ELT Lesson 2 The Noun Zillur

31May15
Maj S M Zillur Rahman, psc (retd.), 2015
THE NOUN: KINDS OF NOUNS
Noun: A word used as the name of a person, place or thing [the word
thing is used to mean anything that we can think of.]
Proper Noun: The name of some particular person or place, [Proper

means one's own. Hence a Proper Name is a person's own name.]
Common Noun: A name given in common to every person or thing of the

same class or kind. [Common here means shared by all.]
Always written with a capital letter at the

beginning.
teacher, king, country, pencil, book.
Sometimes used as Common Nouns:

He was the Lukman (= the wisest man) of his age.
Dhaka University was often called the Oxford (= the
greatest University) of the East.
Common Nouns include what are called Collective Nouns
Abstract Noun: Usually the name of a quality, action, or state
and Abstract Nouns.
considered apart from the object to which it belongs.
Collective Noun: The name of a number (or collection)
Quality - Goodness, kindness, whiteness, darkness, hardness, brightness,
of persons or things taken together and spoken of as one
honesty, wisdom, bravery.
whole.
Action - Laughter, theft, movement, judgment,
Crowd, mob, team, flock, herd, army, fleet, jury,
hatred.
family, nation, parliament, committee.
State - Childhood, boyhood, youth, slavery, sleep,
Important thing to remember about Collective Nouns is since they refer to

a group as a unit, they are considered singular.
sickness, death, poverty.

Arts and sciences grammar, music, chemistry.
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Abstract Noun (cont.): Abstract Nouns are formed:
Countable Nouns (or countables) : The names of
1. From Adjectives - Kindness from kind; honesty
objects, people, etc. that we can count.
from honest. [Most abstract nouns are formed
Book, pen, apple, boy, sister, doctor, horse.
thus.]
2. From Verbs: Obedience from obey; growth from
Uncountable Nouns (or uncountables) : The names of things which
grow.
we cannot count. [They mainly denote substances and abstract things.]
3. From Common Nouns: Childhood from child;
Milk, oil, sugar, gold, honesty.
slavery from slave.
Countable nouns have plural forms while uncountable nouns do not. For
example, we say books but we cannot say milks.
THE NOUN: GENDER
THE NOUN: GENDER
Gender comes from Latin genus, kind or sort. Types of gender:
Objects without life are often personified spoken of

as if they were living beings as males or females.
1. Masculine male animal.
Masculine Gender: applied to objects remarkable for strength
2. Feminine female animal.
and violence: The Sun, Summer, Winter, Time, Death.
3. Common either a male or a female: Parent, child,
The sun sheds his beams on rich and poor alike.
friend, pupil, servant, thief, relation, enemy, cousin,
Feminine Gender: applied to objects remarkable for beauty,
person, orphan, student, baby, monarch, neighbour,
gentleness, and gracefulness: The Moon, the Earth, Spring,
infant.
Autumn, Nature, Liberty, Justice, Mercy, Peace, Hope, Charity.
4. Neuter neither male nor female (i.e., thing without
The moon has hidden her face behind a cloud.
life): Book, pen, room, tree.

THE NOUN: NUMBER
THE NOUN: NUMBER
Be careful in forming plurals! There are exceptions to set rules!
Nouns ending in -f or fe: changing f or -fe into v and
Plurals are generally formed by adding s; but, Nouns ending in -s, -sh,
But these are allowed: dwarfs or dwarves; hoofs or
adding es: thief, thieves; wife, wives.

-ch (soft), or x, add -es: class, classes; match, matches; dish, dishes.
hooves; scarfs or scarves.

And, other words ending in f or fe, add s: chief,
Most Nouns ending in -o, add es: buffalo, buffaloes;
chiefs; safe, safes; proof, proofs.
mango, mangoes.
Few nouns change the inside vowel: tooth, teeth; goose,
But remember: ratio, ratios; photo, photos; logo, logos.
geese.
Nouns ending in -y, preceded by a consonant: changing -
Few nouns add en: ox, oxen; child, children.
y into I and adding es: baby, babies; story, stories.

