Different Types of Noun: Nouns Make Up The Largest Class of Words in Most Languages, Including English. A
Different Types of Noun: Nouns Make Up The Largest Class of Words in Most Languages, Including English. A
NOUN
Nouns make up the largest class of words in most languages, including English. A
noun is a word that refers to a thing (book), a person (Betty Crocker), an animal (cat),
a place (Omaha), a quality (softness), an idea (justice), or an action (yodeling). It's
usually a single word, but not always: cake, shoes, school bus, and time and a half are
all nouns.
1. COMMON NOUN
2. PROPER NOUN
4. ABSTRACT NOUN
An abstract noun names a quality or an idea. Abstract nouns are nouns that
name abstract concepts, or concepts that cannot be experienced with the senses.
Examples:
If we have the right attitude to troubles in life, we can remain happy.
Each chapter covers 5 topics.
Alex has four pencils.
He also has three erasers.
He has a car.
The car contains four seats.
Definition of Collective Noun The cat used to eat a cookie every day
Argh! The car broke down! (Disappointment/frustration/Anger) Do you drink coffee or tea in the morning?
FRUSTRATION INTERJUNCTION Can you please check the salt of the curry?
The definition of frustration is the state of being annoyed or a source of annoyance.
I would like to have some beer after lunch.
Argh! The car broke down! (frustration)
How much time do you need?
I need some more time.
Bring me a cup of soup.
8. MASS NOUN
I have a phone, few books, a notepad, a table-calendar, and a computer on my Definition of Mass Noun
desk.
I love to listen to songs when I work. A mass noun is a noun such as 'wine' which is usually uncount but is used with 'a' or
How many times did I tell you to do this? 'an' or used in the plural when it refers to types of that substance,
Either you will eat your dinner or you will go to bed. demonstrative pronouns—this, that, these, and those—distinguish the person
He is neither employed nor looking for a job. or thing being referred to from other people or things; they are identical to the
demonstrative adjectives.
Not only do I love this band, but I have also seen them in concert twice.
Examples:
INTERJECTIONS
These are obedient children.
An interjection is an exclamatory word (or words) that shows weak, mild, or strong This is my father’s suit.
feeling and has no grammatical function in the construction of a sentence. Felix selected that.
TYPES OF INTERJECTION That may take some time to finish.
Tess, would you please send this?
7. INTERJECTIONS FOR GREETING
3. RELATIVE PRONOUNS
This type of interjection is used in the sentence to indicate the emotion of warmth to
the person meeting with such as hey, hello, hi, etc.
Definition of Relative Pronoun
For example:
Relative pronouns are used to add more information to a sentence. Which, that,
who (including whom and whose) and where are all relative pronouns.
Hey! Nice to see you here in the party.
Hello! I am Pooja.
Examples:
Dr Adam Sissons, who lectured at Cambridge for more than 12 years, should
8. INTERJECTIONS FOR JOY
have known the difference.
This type of interjection is used in the sentence to indicate immediate joy and
(In this example, the relative pronoun who introduces the clause who studied
happiness on any happy occasion occurred such as hurrah, wow, hurray, etc.
at Cambridge for 12 years and refers back to Dr Adams Sissons.)
The man who first saw the comet reported it as a UFO.
For example:
A subordinate clause is one that cannot stand alone as a sentence. These clauses are
The bag is theirs.
also called dependent clauses because they depend on an independent clause to create
a complete sentence.
2. DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUN
Example, (In this example, the relative pronoun who introduces the clause who first saw the
comet and refers back to the man.)
After I go to the movies.
4. ABSOLUTE POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS
This is a dependent clause. It is introduced by the subordinate conjunction after, and
the clause itself cannot stand by itself. It must have an independent clause attached to Definition of Absolute Possessive Pronoun
it to make sense.
