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Glossaries

A-Z grammar terms A-Z confused pairs "parts of speech" lists

Punctuation Lessons

using apostrophes using colons using commas using dashes using hyphens using brackets using semicolons using quotation marks

English Idioms

50 common idioms 50 funny idioms 50 clever idioms 50 sarcastic idioms

Vocabulary Lessons

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Definition of Noun (with Examples)

The Definition of Noun

A noun is a word used for a person, place, or thing. Nouns are often described as naming words.

Examples of Nouns

Here are some examples of nouns:

• Anne
• Policeman
• Town
• Exeter
• Crayon
• The Eiffel Tower
• Thought
• Swimming
• Dream
• Table
• Grass
• Oxygen
• Ounce
• Day

Here are some interactive examples:

• Your rosy cheeks give you away, my love.
• The scientific theory I like best is that the rings of Saturn are composed entirely of lost airline luggage.
• My therapist told me the way to achieve true inner peace is to finish what I start. So far I’ve finished two bags of M&Ms and a chocolate cake. I feel better already.
• A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend. A successful woman is one who can find such a man.

Types of Noun

All nouns can be classified as one of the following:

• A Common Noun. A common noun is the word for a person, place, or thing (e.g., cat, letter, pound, bravery, building, sea).
• A Proper Noun. A proper noun in the name given to a person, place, or thing (e.g., Felix, The Empire State Building, Atlantic Ocean, Mr Jones, Doomsday Book).

Categories of Nouns

Common nouns can also be categorized as one (or more) of the following:

• Abstract Noun
(e.g., love, hate, pessimism)
• Collective Noun
(e.g., team, school, choir)
• Compound Nouns
(e.g., sister-in-law, cooking-oil, snowman)
• Concrete Noun
(e.g., table, eagle, snowman)
• Countable Noun
(e.g., table, eagle, snowman)
• Mass Nouns (or Non-Countable Nouns)
(e.g., air, steel, flour)
• Gender-Specific Noun
(e.g., lady, vixen, bull)
• Verbal Nouns
(e.g., swimming, laughing, writing)

A Quick Test

• This test has questions.
• You will score at least 5 points for a correct answer.
• You will score bonus points for answering the questions quickly.
• Be careful though. Wrong answers score 0 points.
• The maximum score is .

Scoring System

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