Nouns

What Are Nouns? (with Examples)

A noun is one of the fundamental building blocks of grammar. It is a word that represents a person, place, thing, idea, quality, or action. For example:

Person: teacher, girl, doctor
Place: city, park, school
Thing: book, car, phone
Idea: freedom, love, courage
Quality: kindness, beauty, strength
Action: running, singing, jumping

Types of Noun

Nouns can be categorized into various types, such as:

Proper nouns

Proper nouns name specific entities and are written with a capital letter.

John, Paris, Dexter

These are names given to make the noun more specific. These words do not appear in dictionaries.

Common nouns

Common nouns refer to general items or things.

cat, city, road

These are the words for things that you will find in a dictionary.

Abstract nouns

Abstract nouns refer to intangible things or concepts.

happiness, bravery, anger

Concrete nouns

Concrete nouns refer to tangible or perceptible entities.

flower, table, tree

Countable nouns

Countable nouns refer to things that can be counted.

apple, flower, house

Non-countable nouns

Non-countable nouns refer to things that cannot be counted.

milk, rice, flour

How Are Nouns Used

Nouns serve as subjects or objects within sentences.

Nouns as subjects

The subject of a sentence is what the sentence is about. Usually, it is thing doing the action of the verb.

Toby sat on the carpet.
Alice hates apples.

Nouns as objects

There are three different types of object: direct objects, indirect objects, and objects of prepositions.

(1) Nouns as direct objects

A direct object receives the action of the verb.

Simon wrote a letter.
Alice hates apples.

In each example, the verb is underlined. If you read the verb aloud and then ask "what?", you will find the direct object.

(2) Nouns as indirect indirect objects

An indirect object receives the direct object.

Simon wrote Janet a letter.
Alice told the orphans a story.

In each example, the direct object is underlined. If you read the direct object aloud and then ask "for whom?", you will find the indirect object.

(3) Nouns as objects of prepositions

The object of a preposition follows and complements the meaning of a preposition.

Simon sat in the box.
Alice will sing the National Anthem on Saturday.

In each example, the preposition is underlined. The object of the preposition is usually the first noun after the preposition. A preposition links its object to another nearby word. Most of the time, prepositions are used to tell us where something (like in the first example) is or when something is (like in the second example).

Here are fuller explanations for the three types of object.

(1) Direct Object

A direct object is a noun or pronoun that receives the action of a transitive verb. It answers the question "what?" or "whom?" with respect to the verb. For example, in the sentence, "She reads a book," "a book" is the direct object because it receives the action of the verb "reads" and answers the question "She reads what?"

(2) Indirect Object

An indirect object is a noun or pronoun that indicates to whom or for whom the action of a verb is performed, and who is receiving the direct object. It answers the questions "to whom?", "for whom?", "to what?", or "for what?". In the sentence, "She gives the children gifts," "children" is the indirect object, indicating the recipient of the direct object "gifts."

(3) Object of a Preposition

An object of a preposition is a noun, pronoun, or clause that follows a preposition and gives it meaning. The preposition together with its object is called a prepositional phrase. For example, in the sentence, "She is sitting on the chair," "the chair" is the object of the preposition "on." The phrase "on the chair" is a prepositional phrase that provides additional information about the verb "sitting."

A Quick Test

Help Us To Improve English Grammar Lessons

Do you disagree with something on this page?
Did you spot a typo?

Please tell us using this form.