English Grammar
Noun
A noun is a word that names an entity (person, animal, thing), a matter (substance), a place, a process (action, evolution) or an abstraction (idea, feelings, concept).
| English | Français | عربي | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nouns are the answer to the following questions | What is that? | Qu'est-ce que c'est ? | ما هذا ؟ | ||
| Les noms sont la réponse aux questions suivantes | who is this? | qui est-ce? | من هذا ؟ | ||
| الأسماء هي جواب الأسئلة التالية |
| Examples: | |||||
| Sarah | lady | cat | Casablanca | ||
| Sarah | dame | chat | Casablanca | ||
| سارة | سيدة | قط | الدار البيضاء |
| Canada | room | school | football | reading | ||
| Canada | salle | école | football | lecture | ||
| كندا | غرفة | مدرسة | كرة القدم | قراءة |
kinds of nouns
Abstract Nouns
An abstract noun is a noun that names an idea, not a physical thing.
| Examples: | ||||
| hope | courage | fear | ||
| espoir | courage | peur | ||
| أمل | شجاعة | خوف |
| interest | love | peace | ||
| interêt | amour | paix | ||
| اهتمام | حب | سلام |
| ability | success | knowledge | ||
| capacité | succès | connaissance | ||
| قدرة | نجاح | معرفة |
| joy | lies | truth | faith | ||
| joie | mensonge | vérité | foi | ||
| فرح | أكاذيب | حقيقة | إيمان |
Material Nouns
A material noun is a word used to describe an object that can be perceived by the senses. For example, the word “wood” is a material noun because it describes an object that can be seen, felt, and heard. Some common material nouns include water, air, sand, cement, stone, wood, metal, plastic, glass, & cloth.
Difference between a material noun and an abstract noun
We can talk about abstract nouns and think about them, but we cannot experience them with our five senses. On the other hand, material nouns are things that we can experience with our five senses. We can touch them, smell them, see them, or hear them.
Examples:
• This ring is made up of gold.
• Water is an essential element of life.
• Sugar is missing in the recipe.
• Cotton dresses are very cheap and comfortable.
• My mom purchased a gold ring for me.
• I drink milk in the silver.
• My father has a shop for diamonds.
• Calcium is a good mineral for health.
• Plastic is made up of many molecules of ethylene.
• There are many utensils in my kitchen made up of iron.
• Taj Mahal is built using marbles.
• I drink milk daily in the night.
• Most of the industries use fibre.
• In the ancient time, most of the kitchen utensils were made up of brass.
• Water is an essential element of life.
• Sugar is missing in the recipe.
• Cotton dresses are very cheap and comfortable.
• My mom purchased a gold ring for me.
• I drink milk in the silver.
• My father has a shop for diamonds.
• Calcium is a good mineral for health.
• Plastic is made up of many molecules of ethylene.
• There are many utensils in my kitchen made up of iron.
• Taj Mahal is built using marbles.
• I drink milk daily in the night.
• Most of the industries use fibre.
• In the ancient time, most of the kitchen utensils were made up of brass.
Concrete Nouns
A concrete noun is a noun that names a physical thing.
| Examples: | |||||
| boy | table | floor | coffee | ||
| garçon | table | sol | café | ||
| فتى | طاولة | أرضية | قهوة |
| beach | King | rain | children | ||
| plage | Roi | pluie | enfants | ||
| شاطئ | ملك | مطر | أطفال |
| fire | teeth | food | plane | ||
| feu | dents | nourriture | avion | ||
| نار | أسنان | طعام | طائرة |
Common Nouns
A common noun is a noun that names a general thing, not a specific thing.
| Examples: | |||||
| boy | girl | city | country | ||
| garçon | fille | ville | pays | ||
| صبي | فتاة | مدينة | بلد |
| company | planet | location | war | ||
| compagnie | planète | lieu | guerre | ||
| شركة | كوكب | موقع | حرب |
Proper Noun
A common noun is a noun that names a general thing, not a specific thing.
| Examples: | ||||||
| Ali | Alice | London | Sweden | |||
| Ali | Alice | Londres | Suède | |||
| علي | أليس | لندن | السويد | غوغل |
| Earth | Eiffel tower | Civil war | ||
| Terre | Tour Eiffel | Guerre civile | ||
| أرض | برج إيفل | حرب أهلية |
Collective Nouns
Collective nouns are names for a collection or a number of people or things.
| Examples: | |||||
| army | crowd | team | herd | ||
| armée | foule | équipe | troupeau | ||
| جيش | حشد | فريق | قطيع |
Noun Gender
Every noun is provided with a genus which is proper to it, and which it retains in all its uses; this gender can be determined by sex if it is an animated being (a man / a woman; a cat / a cat); but most of the time it is perfectly arbitrary, and fixed by usage.