These pronouns also show possession. Unlike possessive pronouns (see above),
After I go to the movies, I will eat dinner. which are adjectives to nouns, these pronouns sit by themselves. Mine, yours, his,
hers, ours and theirs are all absolute possessive pronouns.
EXAMPLE:
DEPENDENT CLAUSE: Because he wouldn’t wear a seat belt. Examples:
INDEPENDENT CLAUSE: Robin wasn’t allowed in the Batmobile any longer. The tickets are as good as ours.
DEPENDENT & INDEPENDENT CLAUSE: Robin wasn’t allowed in the Batmobile any Shall we take yours or theirs?
longer because he wouldn’t wear a seatbelt.
CORRELATIVE CONJUNCTION 5. PERSONAL PRONOUN
Correlative conjunction definition: Correlative conjunctions are conjunctions that Definition of Personal Pronoun
function as separable compounds, occurring in pairs, and have corresponding
meanings. 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
1. CORRELATIVE CONJUNCTIONS LIST think of pronouns, it is the personal pronouns that usually spring to mind.
There are many examples of correlative conjunctions; some are used more frequently Example:
than others, but here is list of the most common pairs We can't all be heroes because somebody has to sit on the curb and clap as
they go by.
Both / and I bought some batteries, but they weren't included.
Either / or
Hardly / when 6. INTERROGATIVE PRONOUN
TYPES OF CONJUNCTION
2. COORDINATING CONJUNCTION interrogative pronouns.
It’s a good idea to use the mnemonic “FANBOYS” to memorize coordinating 7. INDEFINITE PRONOUN
conjunctions so you’ll never forget them. They are:
F = for Unlike demonstrative pronouns, which point out specific items, indefinite pronouns
A = and 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 no one are the most
N = nor
common.
B = but
O = or Example:
Y = yet Somebody must have seen the driver leave.
(somebody – not a specific person)
S = so 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)
Examples of Coordinating Conjunctions
8. RECIPROCAL PRONOUN
In the following examples, the coordinating conjunctions have been italicized for easy
identification. Definition of Reciprocal Pronoun
1. You can eat your cake with a spoon or fork. Reciprocal pronouns are used for actions or feelings that are reciprocated. The
2. My dog enjoys being bathed but hates getting his nails trimmed. two most common reciprocal pronouns are each other and one another.
3. Bill refuses to eat peas, nor will he touch carrots.
Examples:
4. I hate to waste a drop of gas, for it is very expensive these days. They like one another.
They talk to each other like they're babies.
3. SUBORDINATE CONJUNCTION
-The Odyssey was written by Homer. 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
-The project was completed by him
carrying out the action).
-The room is being decorated by her.
Examples:
-He was hit by a ball.
-This poem was written by Walt Whitman. John bakes all the bread himself.
-That man opened the door with the key.
(In this example, the intensive pronoun himself refers back to the noun John.)
-You can’t play soccer without a ball.
-I can write better with my own pen. The cat opened the door itself.
The definition of a conjunction is the joining together of elements and it is a word : a word that characteristically is the grammatical center of a predicate and expresses
that connects sentences, phrases or clauses. an act, occurrence, or mode of being, that in various languages is inflected for
This article is about smartphones.
Most of the guests have already left.
agreement with the subject, for tense, for voice, for mood, or for aspect, and that
I will always be here for you. typically has rather full descriptive meaning and characterizing quality but is
He is playing with his brothers.
sometimes nearly devoid of these especially when used as an auxiliary or linking verb
On, at, in, from, to, for, since, ago, before, till/until, by, etc. are the most common
preposition of time.
4. TRANSITIVE VERB
Example:
A transitive verb is one whose action must be used in relation to an object, and when
He started working at 10 AM.
using the verb, it only makes sense if the verb is transferring action upon an object.
The company called meeting on 25 October.
That means the verb doesn’t sound good or work on its own without an object.
There is a holiday in December. Consider the verb to bring: The verb will not make sense if the action of the verb is
not acting on something, i.e. you have to bring something or someone. Simply saying
He has been ill since Monday.
