Nouns & Determiners

Five Classifications of Nouns

1. Singular or Plural Singular Noun Plural Noun How to Form the Plural Names one person, place, thing, idea, or quality Takes a singular verb Plural Noun Names two or more persons, places, things, ideas, or qualities Takes a plural verb How to Form the Plural Usually: add –s or –es to the end of the singular noun form There are many irregulars Important: subject/verb agreement; article usage 1. Singular/Plural 2. Common/Proper 3. Concrete/Abstract 4. Collective 5. Count/Noncount

2. Common or Proper Common Noun Proper Noun & Johnny Depp Tracy Names one or more members of a class of things; names general/nonspecific nouns Examples: dog actors island women restaurant Proper Noun Names a specific person, place, or thing Capitalized Fido Natalie Portman Catalina Julie & Subway & Johnny Depp Tracy Important: article usage 1. Singular/Plural 2. Common/Proper 3. Concrete/Abstract 4. Collective 5. Count/Noncount

3. Concrete or Abstract Concrete Noun Names an object that can be perceived by the physical senses; person, place, or thing Examples: door heat garlic person Australia Abstract Noun Names a quality or idea love peace sadness joy 1. Singular/Plural 2. Common/Proper 3. Concrete/Abstract 4. Collective 5. Count/Noncount

4. Collective A Collective Noun Singular-appearing noun that names a group Ex: faculty, team, audience, committee, crew, government Can be singular or plural: In American English, usually singular The committee was meeting. (note: singular verb) In British English, usually plural The committee were meeting. (note: plural verb) In Am. Eng. some are always plural - EX: police, people Either way, no plural ending on the noun Important: subject/verb agreement 1. Singular/Plural 2. Common/Proper 3. Concrete/Abstract 4. Collective 5. Count/Noncount

5. Count or Noncount A Count Noun: Nouns that can be counted Ex: car: three cars phone: five phones A Noncount Noun Nouns that cannot be counted (no plural form) Ex: health, courage, gold, dust, leather, furniture, milk Some Nouns are Both Ex: joy: I felt joy./The joys of youth… Important: determiner & article usage 1. Singular/Plural 2. Common/Proper 3. Concrete/Abstract 4. Collective 5. Count/Noncount

Determiners

Determiners Determiners are sometimes called limiting adjectives Tell: which ones, how many, or how much Several kinds Web Search: claimed 4 to 50 kinds Most books list six: Possessive: my, your, his, her, its, our, their Demonstrative: this, that, these, those Indefinite: any, either, many, some a few, both, lots of, other Interrogative: which? whose? what? Numerical: one, five, third, sixth Articles: a, an, the

Determiners: In General Important: Some determiners are only used with count or noncount nouns Count Nouns (only plural): Determiners used ONLY with plural nouns: many, two, few, a few, fewest, fewer, these, those, a number of, both, several, a couple of Noncount Nouns (only singular): Determiners used ONLY with noncount nouns: much, little, a little, less, the least, an amount of, a great deal of

Determiners: Articles Two types of articles: Indefinite: a/an Definite: the Some resources say there is another: Ø Meaning no article is used

Determiners: Articles General Guidelines for Article Usage: Use the when your audience is familiar with and thinking about the same specific thing/person. EX: Give this pencil to the instructor. Use the for the second mention of an indefinite noun. EX: A cat jumped into my car last night. Then I couldn’t find the cat anywhere.

Determiners: Articles General Guidelines for Article Usage: Do not use the with a plural count noun or a noncount noun with you are making a generalization. EX: Ø Carrots are my favorite vegetable. EX: Ø Honey is produced by bees. A singular count noun is always preceded by: an article (a/an, or the); this/that; OR a possessive pronoun (my, your, her, his, its, Judy’s). EX: I rode ____ bicycle for the first time.

Determiners: Articles Resources for Article Usage: Purdue Online Writing Lab