What Are Nouns? Words that name people, places, things, ideas, and events. Foundation of the English language.
Kinds of Nouns
Proper Nouns Name specific people, places, or things. Always start with a capital letter. Examples: Andrei MSA Philippines December
Common Nouns - Refer to general names. Examples: Writer Building Baby Car
Mass Nouns Cannot be counted directly. Considered as a whole. Do not become plural by adding -s or -es . Examples: Salt Sugar Damage Water
Count Nouns Items that can be counted. Become plural by adding -s or -es . Examples: Dress Piano Brush Can
Abstract Nouns Refer to ideas, qualities, conditions, or emotions. Cannot become plural by adding -s or -es . Examples: Success Beauty Intelligence Happiness
Concrete Nouns Can be perceived by the five senses. Can be either count or mass nouns. Examples: Chair Rain Lightning Food
Collective Nouns Name groups of persons, things, or animals. Examples: Band Flock Crowd Family
Compound Nouns Nouns made up of more than one word. Types: Separated: police station Hyphenated: editor-in-chief Combined: ballpen Examples: Separated: bubble bath Hyphenated: hand-me-down Combined: seaman
Adjectives That Function as Nouns Adjectives may also function as nouns. Example: Good is contagious. ( Good acts as a noun here, referring to the quality or state.)
Adjectives Representing People: Nouns represent people when they come after the determiner "The" and verbs may follow immediately. These nouns are considered plural in number, so plural verbs follow. Examples: The determined succeed. The senator gave the jobless employment.
Forms of Nouns
Forms of Nouns Content: Nouns are easy to identify because of their unique forms. A word is a noun if it fits certain criteria such as plural forms, gender distinctions, cases, or specific suffixes.
Singular and Plural Forms Nouns often have both singular and plural forms. Examples: Singular: car , mouse Plural: cars , mice
Gender of Nouns Nouns may have gender distinctions: Male: father Female: mother Neuter: parent
Cases of Nouns Nouns have three cases: Nominative (Subjective) Objective Possessive ( Only in this case does the form of nouns change. )
Endings and Suffixes of Nouns Nouns often have characteristic suffixes such as: -age , - ce , -cy , - dom , -ion , -ism , - ity , - ment , -ness , -or , -ship , - sy , - tion , -ty , - ure . Examples: Happiness Kingdom Equality Agreement
III. Identifying Nouns in Sentences Nouns can be found: After Determiners : A student left his book on the table. After Prepositions : Niño ate the pie on the table. Before and After Verbs : Reagan bought a car this morning. After Adjectives : The old house was torn down. After Nouns (as Appositives) : I made a gift, a sweater, for Angela.
IV. Noun Cases Nouns have three cases: Nominative (Subjective) : Subject/Predicate Nominative ( Flowers grow in the garden. ) Objective : Direct/Indirect Object or Object of Preposition ( Lito drives his car. ) Possessive : Shows ownership ( Kay's shoes. )
Uses of Nouns in Sentences Title: Ways Nouns Are Used Content: As Subject : Flowers grow in the garden. As Predicate Nominative : Jossie is the pride of the school. As Direct Object : Lito drives his car. As Indirect Object : The man gave his wife a gold ring.
As Object of Preposition : You will find the vase beside the chair. As Objective Complement : We made Isaac lead guitarist. As Nominative of Address : Ben, take this. As Appositive : Our dog, a poodle, turned seven.
V. Possessive Forms of Nouns Add 's : Kay's shoes. Add ' to plural nouns ending in -s : musicians' instruments. Add 's to irregular plural forms: children's food. Add 's to one-syllable nouns ending in -s : James's questions. Add ' to proper nouns with two+ syllables ending in -s : Moses' sermon. Add 's in joint ownership: Ling and Tina's room. Use 's for compound nouns: editor-in-chief's articles.
VI. Plural Forms of Nouns Content: Nouns can be made plural through regular and irregular rules, depending on their endings or composition.
