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Nouns & Articles
Introduction
Nouns are a diverse group of words, and they are very common in English. Nouns are a category of words defining people, places, things, or ideas. The video below is a brief introduction to them and the role they play:
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Now that you’ve seen and identified some nouns, let’s get started. In this outcome we will discuss nouns and their proper function in language.
Learning Outcomes
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By the end of this learning experience, you should feel confident with the following:
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Identifying functions of nouns
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Classifying plural nouns
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Distinguishing between count vs. non-count nouns
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Integrating articles
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Selecting definite vs indefinite articles
Functions of Nouns
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As we’ve already learned, a noun is the name of a person (Dr. Sanders), place (Lawrence, Kansas, factory, home), thing (scissors, saw, book), or idea (love, truth, beauty, intelligence).
Let’s look at the following examples to get a better idea of how nouns work in sentences. All of the nouns have been bolded in blue:
The one experiment that has been given the most attention in the debate on saccharin is the 1977 Canadian study done on rats.
The Calorie Control Council, a group of Japanese and American manufacturers of saccharin, spent $890,000 in the first three months of the
1977 ban on saccharin on lobbying, advertisements, and public relations.
A flat-plate collector located on a sloping roof heats water which circulates through a coil and is pumped back to the collector.
The blades start turning when the windspeed reaches 10 mph, and an anemometer is attached to the shaft to measure windspeed.
The multi-fuel capacity of the Stirling engine gives it a versatility not possible in the internal combustion engine.
The regenerative cooling cycle in the engines of the Space Shuttle is made up of high pressure hydrogen that flows in tubes connecting the nozzle and the combustion chamber.
Of the many different categories of nouns, a couple deserve closer attention.
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Common vs. Proper Noun
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Common nouns are generic words, like tissue. They are lower-cased (unless they begin a sentence). A proper noun, on the other hand, is the name of a specific thing, like the brand name Kleenex. Proper nouns are always capitalized.
Common noun: name
Proper noun: Ester
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Concrete vs. Abstract Noun
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Concrete nouns are things you can hold, see, or otherwise sense, like book, light, or warmth.
Abstract nouns, on the other hand, are (as you might expect) abstract concepts, like time and love.
Concrete noun: rock
Abstract noun: justice
The rest of this section will dig into other types of nouns: plural nouns and count vs. non-count nouns.
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Of the many different categories of nouns, a couple deserve closer attention.
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Regular Plural Nouns
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A plural noun indicates that there is more than one of that noun (while a singular noun indicates that there is just one of the noun). English has both regular and irregular plural nouns.
Let’s start with regular plurals: regular plural nouns use established patterns to indicate there is more than one of a thing.
Recognize nouns marked with plural form –s.
We add the plural suffix –s to most words.
apple → apples
key → keys
computer → computers
However, after sounds s, z, sh, ch, and j, we add the plural suffix –es.
box → boxes
wish → wishes
kiss → kisses
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After the letter o.
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We add the plural suffix –es to most words that end in o.
tomato → tomatoes
hero → heroes
We add the plural suffix –s to words of foreign origin (Latin, Greek, Spanish, etc.)
piano → pianos
photo → photos
video → videos
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Note: While you won’t be expected to know which words have a foreign origin, being familiar with (or memorizing) some common words that use this plural can be really helpful. And remember, if you’re ever unsure about a word’s spelling, it’s always a good idea to use tools like online dictionaries or even Google.
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After –y and –f, –fe
When a word ends in y and there is a consonant before y, we change the y to i and add –es.
baby → babies
fly → flies
But not after a vowel + y
toy → toys
monkey → monkeys
day → days
When a word ends in –f or –fe, we change the f to v and add –es.
leaf → leaves
life → lives
scarf → scarves
calf → calves
loaf → loaves
But not in these words
cliff → cliffs
roof → roofs
belief → beliefs
chief → chiefs
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Practice
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Once you have completed the practice quiz, scroll up inside the quiz box and
click "view score" and see the correct answers.
Irregular Plural Nouns
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Irregular plurals, unlike regular plurals, don’t necessarily follow any pattern, and require a lot of memorization. Mastering this type of pluralization uses a different region of your brain than regular pluralization, meaning it’s an entirely different skill set than regular pluralization. So don’t get too frustrated if you can’t remember the correct plural. If you’re ever in doubt, the dictionary is there for you.
Count vs. Non-Count Nouns
Count Nouns
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A count noun (also countable noun) is a noun that can be modified by a numeral (three chairs) and that occurs in both singular and plural forms (chair, chairs). The can also be preceded by words such as a, an, or the (a chair).