I bring will not make sense on its own, you must bring something, an object or a
person or a feeling. That something or someone – Joe, a book, your brother, a good
2. PREPOSITIONS OF PLACE
mood – is the direct object of the sentence, i.e. the thing that the verb is acting upon.
Prepositions of place show the relationship of place between the nouns to the other
Examples of Transitive Verbs
parts of a sentence.
There are lots of examples of transitive verbs. They can be any verb that fulfils the
On, at, in, by, from, to, towards, up, down, across, between, among, through, in
criteria of needing to confer action upon an object. Consider these examples and see
front of, behind, above, over, under, below, etc. are the most common prepositions of
how the verb exerts action on an object.
place/direction.
I love
Example:
Please carry the books for me.
He is at home. Can we buy these ones?
He came from England.
Johnny kicked the ball.
The police broke into the house.
She didn’t take anything from the table.
I live across the river.
I will send the note for the doctor.
3. PREPOSITIONS OF AGENTS OR THINGS:
Consider how these verbs need to confer the action upon the object. This makes them
Prepositions of agents or things indicate a casual relationship between nouns and transitive verbs:
other parts of the sentence.
Love – you need to love something or someone for the verb to make sense.
Of, for, by, with, about, etc. are the most used and common prepositions of agents or Carry – you need to carry something or someone for the verb to make sense.
things.
Buy – you need buy something for the verb to make sense. Types of Preposition
Kick – you need to kick something or someone for the verb to make sense.
1. PREPOSITIONS OF TIME:
Take – you need to take something or someone for the verb to make sense.
Send – you need to send something or someone for the verb to make sense. Prepositions of time show the relationship of time between the nouns to the other
parts of a sentence.
about, above, across, after, against, along, among, around, because of, before, 5. INTRANSITIVE VERB
behind, below, beneath, beside, between, close to, down, during, except, inside,
instead of, into, like, near, off, on top of, onto, out of, outside, over, past, since, As you might guess, an intransitive verb is one that does not need to transfer action
through, toward, under, until, up, upon, within, without on an object in order to make sense.
Consider the verb to run. You can run without transferring the action of running on a
Prepositions typically show how the noun, noun phrase, or pronoun is related to direct object.
another word in the sentence.
How did you get here so quickly? I ran. (There is no need for a direct object).
EXAMPLE:
a friend of mine Examples of Intransitive Verbs
the dress with the stripes
hit by a ball As with transitive verbs, there are many examples of intransitive verbs. They can be
no one except me any verb that fulfills the criteria of not needing a direct object to confer action upon:
Prepositions with their objects form prepositional phrases. A preposition may appear It snowed.
at the end of a sentence or clause, but only when its object comes earlier. Contrary to We laughed.
what some may say, there is nothing ungrammatical about such structures.
He cried. He will probably cry again tonight.
EXAMPLES:
We didn’t know.
Was he the man you worked with?
That isn't what a hammer is for. They died.
It's the chair you're sitting on.
She just needs someone to talk to. When did they arrive?
Many prepositions (such as past, under, off, along, and on) may also act as adverbs. A None of the actions described above require direct objects for the action of the verb to
few (including before, after, for, and since) may act as conjunctions (words that join make sense. However, you should be aware that intransitive verbs are often followed
together other words or groups of words). by prepositions or adverbs.
It snowed While it is good to remember the order of adverbs, there is always flexibility with
We laughed language, and we have already mentioned that adverbs of time and frequency can be
placed at the start of a sentence to change the emphasis. So, bottom line: think of the
He cried order of adverbs as more of a guideline than a rule that can’t be broken
We didn’t know right away.