31May15
THE NOUN: NUMBER
THE NOUN: NUMBER
The plural of fish is fish or fishes; the form fishes is less usual.
Some nouns are used only in the plural:
Nouns with same singular and plural form:
1. Instruments having two parts forming a kind of
Swine, sheep, deer, cod, trout, salmon; aircraft, spacecraft, series, species.
pair: bellows, scissors, tongs, pincers, spectacles.
Pair, dozen, score, gross, hundred, thousand (when used after numerals).
2. Certain articles of dress: trousers, drawers,
I bought three dozen oranges.
breeches, jeans, tights, shorts, pyjamas.
The shari cost me five thousand takas.
3. Certain other nouns: annals, thanks, proceeds (of
He weighs above nine stone.
a sale), tidings, environs, nuptials, obsequies.
THE NOUN: NUMBER
THE NOUN: NUMBER
Nouns that look plural but are in fact singular:
1. Names of subjects: mathematics, physics, electronics, etc.
Means is used either as singular or plural; but when it has the

meaning of wealth it is always plural:
2. The word news.
She succeeded by this/these means in passing the examination.
3. Names of some common diseases: measles, mumps, rickets.
His means are small, but he has incurred no debt.
4. Names of some games: billiards, draughts.

Mathematics is his favourite study.
No news is good news.
Bangladesh won by an innings and three runs.
Measles is infectious.
Billiards is my favourite game.
THE NOUN: NUMBER
THE NOUN: NUMBER
Certain Collective Nouns, though singular in form, are always used as
plurals: poultry, cattle, people.
A Compound Noun generally forms its plural by adding -s to the principal

word:
These poultry are mine.
Singular
Whose are these cattle?
Commander-in-chief
Who are those people (= persons)?

As a Common Noun 'people' means a 'nation' and is used in both
singular and plural:
Plural
commanders-in-chief
Son-in-Law
sons-in-law
Step-son
step-sons
Maid-servant
maid-servants
The Japanese are a hard-working people.
There are many different peoples in Europe.

We say spoonfuls and handfuls, because they are regarded as one word.
31May15
THE NOUN: NUMBER
THE NOUN: NUMBER
Many nouns taken from foreign languages keep their
original plural form:
different meaning:
From Latin:
Erratum, errata; index, indices; radius, radii; formula,
Singular
Cloth
formulae (or formulas); memorandum, memoranda.
Some nouns have two forms for the plural, each with a somewhat
Plural
Cloths: kinds or pieces of cloth
Clothes: garments
From Greek:
Brother
Axis, axes; parenthesis, parentheses; crisis, crises;
Brothers: sons of the same parent.

Brethren: members of a society or a
community.
hypothesis, hypotheses; basis, bases; phenomenon,

phenomena; analysis, analyses; criterion, criteria.
THE NOUN: NUMBER
THE NOUN: NUMBER
Some nouns have two meanings in the singular but only one in the
plural:
Some nouns have one meaning in the singular, two in the plural:
Singular
Plural
Custom: Habit.
Singular
People:
Plural
1. nation;
2. men and women
Peoples:
Practice: 1. habit;
Practices:
2. exercise of a profession
Customs: 1. habits,
2. duties levied on imports.
Manner: Method. Manners:
nations.
1. methods,
2. correct behaviour.
habits.
THE NOUN: NUMBER
THE NOUN: NUMBER
Some nouns have different meanings in the singular and the plural:
Letters, figures and other symbols are made plural by adding an

apostrophe and s:
Singular
There are more e's than a's in this page.
Plural
Advice:
counsel.
Good:
benefit, well- Goods:

being.
merchandise.
Force:
strength.
troops.
Dot your i's and cross your t's.
Advices: information.
Forces:
Add two 5's and four 2's.
31May15
THE NOUN: NUMBER
THE NOUN: NUMBER
Abstract Nouns have no plural; they are uncountable.
Hope, charity, love, kindness.
Names of substances are also uncountables and are not therefore used
in the plural.
When such words do appear in the plural, they are used as countables:
Provocations = instances or cases of provocation.
Copper, iron, tin, wood.
Kindnesses = acts of kindness.
When such words are used in the plural, they become countables with
changed meanings:
Coppers = copper coins
irons = fetters
tins = cans made of tin
woods = forests
THE NOUN: CASE
THE NOUN: CASE
Nominative Case: Noun (or pronoun) used as the Subject of a verb:
The picketer threw a stone.

