENCES AND STATE TYPE,
GENDER, NUMBER .
1. Andrew Rowe believes this film will be a hit because it combines the romantic
image of a Victorian public school with action, adventure and murder.
2. Mrs. Aquino has been under tremendous public pressure to restore political
stability in a country racked by at least five coup attempts in the past year.
3. The fiber, of which there are several types suited for different kinds of tasks, is
merely the medium through which the light flows.
4. Tannins, like caffeine and nicotine, serve plants as defenses against insects and
other predators.
5. Human beings have been writing for at least 5000 years; but they have been
talking for much longer, doubtless ever since there have been human beings.

NOUN TYPE GENDER NUMBER

P C M CL A M F C N SG. PL.

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DISCOVERING GRAMMAR THE NOUN

VII IDENTIFY THE SENTENCE ELEMENTS.

1. A good lead dog must be intelligent.

2. After a moment, the patient stopped crying, opened his eyes, and looked

questioningly at the Vietnamese nurse.

3. A quick blood typing showed that neither American had the correct blood type.

4. Many people in town consider Stephanie to be a wicked witch.

5. She gave me the name of the nursing home. I called the number and spoke with

someone in charge.

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DISCOVERING GRAMMAR THE NOUN

WEB RESOURCES

 The Basic Elements of English

http://www.ucalgary.ca/UofC/eduweb/grammar/index.htm
 Grammar and Mechanics
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/
 Sentence elements
http://learningnerd.wordpress.com/2006/09/10/english-grammar-
basic-sentence-elements/
 Sentence analysis
http://www.cityu.edu.hk/elc/quiz/analysi4.htm
 Guide to Grammar and Writing
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/index.htm
 Grammar Handbook
http://www.english.uiuc.edu/cws/wworkshop/writer_resources/gra
mmar_handbook/grammar_handbook.htm
 University of Ottawa. HyperGrammar
http://www.uottawa.ca/academic/arts/writcent/hypergrammar/parts
e.html
 Merriam Webster’s Online Dictionary – Visuals
http://www.m-w.com

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