Quite literally, count nouns are nouns which can be counted.
Non-Count Nouns
A non-count noun (also mass noun), on the other hand, has none of these properties. It can’t be modified by a numeral (three furniture is incorrect), occur in singular/plural (furnitures is not a word), or co-occur with a, an, or the (a furniture is incorrect).
Again, quite literally, non-count nouns are nouns which cannot be counted.
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EXAMPLE: CHAIR VS. FURNITURE
The sentence pairs below compare the count noun chair and the non-count noun furniture.
There are chairs in the room. (correct)
There are furnitures in the room. (incorrect)
There is a chair in the room. (correct)
There is a furniture in the room. (incorrect)
There is chair in the room. (incorrect)
There is furniture in the room. (correct)
Every chair is man made. (correct)
Every furniture is man made. (incorrect)
All chair is man made. (incorrect)
All furniture is man made. (correct)
There are several chairs in the room. (correct)
There are several furnitures in the room. (incorrect)
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Determining the Type of Noun
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In general, a count noun is going to be something you can easily count—like rock or dollar bill. Non-count nouns, on the other hand, would be more difficult to count—like sand or money. If you ever want to identify a singular non-count noun, you need a phrase beforehand—like a grain of sand or a sum of money.
Practice
Once you have completed the practice quiz, scroll up inside the quiz box and
click "view score" and see the correct answers.
Articles
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There are three articles in the English language: the, a, and an. These are divided into two types of articles: definite (the) and indefinite (a, an). The definite article indicates a level of specificity that the indefinite does not. “An apple” could refer to any apple; however “the apple” is referring back to a specific apple.
Thus, when using the definite article, the speaker assumes the listener knows the identity of the noun’s referent (because it is obvious, because it is common knowledge, or because it was mentioned in the same sentence or an earlier sentence). Use of an indefinite article implies that the speaker assumes the listener does not have to be told the identity of the referent.
There are also cases where no article is required:
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With generic nouns (plural or uncountable): cars have accelerators, happiness is contagious, referring to cars in general and happiness in general (compare the happiness I felt yesterday, specifying particular happiness);
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With many proper names: Sabrina, France, London, etc.
Watch this quick introduction to indefinite and definite articles and the difference between the two:
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Indefinite Article
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The indefinite article of English takes the two forms a and an. These can be regarded as meaning “one,” usually without emphasis.
Distinction between a and an
You’ve probably learned the rule that an comes before a vowel, and that a comes before a consonant. While this is generally true, it’s more accurate to say that an comes before a vowel sound, and a comes before a consonant sound. Let’s look at a couple of examples with a:
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a box
a HEPA filter (HEPA is pronounced as a word rather than as letters)
a one-armed bandit (pronounced “won. . . “)
a unicorn (pronounced “yoo. . . “)
Let’s try it again with an:
an apple
an EPA policy (the letter E read as a letter still starts with a vowel sound)
an SSO (pronounced “es-es-oh”)
an hour (the h is silent)
an heir (pronounced “air”)
Note: Some speakers and writers use an before a word beginning with the sound h in an unstressed syllable: an historical novel, an hotel. However, where the h is clearly pronounced, this usage is now less common, and a is preferred.
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Definite Article
The definite article the is used when the referent of the noun phrase is assumed to be unique or known from the context. For example, in the sentence “The boy with glasses was looking at the moon,” it is assumed that in the context the reference can only be to one boy and one moon.
The can be used with both singular and plural nouns, with nouns of any gender, and with nouns that start with any letter. This is different from many other languages which have different articles for different genders or numbers. The is the most commonly used word in the English language.
Practice
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Once you have completed the practice quiz, scroll up inside the quiz box and
click "view score" and see the correct answers.
Word Order
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In most cases, the article is the first word of its noun phrase, preceding all other adjectives and modifiers.
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The little old red bag held a very big surprise.
There are a few exceptions, however:
Certain determiners, such as all, both, half, double, precede the definite article when used in combination (all the team, both the girls, half the time, double the amount).
Such and what precede the indefinite article (such an idiot, what a day!).
Adjectives qualified by too, so, as and how generally precede the indefinite article: too great a loss, so hard a problem, as delicious an apple as I have ever tasted, I know how pretty a girl she is.
When adjectives are qualified by quite (particularly when it means “fairly”), the word quite (but not the adjective itself) often precedes the indefinite article: quite a long letter.
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Click Here to Proceed to the Next Unit: Pronouns
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