Subject
Nouns in English have the same form for the Nominative

and the Accusative:
Predicate
Jony broke the window. (Object)
To find the Nominative, put Who? or What? before the verb.

Objective/Accusative Case: Noun (or pronoun) used as the Object of
The window was broken. (Subject)
a verb:
The Nominative generally comes before the verb, and the

Accusative after the verb; hence they are distinguished by
The horse kicked the boy.

Subject
the order of words, or by the sense.
Predicate
To find the Accusative, put Whom? or What? before the verb and its
subject.
THE NOUN: CASE
THE NOUN: CASE
Direct and Indirect Objects:
Sumon gave a ball.
Position of the Indirect Object is immediately after the verb

and before the Direct Object:
Sumon gave Shukla a ball.
Sumon gave Shukla a ball = Sumon gave a ball to Shukla.
In each of these sentences the noun ball is the Object of
Will you do me a favour? = Will you do a favour to me?
gave.
I bought James a ball = I bought a ball for James.
Noun ball, the ordinary Object, is called the Direct Object.
Noun Shukla is called the Indirect Object of the verb gave.
Indirect Object of a verb denotes the person to whom something is
Fetch the boy a book = Fetch a book for the boy.

She made Raju a new dress = She made a new dress for Raju.
Get me a taxi = Get a taxi for me.
given, or for whom something is done.

31May15
THE NOUN: CASE
FORMATION OF THE POSSESSIVE CASE
Possessive Case: The Possessive answers the question, Whose?:
This is Ashiq's umbrella.
crown.
Ashiq's umbrella = the umbrella belonging to Ashiq.
When the noun is Singular: by adding s: The boy's book; the king's
The Possessive Case does not always denote possession. It is

used to denote authorship, origin, kind, etc.:
Shakespeare's plays = the plays written by Shakespeare.
A mother's love = the love felt by a mother.
If too many hissing sounds would occur, the letter s is

omitted: For justice' sake; for goodness' sake.
When the noun is Plural, and ends in s: by adding only an

apostrophe: Boys' school; girls' school; horses' tails.
When the noun is Plural but does not end in s: by adding 's:
Men's club; children's books.
The President's speech = the speech delivered by the President.

Mr. Kashems house = the house where Mr. Kashem lives.
FORMATION OF THE POSSESSIVE CASE
When the noun or a title consisting of several words:
USE OF THE POSSESSIVE CASE
Possessive Case is now used chiefly with the names of living
So we must say:
possessive sign is attached only to the last word:
thing: The Governors bodyguard; the lions mane.
The King of Bhutan's visit.
When two nouns are in apposition: possessive sign is put to
The leg of the table [not, the table's leg].
the latter only: That is Tagore the poet's house.
The cover of the book [not, the book's cover].
When two nouns are closely connected: possessive is put to
The roof of the house [not, the house's roof).
the latter: Bush and Blairs war; Shakib and Mushy's match.
Each of two or more connected nouns implying separate
But the Possessive is used with the names of personified
possession must take the possessive sign: Tagores and
objects: Khulnas heroes; Nature's laws; at death's door.
Nazruls poems. Presidents and Prime Ministers motorcade.

USE OF THE POSSESSIVE CASE
COMMON MISTAKES WITH NOUNS
The possessive of a proper name or of a noun denoting a
1. Incorrect: I would like to buy some furnitures.
trade, profession, or relationship may be used to denote a
2. Correct: I would like to buy some furniture.
building or place of business:
1. Incorrect: Have you got any informations?
She has gone to the baker's ( = baker's shop).

Tonight I am dining at my uncle's ( = uncle's house).
Can you tell me the way to H&M's ( =H&Ms office)?
possession or ownership; thus it is better to say 'the defeat of the enemy'

than 'the enemy's defeat, although meaning is the same.
furniture, news,
2. Correct: Have you got any information?
information, luggage
1. Incorrect: Have you packed your luggages?
and bread are always
2. Correct: Have you packed your luggage?
Possessive case Vs. Preposition of: Possessive case is used to denote
Nouns like scenery,
used in the singular.
1. Incorrect: Is there any breads?