They died on Sunday night. PREPOSITION
Did they arrive on time? Prepositions show direction, location, or time, or introduce an object. They are
usually followed by an object—a noun, noun phrase, or pronoun. The most common
prepositions are little and very common:
1. ORDER OF ADVERBS
Adverb order is so important it has clear rules. It’s already mentioned that some
adverbs will act to modify another, but how do you decide the structure of a sentence
with several adverbs? Thankfully, there is a simple set of rules to follow, called the
order of adverbs. Handily, the order of adverbs, sometimes also called the royal order ADJECTIVES
of adverbs, can help us determine sentence structure too. In short, the adverbs get
preference (are placed first) in the following order: What is an adjective?
1. Adverbs of manner. Adjectives are words that describe or modify other words, making your
2. Adverbs of place. writing and speaking much more specific, and a whole lot more interesting. Words
3. Adverbs of frequency. like small, blue, and sharp are descriptive, and they are all examples of adjectives.
Because adjectives are used to identify or quantify individual people and unique
4. Adverbs of time. things, they are usually positioned before the noun or pronoun that they modify.
Some sentences contain multiple adjectives.
5. Adverbs of purpose.
Adjective Examples
Consider this sentence:
In the following examples, the highlighted words are adjectives:
I run (verb) quickly (manner) down the road (place) every morning (frequency)
before school (time) because (purpose) I might miss the bus.
1. They live in a big, beautiful
2. Since it’s a hot day, Lisa is wearing a sleeveless
3. The mountaintops are covered in sparkling Last year was the worst year of my life.
Tomorrow our fate will be sealed.
4. On her birthday, Brenda received an antique vase filled with fragrant
Yesterday my troubles seemed so far away.
TYPES OF ADJECTIVES
3. ADVERBS OF PURPOSE
Remember that adjectives can modify as well as describe other words, and you’ll find
it much easier to identify different types of adjectives when you see them. Adverbs of purpose, sometimes called adverbs of reason, help to describe why
something happened. They can come in the form of individual words – so, since,
1. ARTICLES thus, because – but also clauses – so that, in order to. Notice in the examples that the
adverbs of purpose are used to connect sentences that wouldn’t make sense if they
There are only three articles, and all of them are adjectives: a, an, and the. Because were formed alone.
they are used to discuss non-specific things and people, a and an are called indefinite
articles. For example: Adverbs of purpose examples in the following sentences are in bold for easy
identification.
I’d like a
Let’s go on an I was sick, thus didn’t go to work today.
I started jogging so that I wouldn’t be late.
Because I was late, I jogged a little faster.
Since it’s your birthday, I will buy you a gift.
2. ADVERBS OF TIME
While it’s almost always correct to have the adverb of time at the end of the sentence, As the name indicates, possessive adjectives are used to indicate possession. They
you can place it at the start of the sentence to put a different emphasis on the time if it are:
is important to the context.
My - It's just not my style.
Your - What is your father's name? New York is located north of Philadelphia -> New York is on the map.
They travelled down river -> They travelled in the first compartment.
His - Nurturing was in his personality.
That puppy was walking around by itself-> We put a collar around its neck.
Her - Even so, she had accepted it in her mind to a degree.
Its - He could hear its footsteps. 4. ADVERBS OF FREQUENCY
Our - In a profound way, our lives will be better.
Adverbs of frequency are used to express time or how often something occurs.
Their - At home, presents were under the tree, waiting for their return. Adverbs of frequency can be split two main groups. The first, adverbs of indefinite
frequency, are terms that have an unclear meaning as to how long are how often
Possessive adjectives also function as possessive pronouns. something occurs: usually, always, normally. These adverbs will usually be placed
after the main verb or between the auxiliary verb and infinitive.
3. Demonstrative Adjectives
Adverbs of frequency examples in the following sentences are in bold for easy
Like the article the, demonstrative adjectives are used to indicate or demonstrate identification.
specific people, animals, or things. These, those, this and that are demonstrative
adjectives. The adverb is usually placed before the main verb.
I can normally make the shot.
These books belong on that I will always love
This movie is my favorite.
