-- word that names a person, place, thing, or idea

*NOUN

Singular Nouns

*Girl

*Switch

*Hobby

*Life

*Goose

*Fish

Plural Nouns

*Girls (most add –s)

*Switches (add –es for endings in s, ch, sh, x, z)

*Hobbies (change y to i & add –es)

*Lives (ending in f or fe, change f to v & add –s or –es)

*Geese (irregular plural)

*Fish (some don’t change)

*PRACTICEWrite the plural form of each noun.

*1. star

*2. trout

*3. half

*4. joy

*5. waltz

*6. mystery

*7. flash

*8. tooth

*9. box

*10. onion

*ANSWERS*1. stars

*2. trout

*3. halves

*4. joys

*5. waltzes

*6. mysteries

*7. flashes

*8. teeth

*9. boxes

*10. onions

--can show possession, ownership, or the general relationship between two nouns

--add an apostrophe and –s to form the possessive of any singular noun

--use just an apostrophe to form the possessive of a plural noun that ends in s

--add an apostrophe and –s to form the possessive of plural noun that doesn’t end in s

*Possessive Nouns

The oxen’s stallsThe children’s books

The women’s trophies

Plural Possessive Examples

The kittens’ tails

Her dresses’ collars

The wives’ speeches

The cookies’ decorations

The stories’ villains

The watches’ batteries

Singular Possessive Examples

The kitten’s tail

Her dress’s collar

The wife’s speech

The cookie’s decoration

The story’s villain

The watch’s battery

PRACTICE POSSESSIVE NOUNSRewrite each phrase using the possessive form of the noun in parentheses.

1. The (women) banquet2. (Shawna) talent3. Chef (Lorenson) recipe4. the (building) location5. the (books) title6. Mr. (Sims) accident7. (Congress) schedule8. the (children) fever9. (Alfonso) job10. the (orange) seeds

ANSWERS

1. The women’s banquet2. Shawna’s talent3. Chef Lorenson’s recipe4. the building’s location5. the books’ titles6. Mr. Sims’s accident7. Congress’s schedule8. the children’s fever9. Alfonso’s job10. the orange’s seeds

*Compound Nouns*Noun made of two or more words

*May be open, hyphenated, or closed

*EXAMPLES

OPEN gray fox, press secretary, line of sight

HYPHENATED mother-in-law, tenth-grader, good-bye

CLOSED folksinger, headlight, postmaster

*Concrete & Abstract Nouns

*EXAMPLES

CONCRETE air, melody, stone, aroma, heat

ABSTRACT attitude, dignity, loyalty, sadness

*Concrete names an object that occupies space or can be recognized by any of the senses

*Abstract names an idea, a quality, or a characteristic

*Common & Proper Nouns

*EXAMPLES

COMMON artist, uncle, country, lake, shuttle, vehicle, religion

PROPER Michelangelo, Uncle Louis, Mexico, Lake Superior, Jeep, Judaism

*Common is the general – not the particular – name of a person, place, thing, or idea.

*Proper is the name of a particular person, place, thing, or idea. A proper noun is capitalized.

1. Homer’s Odyssey is an epic poem.

2. Who is the Steelers’ new quarterback?

3. Victoria saw Mrs. Ramos fall and helped her up.

4. Honesty is one of Andy’s best qualities.

5. One goal for good health is to drink eight glasses of water every day.

6. Bessie Coleman was the first African American female pilot.

7. Like any explorer, astronauts cherish the hope of discovering a new world.

8. Has Mickey ever written a song?

9. The vision of Chief Wilma Mankiller is to lead the Cherokee Nation to self-reliance.

10.The language we call Old English was spoken during the Middle Ages.

*PracticeIdentify each noun by writing common or proper. If a noun is common, also write concrete or abstract.

*Answers1. Proper: Homer’s, Odyssey 6. Proper: Bessie Coleman

Common: poem –concrete Common: pilot -concrete

2. Proper: Steelers’ 7. Common: explorer -concrete

Common: quarterback –concrete astronauts -concrete

3. Proper: Victoria, Mrs. Ramos hope -abstract

4. Proper: Andy’s world -concrete

Common: honesty –abstract 8. Proper: Mickey

qualities –abstract Common: song -concrete

5. Common: goal –abstract 9. Proper: Chief Wilma Mankiller,

health –abstract Cherokee Nation

glasses –concrete Common: vision -abstract water –concrete self-reliance -abstract

day –concrete 10. Proper: Old English, Middle Ages

Common: language -concrete

*Collective Noun*Singular in form but names a group

*Sometimes considered singular and sometimes plural

*EXAMPLES

Family Herd Company BandTeam

Audience Troop Committee JuryFlock