2. Correct: Is there any bread? OR Are there any
loaves?
31May15

1. Incorrect: He told these news to me.
2. Correct: He told me this news.
1. Incorrect: The government should pay attention
to the problems of the poors.
2. Correct: The government should pay attention to
the problems of the poor.
1. Incorrect: He provided the blinds with food.
2. Correct: He provided the blind with food.
The noun news is

only used in the
singular.
Expressions like the
poor, the dead, the
blind, the
unemployed are
always plural. The
blind means all
blind people. We
cant say the blinds
or the deafs.
1. Incorrect: The sceneries here are not good.

2. Correct: The scenery here is not good.
1. Incorrect: Please excuse the troubles.

2. Correct: Please excuse me for the trouble.
3. Correct: Our troubles arent over yet.
The word scenery is

uncountable in English.
Also, the word excuse
should be followed by an
indirect object.
The word trouble is mainly
used as an uncountable
noun. However, the plural
form troubles can be used
to refer to all the problems
that a person has. In this
case, it is usually preceded
by a possessive.
1. Incorrect: One of my friend wants to go to France. The names of most

illnesses, including
2. Correct: One of my friends wants to go to France.
those ending in s,
are singular in
1. Incorrect: Measles are infectious.
English.
2. Correct: Measles is infectious.
Stationery does not
have a plural form.
1. Incorrect: I have got headache.
2. Correct: I have got a headache.
1. Incorrect: I went to buy some stationeries.
2. Correct: I went to buy some stationery.
The words for some

minor ailments are
countable: a cold, a
sore throat, a
headache etc.
1. Incorrect: This poem is full of vivid imageries.

2. Correct: This poem is full of vivid imagery.
1. Incorrect: He didnt listen to my advices.

2. Correct: He didnt listen to my advice.
Imagery is uncountable
in English and therefore
it does not have a plural
form.
Advice is an
uncountable noun.
Advice cannot be used
with the article an. To
show the singular
aspect of the noun, use
the phrase a piece of
advice. To show the
plural aspect, use the
phrase some advice.

1. Incorrect: Dont hurry there are plenty of time.
2. Correct: Dont hurry there is plenty of time.
1. Incorrect: Practice make the man perfect.

2. Correct: Practice makes the man perfect.
1. Correct: Most washing powders are not very kind

to your hands.
Most uncountable
nouns are singular
in number.
Therefore, we use
the singular form of
the verb with them.
Uncountable nouns
are often treated as
countables if we are
talking about
different kinds of
material, liquid etc.
1. Correct: We had a nice time when we went to the

beach yesterday. (countable)
1. Correct: I couldnt finish the report because I

didnt get enough time. (uncountable).
Abstract nouns are

usually uncountable.
Some abstract
nouns can have
both countable and
uncountable uses.
When used with a
general meaning,
these nouns are
usually uncountable.
When used with a
particular meaning,
these nouns are
usually countable.
31May15

1. Correct: The police are searching for a man.
1. Incorrect: Have you bought the grocery?

2. Correct: Have you bought the groceries?
1. Correct: Many thanks for your help.
Some uncountable
nouns are plural.
They have no
singular forms with
the same meaning,
and cannot be used
with numbers.
Common examples
are: groceries,
arms, remains,
goods, customs,
clothes, thanks,
regards, police etc.
1. Incorrect: The trouser is hanging in the cupboard.

2. Correct: The trousers are hanging in the cupboard.
3. Correct: A pair of trousers is hanging in the cupboard.
1. Incorrect: Scissor is in the drawer.
2. Correct: Scissors are in the drawer.
3. Correct: A pair of scissors is in the drawer.
1. Incorrect: The Irish is proud of its sense of humor.
2. Correct: The Irish are proud of their sense of humor.
Some
uncountable
nouns are plural.
They have no
singular forms
with the same
meaning, and
cannot be used
with numbers.
The expressions
the British, the
Dutch, the
English etc. are
plural.

