01. Definition Overview
Noun is a word used to name a person, place or thing.
- Rama was an epic king.
- His valour brought him laurels.
02. Common & Proper Nouns
1) Common Noun
A name given in common to every person or thing of the same class or kind.
- I write with a pen.
- The student asked me a few questions.
2) Proper Noun
The name of a particular person or place.
- Ramu is a wise fellow.
- Patna lacks basic civic amenities.
Proper nouns are always written with a capital letter.
Proper nouns are sometimes used as common nouns and are preceded by articles.
- She is a Lata Mangeshkar.
- Kalidas is the Shakespeare of India.
03. Collective Noun Framework
3) Collective Noun
Name of a group of persons or things (army, committee, jury, team, etc.).
Usually takes singular verb & pronoun when acting as a unified entity.
Takes plural verb when individuals within the group are thought of separately.
04. Abstract & Material Nouns
4) Abstract Noun
Name of a quality, action or state considered apart from the object.
- Innocence is integral to a child.
- Love knows no bound.
5) Material Noun
Name of a material from which a thing is made.
- Cotton is the source of natural fibre.
- Milk constitutes a nutritious food.
Does not take an article in a general sense.
Takes an article when treated as a common noun or particularized instance.
05. Number Systems Basics
Numbers are of two kinds – Singular and Plural.
- cow → cows
- chair → chairs
- school → schools
- mango → mangoes
06. Special Plurality Rules
- Some nouns look singular but are treated as plural: cattle, clergy, people, children, police, poultry, peasantry.
- Some nouns look plural but are used as singular: mathematics, economics, physics, politics, ethics, classics.
- Some nouns are always singular: poetry, information, machinery, dust, furniture, dirt, traffic, money, music.
- Some nouns are plural in form: trousers, spectacles, scissors, pants — use
a pair of.
07. Singular vs Plural Semantics
Certain nouns express completely different meanings when shifted from singular to plural form:
| Singular | Meaning | Plural | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advice | counsel | Advices | information |
| Air | wind | Airs | affected manners |
| Colour | hue | Colours | appearance; the flag of regiment |
| Compass | limit, range | Compasses | drawing instrument |
| Custom | habit | Customs | duties on imports |
| Force | strength | Forces | troops |
| Good | profit | Goods | movable property |
| Pain | suffering | Pains | careful effort |
| People | men & women | Peoples | nations |
| Spectacle | sight | Spectacles | eye-glasses |
| Manner | method | Manners | correct behaviour |
| Letter | alphabet unit | Letters | literature |
| Ground | earth | Grounds | reasons, land |