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Noun Examples

Nouns are the names of people, places, things, or ideas. They are the foundation of every sentence and help us talk about the world around us. Understanding nouns makes reading, writing, and speaking much easier!

There are many types of nouns in English, each with its own role and examples.

Clauses and Nouns

A clause is a group of words that makes meaning. Nouns help us identify people, places, things, and ideas in both independent and dependent clauses.

Independent clause: I picked up the pen.
Dependent clause: When I pick up the pen...

Tip: Nouns are often the subject or object in a clause.

Types of Nouns

Common Nouns

Common nouns name general people, places, things, or ideas. They are not capitalized unless at the start of a sentence.

People/Animals:
  • teacher
  • mom
  • child
  • dog
  • manager
Places:
  • park
  • city
  • school
  • zoo
  • store
Objects:
  • book
  • car
  • table
  • computer
  • pencil

Tip: Common nouns are everywhere in English!

Proper Nouns

Proper nouns name specific people, places, or things. They always start with a capital letter.

People/Animals:
  • Mrs. Smith
  • Hilary
  • Freddie
  • Queen Elizabeth
  • Koko
Places:
  • London
  • Paris
  • Chicago
  • Asia
  • Mount Everest
Organizations:
  • KFC
  • NASA
  • Google
  • United Nations
  • Apple

Tip: If it's a name, it's a proper noun!

Collective Nouns

Collective nouns refer to groups of people, animals, or things.

  • a flock of birds
  • a team of players
  • a herd of sheep
  • a choir of singers
  • a panel of judges

Tip: Collective nouns are often followed by "of" + plural noun.

Concrete Nouns

Concrete nouns are things you can see, touch, hear, smell, or taste.

  • dog
  • ball
  • chicken
  • boat
  • music

Tip: If you can experience it with your senses, it's a concrete noun.

Abstract Nouns

Abstract nouns are ideas, feelings, or qualities you cannot see or touch.

  • happiness
  • truth
  • wisdom
  • love
  • anxiety

Tip: If you can't touch it, but you can feel or think it, it's an abstract noun.

Compound Nouns

Compound nouns are made up of two or more words joined together to make a single noun.

  • girlfriend
  • lunchtime
  • turntable
  • bluebird
  • greenhouse

Tip: Compound nouns can be written as one word, separate words, or hyphenated.

Countable Nouns

Countable nouns are things you can count (one, two, three, ...).

  • carrots
  • bags
  • accidents
  • books
  • apples

Tip: Countable nouns can be singular or plural.

Uncountable Nouns

Uncountable nouns (mass nouns) cannot be counted or made plural.

  • gold
  • beauty
  • butter
  • music
  • advice

Tip: Uncountable nouns are always singular.

Relative Nouns

Relative nouns (relative pronouns) refer back to a noun already mentioned.

  • which
  • that
  • whose
  • whoever
  • who

Tip: Relative nouns help connect clauses and add detail.

Reflexive Nouns

Reflexive nouns (reflexive pronouns) refer back to the subject of the sentence.

  • myself
  • yourself
  • herself
  • itself
  • themselves

Tip: Reflexive nouns end in -self or -selves.

Practice: What Type of Noun?

Try to identify the type of noun in bold in each sentence:

  1. The choir sang beautifully.
  2. She has a lot of wisdom.
  3. My girlfriend is coming over.
  4. He bought some apples at the store.
  5. We visited London last summer.
Show Answers
  • choir – Collective Noun
  • wisdom – Abstract Noun
  • girlfriend – Compound Noun
  • apples – Countable Noun
  • London – Proper Noun

Conclusion

Nouns are everywhere! The more you practice, the easier it gets to spot and use them. Try writing your own sentences and see how many types of nouns you can use.

More Resources

  • Learn about parts of speech, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs to build even stronger sentences.
  • Practice with grammar games and worksheets.
  • Read stories and try to spot different types of nouns.
  • Ask a teacher or friend to quiz you on noun types.