The Noun-Gender tells us about the sex of the noun.
| In Grammar-Nouns, there are four genders : | |||||
| Masculine | Feminine | Common | Neuter | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| armée | foule | équipe | troupeau | ||
| جيش | حشد | فريق | قطيع | ||
1. Masculine gender :
A noun is said to be in the Masculine gender if it refers to a male character or member of a species.
| Examples: | |||||
| man | lion | hero | boy | ||
| homme | lion | héros | garçon | ||
| رجل | أسد | بطل | ولد |
| king | horse | actor | ||
| roi | cheval | acteur | ||
| ملك | حصان | ممثل |
2. Feminine gender :
A noun is said to be in the feminine gender if it refers to a female member of a species.
| Examples: | |||||
| woman | lioness | girl | mare | ||
| femme | lionne | fille | jument | ||
| امرأة | لبؤة | فتاة | فرس |
| king | horse | actor | ||
| niece | cow | actress | ||
| ابنة الأخ أو الأخت | بقرة | ممثلة |
3. Common gender :
A noun is said to be in Common gender if it refers to a member of species which can be a male or a female.
| Examples: | |||||
| child | student | friend | applicant | ||
| enfant | étudiant | ami | candidat | ||
| طفل | طالب | صديق | مُرَشَّح |
| candidate | servant | member | ||
| candidate | serviteur | member | ||
| مرشحة | خادم | عضو |
4. Neuter gender :
A noun is said to be in the neuter gender if it refers to a member of a species which is neither a male nor a female.
Normally nouns referring to lifeless objects are in neuter nouns.
Normally nouns referring to lifeless objects are in neuter nouns.
| Examples: | |||||
| chair | table | tree | star | ||
| chaise | table | arbre | étoile | ||
| كرسي | طاولة | شجرة | نجمة |
| street | book | car | school | ||
| rue | livre | voiture | école | ||
| شارع | كتاب | سيارة | مدرسة |
The Singular and Plural nouns
In English grammar, when you refer to one noun, it is considered singular. When you refer to more than one noun, it is considered plural.
| The chart below shows the usual changes needed to make nouns plural in English | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type of Noun | Plural Rule | Singular Noun | Plural Noun | ||
| most nouns | add s | cat | cats | ||
| student | students | ||||
| noun ending in vowel + o | add s | video | videos | ||
| radio | radios | ||||
| noun ending in vowel + y | add s | toy | toys | ||
| day | days | ||||
| noun ending in ch, sh, s, x, z | add es | church | churches | ||
| bench | benches | ||||
| brush | brushes | ||||
| dish | dishes | ||||
| class | classes | ||||
| kiss | kisses | ||||
| fox | foxes | ||||
| topaz | topazes | ||||
| buzz | buzzes | ||||
| noun ending in consonant + o | add es | potato | potatoes | ||
| echo | echoes | ||||
| noun ending in consonant + y | drop y and add ies | baby | babies | ||
| army | armies | ||||
| noun ending in f or fe | change f or fe to ves | thief | thieves | ||
| life | lives | ||||
| irregular nouns that change | varies | man | men | ||
| woman | women | ||||
| child | children | ||||
| mouse | mice | ||||
| foot | feet | ||||
| tooth | teeth | ||||
| irregular nouns that stay the same | no change | deer | deer | ||
| sheep | sheep | ||||
| fish | fish | ||||
| compound nouns | add s to the main noun | brother-in-law | brothers-in-law | ||
| secretary of state | secretaries of state | ||||
| noun ending in is (usually from Greek) | change is to es | analysis | analyses | ||
| crisis | crises | ||||
| thesis | theses | ||||
| paralysis | paralyses | ||||
| basis | bases | ||||
| noun ending in us (usually from Latin) | change us to i | cactus | cacti | ||
| syllabus | syllabi | ||||
| fungus | fungi | ||||
| stimulus | stimuli | ||||
| noun ending in um | change um to a | bacterium | bacteria | ||
| medium | media | ||||
| plural noun having no singular forms | no change | news | news | ||
| scissors | scissors | ||||
| pajamas | pajamas | ||||
| pants | pants | ||||
| eyeglasses | eyeglasses | ||||
Countable Nouns
A countable noun is a noun that indicates something you could actually count.
For example, you could count pigs: one pig, two pigs, three pigs...
However, you couldn't count water: one water, two water – no, it doesn't work....
A countable noun has both a singular and a plural form, and it can be used with the indefinite articles (a/an).
| Examples: | |||||
| window | teacher | tree | eye | ||
| fenêtre | professeur | arbre | oeil | ||
| نافذة | معلم | شجرة | عين |
| cloud | pencil | heart | Movie | ||
| nuage | crayon | coeur | film | ||
| سحابة | قلم | قلب | فيلم |
We use “How many” + plural or countable (that we can count)
| Examples: | |||||
| apples | children | books | planes | ||
| pommes | enfants | livres | avions | ||
| تفاح | أطفال | كتب | طائرات |
| people | dogs | pens | cars | ||
| personnes | chiens | stylos | voitures | ||
| ناس | كلاب | أقلام | سيارات |
Uncountable Nouns
Uncountable nouns represent things that we cannot count with numbers. These nouns often denote abstract ideas or qualities, or physical objects that are too small or fluid to be counted individually (liquids, powders, gases, etc.). Uncountable nouns require a singular verb. Often these nouns do not have a plural.