Regular Plurals Rules for forming regular plurals: Noun Ending Rule Examples Exemptions S, X, Z, CH, SH, SS Add -es dishes, boxes, quizzes - O preceded by consonant Add -es tomatoes, heroes - O preceded by vowel Add -s zoos, radios - Y preceded by consonant Change y to i and add -es babies, cities - Y preceded by vowel Add -s days, toys - F Change f to v and add -es elves, lives, knives chefs, proofs
Irregular Plurals Some nouns change completely when pluralized. Examples: man → men child → children mouse → mice
Plurals of Compound Nouns To form plurals of compound nouns, add -s or -es to the first noun. Examples: sergeants-at-arms mothers-in-law
Plurals of Letters, Numbers, and Names General Rule: Add -s at the end. Examples: How many 2s are there in 16? There are two Rs in "occurred." We have three Joeys in the roster. Special Cases: For clarity, add an apostrophe and s ('s) in: Abbreviations with periods Lowercase letters used as nouns Capital letters that could be confusing Examples: M.A.'s, r's, A's, I's, SOS's
VII. Partitive Nouns Noncount nouns cannot take -s or -es to form plurals. Partitive nouns (quantifiers) make noncount nouns singular or plural. Examples: advice → pieces of advice furniture → pieces of furniture cheese → slices of cheese milk → bottles/glasses of milk sheep → flocks of sheep
Using Partitive Nouns To make a singular form: Remove -s and add a/an . To make plural: Use the plural partitive noun. Examples: Singular: A piece of jewelry was sold yesterday. Plural: Pieces of jewelry were sold last week.
Quantifying Count & Mass Nouns Count Nouns: many, a few, a number of Mass Nouns: much, less, an amount of Both Count & Mass: more Examples: Many tables A few pens Much water Less money
Definition: Pronouns are "noun substitutes" or words that refer to nouns.
Properties of Pronouns Person First person: Speaker ( I, we ) Second person: Listener ( you ) Third person: Person talked about ( he, she, they ) Number Singular: One ( he, it ) Plural: More than one ( they, we ) Case Nominative/Subjective: Doer of action ( I, she ) Objective: Receiver of action ( me, her ) Possessive: Shows ownership ( my, theirs )
Homophonous Pronouns Possessive Pronouns: my, your, its, their Contractions: it's (it is), they're (they are), you're (you are) Examples: It’s cold outside (it is). The dog wagged its tail (possessive).
Kinds of Pronouns A. Personal Pronouns Singular: 1st person: I 2nd person: You 3rd person: He, she, it Plural: 1st person: We 2nd person: You 3rd person: They
Nominative/Subjective Pronouns Used as subjects (doers of the action): Before verbs (e.g., She runs fast. ) After linking verbs (e.g., It was I who called. ) Examples: Before verbs: We dance every weekend. After linking verbs: The winner is he.
Objective Pronouns Used as objects (receivers of action): After action verbs (e.g., She hugged him. ) After prepositions (e.g., The gift is for us. ) Examples: Action verbs: They helped me finish. Prepositions: This is between you and me.
Kinds of Pronouns
A. Personal Pronouns Refer to people or other things. Singular Nominative Objective Possessive First I me my, mine Second you you your, yours Third he, she, it him, her, it his, her, hers, its
1. Nominative/Subjective Pronouns Used as subjects (doers of the action or focus of the sentence). Examples: Before verbs: She is very friendly. After linking verbs: My grandfather is he. 2. Objective Pronouns Used as receivers of action or objects of prepositions. Examples: After action verbs: It took him days to finish. After prepositions: Her dog barks at him.
3. Possessive Pronouns Used to show ownership. Examples: These are my books. ( Adjective form ) These books are mine. ( Independent form )
Demonstrative Pronouns Used to indicate the location of a noun or pronoun relative to the speaker. That, this, these, those Examples: Pronouns: That is expensive. Determiners: That house is expensive. Pronouns: These were published already.
Relative Pronouns These pronouns connect a dependent clause to a main clause and follow similar rules as personal pronouns.
Examples: Subject: The boy who won the contest is my friend. The book that you lent me is amazing. Object: The man whom I met yesterday is a scientist. The car which you are looking at is brand new. Possessive: The girl whose dress is red won the competition. The company whose policies are strict is hiring.
