Nouns & Types of Nouns in the Use of the English Language

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Introduction

When you hear the word 'nouns', the first thought that courses through your mind is that of a - person, an animal, a place or a thing and all of these simply put in one word is - N O U N S.

Nouns are said to be naming words and can name a great number of things which include, but is not limited to:

humans
animals
places: countries, States & their capitals, Rivers, Seas, Oceans, Mountains
Things/Items/Commodities
Abstract concepts

Nouns are 'all-encompassing' & are considered by most grammarians and English Language speakers/users as the most important part of speech. As a matter of fact, in Higher studies, nouns are part of a family of syntactic units known as the 'OPEN CLASS ITEMS' - which is comprised of word classes [parts of speech] with 'open-ended' membership i.e. words belonging to such class are 'unlimited', hence, we cannot make a complete inventory of them. Open Class Items or Word Classes are considered 'inexhaustible' and they include:

Nouns
Verbs
Adjectives and
Adverbs

We also have another family of syntactic units known as the 'Closed Class Items'. It comprises word classes that have 'close-ended membership', meaning that we can make a complete inventory of them. Members of this category include:

pronouns
conjunctions
interjections
prepositions
others such as determiners, articles etc.

Now you can prove that all of the above information is accurate by asking yourself a simple question - CAN I MAKE A COMPLETE LIST OF ANY OF THE PARTS OF SPEECH??? If yes, it is a 'Closed Class Item' but if not/no, then it is an 'Open Class Item'. Let us try some, shall we?

can you make a complete list of all nouns [i.e. names of all persons, animals, etc.] NO? YES? OPEN? OR CLOSED?
what about 'verbs'?
what of 'the English articles' [a, an & the]?

So you find that it is very easy to classify them into either open or closed class items. Easy-peasy lemon-squeasy.

Types or Classes of Nouns

Nouns are of varying types, uses and applications with the popular and most acceptable types being:

proper nouns
common nouns
concrete nouns
abstract nouns
collective nouns
compound nouns
countable nouns and
uncountable or mass nouns

In an attempt to make all of the above easily comprehensible to you, I would love to house all of these types of nouns into a four-pair outline which include:

classification according to 'reference'
classification according to 'tangibility'
classification according to 'grouping'
classification according to 'measurability'

Proper and Common Nouns are housed under the classification according to 'reference'. They are used for 'referential purposes'. Proper Nouns are for 'specific reference' which Common nouns are for 'generic or general references'. Proper Nouns will include the 'specific names' of:

rivers, seas, oceans etc. e.g. Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Mediterranean sea etc.
mountains e.g. Kilimanjaro, Everest etc.
persons and places e.g. Daniel, Paul, George, Washington D.C., Rhodesia etc.
days of the week e.g. Monday etc.
months of the year e.g. February etc.
even newspapers and magazines e.g. New York Times, Vanguard, the Wall Street Journal etc.

OBSERVE THAT: all of the examples listed for Proper Nouns each begin with an initial capital letter. This is very important when using proper nouns. Irrespective of their positions in a sentence - whether initially [at the beginning], medially [middle] or finally [at the end], all proper nouns must start with an initial capital letter.

Common Nouns on the other hand are the general names for persons, places and things.

Examples of Proper Nouns & Common Nouns:

James Spencer is such a clown
Mountain Kilimanjaro is the largest mountain on the African Continent
Boys are going into extinction
The lady stood up for hours

NB: Proper Nouns are not to take the 'definite article - THE' e.g. The mountain Everest is the largest mountain in the world. This is considered an aberration by some native English users. However, there are some instances where 'proper nouns' can be made to take the 'definite article - THE' (especially with specific names of persons). For example, via a process known as 'word conversion', proper nouns can be stepped down into or made to function as 'common nouns'.

Examples:

Everyone has need of 'a Daniel' in their lives
Most persons in the community saw him as 'a Joseph'

Now, you observe that the names 'Daniel' & 'Joseph' have, via word conversion, been made to function as 'common nouns' thereby preceded by the indefinite article - 'a'. Note also that the names are some sort of metaphors. A 'Joseph' is a metaphor for anyone that is a 'dreamer' or is 'visionary' while a 'Daniel' is metaphorical for 'an impartial judge'. Do you get it?

