Parts of speech: Nouns in English

Parts of speech: Nouns in English

There are about eight parts of speech in English. Some belong to the open class system and they include: nouns, pronouns, adjectives, adverbs and verbs, the other part of speech belong to the close class system and they include: prepositions, conjunctions and exclamations. Some other classes of part of speech include: articles, determiners, etc.

Noun may be defined as the name of a person, an animal, a place or thing. A noun could also be used to describe or refer to feelings, ideas, etc.

Classes of nouns
We have the following classes of nouns:
– Proper and Common Nouns
– Abstract and Concrete Nouns
– Countable and Uncountable Nouns
– Collective Nouns

1.  Proper Nouns
Proper Nouns are specific names of people, animals, places or things. For example: Eze, lion, Ibadan, bench, etc.

Note: Proper Nouns usually started with capital letters. However, this is not so in all cases, for example 'lion' and 'bench', as seen above.

2.  Common Nouns
Common Nouns are generally names of people, animals, places or things. Examples include: humans, boys, girls, woman, men, animals, furniture, cities, countries, towns, foods, etc.

3.  Abstract Nouns
Abstract Nouns are names given to things we cannot see but only know they exist when we feel them. They are not tangible nouns. Examples include: air, love, happiness, joy, etc.

4.  Concrete Nouns
Concrete Nouns are nouns we can see, feel, and touch. They are tangible nouns. Examples include: chair, table, book, road, football, etc.

5.  Collective Nouns
Collective Nouns are names given to a group of items of the same kind. It could also be a group of people. Examples include: cutlery, furniture, jewelry, crowd, spectators, audience, congregation, and mob. Other examples include:
A bunch of keys
A held of cattle
A shoal of fish
A bevy of ladies
A band of musician
A crew of sailors
A gang of thieves/prisoners/workmen
A flock of sheep
A covey of birds
A drove of horses
A team of oxen
A muster of peacocks
A pack of wolves
A leap of leopards
A gaggle or geese
A swarm of locusts
A hive of bees
A suite of furniture
A set of tools
A plague of insects
An anthology of poems
A library of books
A bouquet of flowers
A forest of trees, etc.

Note the following:
'Congregation' is a number of people in a Church, Mosque or Hall.
'Audience' is a number of people in a theatre, concert or cinema who are watching and listening.
'Spectators' are a number of people in a field or stadium watching without listening.
'Assembly' is a number of people gathered for some common purpose.
'Crowd' is a number of people gathered in the street.
'Mob' is a number of people protesting.

In the next article we are going to write about singularity and plurality in Nouns.