1. Incorrect: Fifty dollars are too much to lose.
2. Correct: Fifty dollars is too much to lose.
3. Correct: Twenty miles is a long way to walk.
1. Incorrect: Where are those ten pounds you
borrowed from me?
2. Correct: Where is that ten pounds you borrowed
from me?
1. Correct: Have you got a good shampoo?
When we talk about

amounts and
quantities we
usually use singular
determiners, verbs
and pronouns, even
if the noun is plural.
Many nouns which
are normally
uncountable are
treated as countable
in some cases.
2. Correct: Three coffees, please. (= three cups of coffee)
1. Correct: Bacon and eggs was served for breakfast.

2. Correct: Where is the cheese and biscuits?
1. Correct: He has got more than one reason to be
unhappy.
2. Correct: If things continue like this, more than one
person is going to lose his job.
1. Correct: The United Arab Emirates is a Gulf state.
Some
expressions
joined by and
take a singular
verb even
though they may
contain a plural
noun. This
usually happens
when the two
nouns are used
together so
often that we
think of them as
a single idea.

ELT Lesson 2 The Noun Zillur

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31May15

Maj S M Zillur Rahman, psc (retd.), 2015

Maj S M Zillur Rahman, psc (retd.), 2015

THE NOUN: KINDS OF NOUNS

THE NOUN: KINDS OF NOUNS

Proper Noun: The name of some particular person or place, [Proper

Common Noun: A name given in common to every person or thing of the

Always written with a capital letter at the

teacher, king, country, pencil, book.

Sometimes used as Common Nouns:

Maj S M Zillur Rahman, psc (retd.), 2015

Maj S M Zillur Rahman, psc (retd.), 2015

THE NOUN: KINDS OF NOUNS

THE NOUN: KINDS OF NOUNS

Common Nouns include what are called Collective Nouns

Abstract Noun: Usually the name of a quality, action, or state

and Abstract Nouns.

considered apart from the object to which it belongs.

Collective Noun: The name of a number (or collection)

Quality - Goodness, kindness, whiteness, darkness, hardness, brightness,

of persons or things taken together and spoken of as one

honesty, wisdom, bravery.

Action - Laughter, theft, movement, judgment,

Crowd, mob, team, flock, herd, army, fleet, jury,

family, nation, parliament, committee.

State - Childhood, boyhood, youth, slavery, sleep,

Important thing to remember about Collective Nouns is since they refer to

sickness, death, poverty.

THE NOUN: KINDS OF NOUNS

THE NOUN: KINDS OF NOUNS

Abstract Noun (cont.): Abstract Nouns are formed:

Countable Nouns (or countables) : The names of

1. From Adjectives - Kindness from kind; honesty

objects, people, etc. that we can count.

from honest. [Most abstract nouns are formed

Book, pen, apple, boy, sister, doctor, horse.

Uncountable Nouns (or uncountables) : The names of things which

we cannot count. [They mainly denote substances and abstract things.]

3. From Common Nouns: Childhood from child;

Milk, oil, sugar, gold, honesty.

slavery from slave.

Maj S M Zillur Rahman, psc (retd.), 2015

THE NOUN: GENDER

THE NOUN: GENDER

Gender comes from Latin genus, kind or sort. Types of gender:

Objects without life are often personified spoken of

1. Masculine male animal.

Masculine Gender: applied to objects remarkable for strength

2. Feminine female animal.

and violence: The Sun, Summer, Winter, Time, Death.

3. Common either a male or a female: Parent, child,

The sun sheds his beams on rich and poor alike.

friend, pupil, servant, thief, relation, enemy, cousin,

Feminine Gender: applied to objects remarkable for beauty,

person, orphan, student, baby, monarch, neighbour,

gentleness, and gracefulness: The Moon, the Earth, Spring,

Autumn, Nature, Liberty, Justice, Mercy, Peace, Hope, Charity.

4. Neuter neither male nor female (i.e., thing without

The moon has hidden her face behind a cloud.

life): Book, pen, room, tree.

Maj S M Zillur Rahman, psc (retd.), 2015

THE NOUN: NUMBER

THE NOUN: NUMBER