A. Indefinite Pronouns Refer to persons, places, or things in general without specific antecedents.
1. Singular Indefinite Pronouns These pronouns take singular verbs.
2. Plural Indefinite Pronouns These pronouns take plural verbs.
3. Singular or Plural Indefinite Pronouns Verb agreement depends on the noun after "of."
VII. Interrogative Pronouns B. Interrogative Pronouns Used to ask questions.
VIII. Reciprocal Pronouns C. Reciprocal Pronouns Express mutual relationships or feelings.
IX. Compound Personal Pronouns D. Compound Personal Pronouns Formed by adding -self or -selves to personal pronouns.
Types: Reflexive Pronouns – Refer back to the doer of the action. Example: AJ laughed at himself when he fell over the chair. Intensive Pronouns – Emphasize the doer of the action. Example: It was the boys themselves who prepared the meal.
The Forms of BE E. The Forms of BE: Includes different variations used in sentences.
How to Identify Linking vs. Action Verbs Understanding Verbs and Verb Phrases
Linking vs. Action Verbs
Test for Linking Verbs: 1. Substitute 'am,' 'is,' or 'are' for the verb. 2. If the sentence still makes sense, the verb is a linking verb. 3. If it doesn’t make sense, it’s an action verb. Example 1: - The flower smells fragrant. Substitute: 'The flower is fragrant.' Linking Verb: smells Example 2: - The gardener smells the flower. Substitute: 'The gardener is the flower.' Action Verb: smells
Verb Phrases
Definition: - A verb phrase consists of a main verb and one or more helping verbs. Example: - The doctor has left the building already. Verb Phrase: has left Main Verb: left Helping Verb: has
Helping Verbs Helping verbs assist the main verb in a sentence. They indicate mood, tense, or voice. Two types of helping verbs: Modals and Auxiliary Verbs .
Modals Definition: Modals modify the meaning of the main verb. The main verb following a modal doesn’t take tense. Example: Correct: She can do it! Incorrect: She can did it.
Auxiliary Verbs Definition: Show progressive, passive, emphatic, negative, or perfect verb forms. Categories of Auxiliary Verbs: BE-Verbs DO-Verbs HAVE-Verbs
BE-Verbs List of BE-Verbs: am, is, are, was, were, will be. Rule: Use verbs in the present participle or past participle after BE-Verbs. Example: Andrei is learning how to drive. (progressive)
DO-Verbs List of DO-Verbs: do, does, did, do not, does not, did not. Rule: Use verbs in the simple present after DO-Verbs. Example: I do know that Andrei is learning how to drive a car. (emphatic)
HAVE-Verbs List of HAVE-Verbs: has, have, had, has not, have not, had not. Rules: Use verbs in the past participle after HAVE-Verbs. If followed by been, the present participle can also be used. Example: Have Andrei had passed his driving test before he bought the car. (perfect)
Examples by Category: Progressive: Andrei is learning how to drive. Passive: The car was parked by Andrei. Emphatic: I do know that Andrei is learning how to drive a car. Negative: Andrei's brothers did not think that he would pass his driving test. Perfect: Have Andrei had passed his driving test before he bought the car.
The Four Principal Parts of the Verb
Verb Forms:Present : Ends in - ing . Past: Base or simple form without -s, -es, or - ies . Present Participle: For verbs ending in -y, remove -y and add - ies for singular forms. Past Participle: Regular verbs: Add -d or -ed . Irregular verbs: Spelling changes or no change.
Examples:Present : My parents eat breakfast early. Past: She danced with her father. Present Participle: Mary studies at the university. Past Participle: The balloon burst yesterday.
Past Participles Rules for Usage: Use HAVE-verbs or BE-verbs before past participles. Regular verbs: Add -d or -ed. Irregular verbs: Spelling may change or remain the same. Examples: He has worked in the army. The bell was rung twice already. The van has been broken for years.
The Emphatic Form Definition: Highlights the action of the doer. Uses DO-verbs ( do, does, did ) + base form of the verb. Examples: Regular: I understand what you're trying to tell me. Emphatic: I do understand what you're trying to tell me.
Active and Passive Voice Active Voice: The subject does the action. Example: The author wrote a children's book. Passive Voice: The subject receives the action. BE-verb + past participle. Example: The book was written because the author likes children.