Please put those cookies on the blue plate. Adverbs of definite frequency will usually be placed at the end of the sentence.
form.
Some examples of adverbs of manner include:
Like the articles a and an, indefinite adjectives are used to discuss non-specific
things. You might recognize them, since they’re formed from indefinite pronouns.
The most common indefinite adjectives are any, many, no, several, and few.
There are many rules for using adverbs, and these rules often depend upon which type
Do we have any peanut butter? of adverb you are using. Remember these basics and using adverbs to make sentences
Grandfather has been retired for many more meaningful will be easier for you.
There are no bananas in the fruit bowl.
Adverbs can always be used to modify verbs. Notice that the second of these
I usually read the first few pages of a book before I buy it. two sentences is much more interesting simply because it contains an adverb:
o The dog ran. (You can picture a dog running, but you don’t really
We looked at several cars before deciding on the best one for our family.
know much more about the scene.)
8. Attributive Adjectives o The dog ran excitedly. (You can picture a dog running, wagging its tail,
panting happily, and looking glad to see its owner. You can paint a
Attributive adjectives talk about specific traits, qualities, or features – in other words, much more interesting picture in your head when you know how or
they are used to discuss attributes. There are different kinds of attributive adjectives: why the dog is running.)
Observation adjectives such as real, perfect, best, interesting, beautiful or cheapest Adverbs are often formed by adding the letters “-ly” to adjectives. This makes
can indicate value or talk about subjective measures. it very easy to identify adverbs in sentences. There are many exceptions to this
Size and shape adjectives talk about measurable, objective qualities including rule; everywhere, nowhere, and upstairs are a few examples.
specific physical properties. Some examples include small, large, square, round, An adverb can be used to modify an adjective and intensify the meaning it
poor, wealthy, slow and conveys. For example:
Age adjectives denote specific ages in numbers, as well as general ages. Examples o He plays tennis well. (He knows how to play tennis and sometimes he
are old, young, new, five-year-old, and
wins.)
Color adjectives are exactly what they sound like – they’re adjectives that indicate
o He plays tennis extremely well. (He knows how to play tennis so well
color. Examples include pink, yellow, blue, and
that he wins often.)
Origin adjectives indicate the source of the noun, whether it’s a person, place,
animal or thing. Examples include American, Canadian, Mexican, French. As you read the following adverb examples, you’ll notice how these useful words
modify other words and phrases by providing information about the place, time,
Material adjectives denote what something is made of. Some examples include
manner, certainty, frequency, or other circumstances of activity denoted by the verbs
cotton, gold, wool, and
or verb phrases in the sentences.
Qualifier adjectives are often regarded as part of a noun. They make nouns more
specific; examples include log cabin, luxury car, and pillow cover. Types of Adverbs
6. ADVERBS OF MANNER
An adverb of manner will explain how an action is carried out. Very often adverbs of (The linking verb is seems.)
manner are adjectives with -ly added to the end, but this is certainly not always the
case. In fact, some adverbs of manner will have the same spelling as the adjective Everything is funny as long as it is happening to somebody else.
9. PREDICATE ADJECTIVES
A predicate adjective is an adjective that follows a linking verb and modifies (i.e.,
refers back to) the subject of the linking verb.
ADVERB
A predicate adjective contrasts with an attributive adjective, which typically sits
immediately before the noun it modifies. What is an Adverb?
For example: An adverb is a word that is used to change, modify or qualify several types of words
including an adjective, a verb, a clause, another adverb, or any other type of word
or phrase, with the exception of determiners and adjectives, that directly modify
nouns. A good way to understand adverbs is to think about them as the words that
provide context. Specifically, adverbs provide a description of how, where, when, in
what manner and to what extent something is done or happens. Normally, we can spot
an adverb by the fact that it often ends in –ly, but there are lots of adverbs that don’t
end in this way. Moreover, adverbs can be used in many combinations with each
other.