Classification according to 'tangibility'

Being Tangible implies 'the quality of being perceivable by touch' and based on this, there are two nouns that come to heart viz 'the Concrete Noun' and 'the Abstract Noun'. A noun is described as 'concrete' when it is tangible i.e. we can see it, we can touch it and we can feel it, otherwise, it would be abstract. All nouns that may only be felt and not seen or touched are described as 'abstract'. And in order to classify any noun you think of or stumble upon as either concrete or abstract, answer the simple question - 'can I touch it'???? and whether YES or NO, you would have known what type of noun it is. So consider the following nouns below, and classify them as either concrete or abstract:

'water'; can you touch it? - Is it 'concrete' or 'abstract'?
what about 'air'?
humans?
anger?
pride?

I believe you got the whole concept right from the exercise above right? So let's move on, shall we?

Classification according to 'grouping'

When we talk about 'grouping' in the use of English, particularly under nouns, we find two unique families of nouns - 'compound nouns' and 'collective nouns'. Let's get to meet them one after the other.

Compound Nouns

A compound noun from the word 'compound' implies a combination of some sort. Compound nouns are simply nouns that are formed from the combination of two or more nouns and they exist in three forms:

the open form (which is characterized by 'spatial separation')
the solid or closed form (this is for compound nouns that are not separated at all)
the hyphenated form (for compound nouns joined by means of a hyphen -)

Examples:

The school has employed some new bus drivers (open)
The late man's wife was bedridden for eight months (closed/solid)
Many women don't see eye to eye with their mothers-in-law (hyphenated)

Next up on compound nouns is 'how to form compound plurals'?

How to form compound plurals?

Compound nouns are quite numerous in the English Language and without grouping them into forms it would be difficult to understand their plural formation patterns. But thankfully, they exist in three distinct forms and it is in connection with their forms that we form their plurals. Before we proceed, I will like you to know that 'compound nouns' although they're regarded as nouns, are not necessarily made up of nouns alone. Apart from nouns, they can consist of - adjectives, prepositions & even verbs. Now that you know all these, let's attempt to do justice to their plurals by means of some sort of rules which will serve as guides.

If a compound noun is made up of two nouns whether in open/closed form it will have its plural on the second/last noun. e.g. school bus(es), wheelchair(s), airplane(s), wheelbarrow(s), apple tree(s) etc.

if a compound noun is made up of two nouns where one is a 'man/woman' + another noun, its plural will be on both nouns e.g.

man servant - men servants

woman doctor - women doctors

gentleman farmer - gentlemen farmers

BUT: if you have a combination of two nouns where one is termed 'male/female', the plural goes to the last noun.

Examples:

male farmer - male farmers

female lawyer - female lawyers

male servant - male servants

When an adjective + a noun combine to form a compound noun, the plural is on the noun. Examples:

Secretary general - Secretaries general
Major general - Major generals
Director general - Directors general
Comptroller general - Comptrollers general
Attorney general - Attorneys general
Lieutenant - general => Lieutenants - general
Governor-general => Governors-general

For compound nouns that consist of a verb + a preposition, give the plural to any of both that appears last i.e. if in the combination above, the verb comes last, the verb takes the plural but if the preposition comes last then it takes the plural. Examples:

on-going => on-goings
run through - run throughs
also ran - also rans
go-between => go-betweens

NOTE THAT: The correct plural for the compound noun going - on is 'goings - on'.

For noun + preposition compound nouns, the plural is placed on the noun. Examples:

Passer-by => Passers-by
On-looker => On-lookers
By-stander => By-standers

Collective Nouns

These nouns are also called 'group names' and they are used to house a large number of persons, animals, places or things when seen as a collection (together). Here, you're expected to know the names given to nouns when they are in collections and mind you, some of these nouns may have more than one 'group name' for various grammatical or semantical reasons. Let's explore the world of collective nouns, shall we? Yes we shall.

Nouns – (persons)	Collective Names/Group Names
A group of students	A Class
A group of ladies	A Bevy
A group of soldiers	An Army
A group of cooks	A Hastiness
A group of bakers	A Tabernacle
A group of pastors	A Clergy
A group of thieves	A squad or a gang
A group of prisoners	A gang
A group of policemen	A Posse
A group of bishops	A Bench
A group of lawyers	An Eloquence
A group of Judges or magistrates	A Bench
A group of workers	A Staff
A group of actors	A Cast
A group of magicians	An Illusion
A group of vagabonds	A Vagabondage
A group of angels	A Host
A group of sailors	A Crew
A group of demons	A Legion
A group of singers	A Choir
A group of musicians	A Band or an Orchestra
A group of dancers	A Troupe
A group of people	A Crowd
A group of listening people (listeners)	An Audience
A group of worshipping people (worshippers)	A Congregation
A group of people watching a football match	Spectators
A group of beaters	A Squad
A group of armed robbers	A gang
A group of actresses	A cast

Now, let's see some collective names for a group of animals:

