Common, Proper and Collective

A noun is a… person,place, thing, or idea

 Proper nouns are names of people, geographic locations, businesses, etc. They need to be capitalized.  These indicate that there is only one of a special kind of noun.  Example: There are many junior high schools, but only one Rocky Mountain Junior High.

 How many proper nouns can you think of on a specific topic? 1. Proper nouns: Famous people 2. Proper nouns: States 3. Proper nouns: Fast food restaurants

 Common nouns are the regular things filling the rest of the world. They do not need to be capitalized (except at the beginning of a sentence.)  Examples: mother, movie theatre, ice cream, and freedom

 How many common nouns can you think of on a specific topic? 1. Nouns: Items in a jewelry store 2. Nouns: Places in your community 3. Nouns: Fruits

 Collective nouns are singular nouns used to indicate a group of people or things, such as army, team, or flock.  These words are NOT collective nouns: parents, friends, deer. They are simply plural nouns. A collective noun is singular.  Some more examples of collective nouns are audience, council, and committee.

 Use a singular verb when the noun shows the group acting as one. Example: The team IS playing well today.  Use a plural verb when the noun shows members of the group acting alone. Example: The team ARE playing different positions.  Hint: If you can plug in the word “members” before the verb (meaning that each member is doing something different), use the plural verb.

 How many collective nouns can you think of?  Writing: Combine your collective nouns with other nouns to make unusual groups or combinations.  Examples: An army of insects; a family of books; a herd of children.