An uncountable noun has only one form (no plural), and it cannot be used with the indefinite articles (a/an).
| Examples: | |||||
| gold | milk | Furniture | advice | ||
| or | lait | meubles | conseils | ||
| ذهب | حليب | أثاث | مشورة |
| equipment | luggage | work | |||
| équipement | bagages | courrier | travail | ||
| معدات | أمتعة | بريد | عمل |
We use “How much” + singular or uncountable (that we can not count).
| Examples: | |||||
| water | money | food | petrol | ||
| eau | argent | nourriture | essence | ||
| ماء | مال | طعام | بنزين |
Simple Nouns
A simple name is a name consisting of a single word.
| Examples: | |||||
| time | people | number | house | ||
| temps | gens | nombre | maison | ||
| زمن | اشخاص | رقم | منزل |
Compound Nouns
A compound noun is a noun that is made with two or more words. A compound noun is usually [noun + noun] or [adjective + noun].
Compound nouns can also be formed using the following combinations of words :
| Noun | + | Noun | toothpaste | ||
| Adjective | + | Noun | monthly ticket | ||
| Verb | + | Noun | swimming pool | ||
| Preposition | + | Noun | underground | ||
| Noun | + | Verb | haircut | ||
| Noun | + | Preposition | hanger on | ||
| Adjective | + | Verb | dry-cleaning | ||
| Preposition | + | Verb | output |
The two parts may be written in a number of ways :
1. Sometimes the two words are joined together.
Example: tooth + paste = toothpaste | bed + room = bedroom
2. Sometimes they are joined using a hyphen.
Example: check-in
3. Sometimes they appear as two separate words.
Example: full moon
Possessive Case / Genitive Case
Genitive case signals a relationship of possession or “belonging to.” In English, possession is usually shown by either an ending (apostrophe + s) or with the preposition “of.”
my brother's dog ------> the dog of my brother
| Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| definite article | (the man’s book) | (the woman’s book) | (the girl’s book) | ||
| indefinite article | (a man’s book) | (a woman’s book) | (a girl’s book) | ||
| Plural | |||||
| definite article | (the women’s books) | ||||
| indefinite article | (no women’s books) |
Also called the possessive case, the genitive case is when we add apostrophe S (’s) to show possession, that something belongs to another or a type of relationship between things.
e.g. Woodward’s house, Your brother’s friend.
e.g. Woodward’s house, Your brother’s friend.
Apostrophe S Summary Chart
WHAT IS THE APOSTROPHE S?
The Apostrophe S normally used to show possession, that there is a relationship between two things or that something belongs to another.
The Apostrophe S normally used to show possession, that there is a relationship between two things or that something belongs to another.
• John's car (=The car of John. The car belongs to John)
SINGULAR NOUNS
Add -'s
Add -'s
• We went to Ange's house last night.
• Have you seen the dog's bone?
• Have you seen the dog's bone?
PLURAL NOUNS ENDING IN -S
Only add the apostrophe -'
Only add the apostrophe -'
• I went to my friends'party. (=the party of your friends)
• My cousins'house is always a mess. (=your cousins)
• My cousins'house is always a mess. (=your cousins)
PLURAL NOUNS NOT ENDING IN -S
Add -'S
Add -'S
• The children's toys are all over the room.
• The men's toilet was disgusting.
• The men's toilet was disgusting.
SINGULAR NOUNS ENDING IN -S
Add -'S
Add -'S
• The actress's role was very difficult.
• Mr Lewis's dog always comes onto our property.
• Mr Lewis's dog always comes onto our property.
AS A PART OF A PHRASE
Add -'S or only -' depending on the rules above
Add -'S or only -' depending on the rules above
• The President of Chile's speech was too long.
• I had to give two weeks'notice I was leaving.
NO NOUN
Sometimes the noun after -'S is not necessary when the meaning is clear
Sometimes the noun after -'S is not necessary when the meaning is clear
• My car is older than John's. (=John's car)
Kinds of nouns exercises
Answers
1. The book was lying on the table. (book – common noun; table – common noun)
2. Love begets love. (love – abstract noun)
3. We cannot live without water. (water – material noun)
4. The jury has given its verdict. (jury – collective noun; verdict – abstract noun)
5. The Hindus regard Krishna as an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. (Hindus – proper noun; Krishna – proper noun; incarnation – common noun; Vishnu – proper noun)
6. Alcohol is injurious to health. (alcohol – material noun; health – abstract noun)
7. Smoking is a bad habit. (habit – abstract noun)
8. Wild animals live in forests. (animals – common noun; forests – common noun)
9. The childhood of Peter was full of misery. (childhood – abstract noun; Peter – proper noun; misery – abstract noun)
10. All the girls were singing. (girls – common noun)
11. Gold is a precious metal. (Gold – material noun; metal – common noun)
12. Rice is the staple food of South Indians. (rice – material noun; food – common noun; Indians – proper noun)
13. The earth moves round the sun. (earth – common noun; sun – common noun)
