Nouns – common v. proper, concrete v. abstract, and collective nouns

Common and Proper Nouns A common noun names any one of a group of persons, places, things, or ideas. A proper noun names a particular person, place, thing, or idea.

Common and Proper Nouns, Examples Common Proper country United States of America athlete Michael Jordan newspaper The Wall Street Journal day Fourth of July school Savannah Middle School book To Kill a Mockingbird pen Sharpie lion Simba

Common and Proper Nouns, Tip The easiest way to tell if a noun is common or proper is to see if it is capitalized. Proper nouns must always be capitalized. Common nouns will never be capitalized.

Common and Proper Nouns, Practice Identify each noun in the following sentences. Then, determine if it is a common noun or a proper noun. Terry will travel to Mexico and South America in the summer. My grandfather talked to my cousin at the library. The students stood at the top of the Empire State Building. My friends came to my house to watch the Super Bowl. George accidentally locked his keys in the car.

Concrete and Abstract Nouns, Definition A concrete noun names a person, place, or thing that can be perceived by one or more of the five senses (smell, sight, taste, touch, or hearing). An abstract noun names an idea, a feeling, a quality, or a characteristic and cannot be perceived by any of the five senses.

Concrete and Abstract Nouns, Examples Concrete Abstract bird confidence airplane patriotism chair sadness Earth Judaism calendar dedication salt bravery snow trust

Concrete and Abstract Nouns, Tip Remember, a concrete noun is something that you can see, taste, smell, touch, and/or hear. If you cannot see, taste, smell, touch, or hear something, and you know it is a noun, then it must be an abstract noun.

Concrete and Abstract Nouns, Practice Identify each noun in the following sentences. Then, determine if it is a concrete noun or an abstract noun. The referee blew his whistle to stop the game. The childhood of the boy was full of happiness and joy. His memory began to deteriorate. Those two children have a great friendship. The thunder and lightning kept the boys awake.

Collective Nouns, Definition A collective noun is a noun that names a group of people, animals, or things. Collective nouns are not regular nouns made plural (usually by adding an “-s”) – they are nouns that can only refer to a group and cannot be made to refer to only one part of that group.

Collective Nouns, Examples Collective Nouns Not Collective Nouns audience girls committee members jury jurors flock geese pack wolves batch cookies collection stamps army soldiers

Collective Nouns, Practice Find the collective nouns in the following sentences. The team runs at least three miles at every practice. The committee decided to impeach the group’s leader. My cousin came to visit and to meet my family for the first time. After their performance, the singers were given a standing ovation by the audience. The school of fish swam close together in order to intimidate predators.