Passive Prepositions: Example: He was laughed at when he slipped on a banana peel. Verbs Not Used in Passive Voice: Examples: abide, bleed, cling, roar, etc. Active: Burt came to the convention alone. Passive: Burt was came… (Incorrect).
Transitive and Intransitive Verbs Transitive Verbs: Action verbs followed by complements or objects (nouns/pronouns). Answers whom or what. Examples: Fred kissed Lulu. (kissed whom?) Maria reads this. (reads what?)
Transitive Phrasal Verbs: Group of words functioning as a verb. Examples: Lara put on her hat. (put on what?) I take after my dad. (take after whom?)
Verbals A. Participles: Function as adjectives. Present: verb + - ing . Past: verb + -ed, -d, - en , -t. Examples: The sleeping girl. A hidden talent.
Gerunds Definition: Verbals ending in - ing , functioning as nouns. Examples: Eating is a necessity. The thing I taught Fely this year was driving.
Infinitives Definition: Can act as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs. Formed with "to" + verb. Examples: To eat is a necessity. (noun) The person to consult is my teacher. (adjective) I find it really hard to dance. (adverb).
Types of Infinitives
Present Infinitive: To + base form. Examples: I love to sing. To smile is a good thing. Perfect Infinitive: To + have + past participle. Examples: To have slept is so relaxing. I am glad to have come.
Infinitive or Prepositional Phrase? Infinitive: "To" followed by a verb. Examples: To drive, to have swum. Prepositional Phrase: "To" followed by a noun or pronoun. Examples: To the park, to him, to someone.
Verb Tenses Definition: Tense shows when and how long an action occurs (present, past, or future). Auxiliary Verbs by Tense: Present: am, is, are, does, do Past: was, were, did Future: will be Perfect: has, have, had, done Progressive: has been, had been
The Simple Tenses Present Simple: Usage: General truths, habits, conditions, processes, conditionals, or retelling stories. Example: The earth revolves around the sun. I always go to the gym.
Past Simple: Usage: Actions true only in the past, advertisements, or past conditionals. Example: The scouts decided to move the trip. If you did continue your studies, you might have been a lawyer.
Future Simple: Usage : Simple actions or conditions in the future. Example: She will dance in the contest tomorrow.
The Perfect Tenses
Present Perfect: Usage : Actions or states that started in the past and continue to the present. Example: Lani has worked like a dog ever since the supervisor came. The project has ended recently.
Past Perfect: Usage : Actions in the past that occurred before another past action. Example: Andy had left when the teacher came.
Future Perfect: Usage : Actions that will be completed by a certain time in the future. Example: Four years from now, Bea will have been a licensed nurse.
The Progressive Tenses
Present Progressive: Usage : Actions happening at the moment. Example: She is strolling along with her friend in the park.
Past Progressive: Usage : Actions happening in the past when another event occurred. Example: Ricky was filing the papers when his manager called him.
Future Progressive Tense Definition: Describes an action that will be ongoing at a specific future time or during a specific period in the future. Usage: Used to express an action that is expected to continue at a given point in the future. Often includes time markers like by the time or at this hour tomorrow . Examples: By the time she graduates, Myrna will be receiving many awards. I will be sleeping by ten this evening.
Perfect Progressive Tenses
Present Perfect Progressive Action started in the past and continues to the present. Examples: He has been waiting here for an hour. Past Perfect Progressive Past action ongoing before another past event. Examples: My brother-in-law had been playing with his band before settling in Chicago. Future Perfect Progressive Action that will be ongoing until a certain future time. Examples: By this afternoon, my relatives will have been arriving from the airport.
Adjectives Attributive: Comes before a noun. Example: True friends are not hard to find. Predicate: Follows a linking verb. Example: This meal is loaded with vitamins. Objective Complement: Follows an object. Example: Guillermo made his painting more beautiful.
Categories of Adjectives Descriptive: Expresses quality. Gradable: More, most. Absolute: Cannot be compared. Limiting: Limits nouns (articles, numerals, pronominals). Examples: a, an, two, this, my.
Degrees of Comparison Positive: Basic form. Example: a wise teacher. Comparative: -er or more/less. Example: wiser than. Superlative: - est or most/least. Example: smartest.