Nouns – (ANIMALS)	Collective Names/Group Names
A group of animals	A zoo
A group of lions	A pride
A group of baboons	A flange
A group of antelopes	A herd
A group of turkeys	A rafter
A group of chickens	A brood
A group of vipers	A brood or a generation
A group of birds	A twitter
A group of parrots	A pandemonium
A group of owls	A parliament
A group of dogs	A pack or a kennel
A group of giraffes	A tower
A group of zebras	A dazzle, a herd or a zeal
A group of peacocks	A muster or a pulchritude (physical beauty)
A group of monkeys	A barrel or a troop
A group of tigers	A streak
A group of bears	A sloth
A group of hippos	A bloat
A group of elephants	A herd
A group of whales	A pod, a gam, a herd or a plump
A group of jellyfish	A smack
A group of sloths	A snuggle
A group of squirrels	A scurry
A group of skunks	A surfeit
A group of otters	A raft (for otters at rest)
A group of porcupines	A prickle
A group of camels	A caravan, a train, a herd etc.
A group of lizards	A lounge
A group of snakes	A den or a pit
A group of turtles	A bale
A group of rhinoceros	A crash or a herd
A group of mice (rats)	A horde or a mischief
A group of koalas	Koala population or Koala colonies
A group of frogs	An army
A group of lemurs	A conspiracy
A group of geese	A gaggle

The list wouldn't be complete if we don't explore collective names for places and things:

Nouns – (things & places)	Collective Names/Group Names
A group of writing materials	Stationery
A group of cars	Fleet
A group of flowers	Bouquet
A group of furniture	A suite
A group of rooms (accommodation)	A suite
A group of cards	A pack
A group of computers	A network
A group of flags	A bunting
A group of mountains	A chain or a range
A group of shoes	A pair
A group of islands	A group or a chain or an archipelago
A group of photographs	An album
A group of cotton	A bale
A group of exercises	A book
A group of books	A library
A group of ships	A fleet
A group of rain	A shower
A group of events	A series
A group of words or phrases	A glossary
A group of sticks	A bundle
A group of sand	A heap
A group of names	A list
A group of stars	A galaxy, cluster or constellation
A group of guns	A battery
A group of wine	A cellar
A group of cigars	A box
A group of pictures	A gallery
A group of tools	A set
A group of arrows	A sheaf or a quiver
A group of windmills	A whirl
A group of lorries	A fleet
A group of colours	A palette
A group of pieces of art	A museum

Classification according to 'measurability'

Under this heading, there are two main types of nouns that you must know viz the 'countable or count nouns' and the 'uncountable or mass nouns'.

Countable Nouns

Do not be in a hurry to say that - 'they are nouns that can be counted' because, although this definition holds true to a great extent, it is very much incomplete.

What then are 'countable nouns?' Countable nouns are simply nouns that can not only be counted or measured or pluralized but also they can take all English articles - a/an & the. Examples: a ball, the ball; an egg/the egg; a chair/the chair etc.

Countable nouns can be made plural by the addition of -s, -es or -ies. This is why we said they are measurable in the first place. Examples: ball(s), egg(s), chair(s), church(es), lorr(ies) etc.

Uncountable or Mass Nouns

Unlike countable nouns, these nouns may not be counted, pluralized or measured so easily & they only take the definite article - 'the'. Do not assume a noun is uncountable until you have tried or subjected it to the 'articles' test and if it only takes the definite article as stated above, you can call it a mass noun, otherwise, it is countable.

Uncountable nouns cannot exist in plural forms i.e. they should not be used with -s, -es or -ies. They are numerous in the Use of English and you should do well to take good cognizance of them because some are being erroneously used by most English speakers on a daily basis.

List of some uncountable or mass nouns:

information
equipment
petrol
fuel
bread
water
money
kerosene
diesel
traffic
furniture
beacon
advice
research
knowledge
homework
baggage
luggage
travel
accommodation
music
art
love
happiness
news
sugar
butter
electricity
gas
power
currency
behaviour
clothing
commerce
cutlery
machinery
scenery
damage and the list is endless.

NOTE THAT: Some mass nouns may function as both countable and uncountable in the use of English. However, when making use of uncountable nouns in your every day use of English please do not attach a plural morpheme to them and also do not use the indefinite article with them and lastly do not attempt to use them alongside a plural verb.

For the teaching videos on nouns and other aspects of the English Language, you can connect to our youtube channel with any of the links below:

You can also check out other exciting areas of study as you get on our Youtube Channel.

We hope you learned quite a lot from this article and the teaching videos? We are always ready and glad to serve you.

Nouns & Types of Nouns