Nouns

Question 1

What is a noun?

Name the nouns in this sentence:

With inspiration, George and Godzilla walked to Papa John’s to order a large vegan pizza.

Answer 1

A noun is a person/place/thing/idea.

Inspiration = idea
George = person
Godzilla = technically a thing in grammar
Papa John’s = place
Pizza = thing

Ex: Woman, school, rain, bed. If a word can be preceded by a/an/the chances are its a noun

Question 2

T/F: Nouns can appear anywhere in a sentence.

Answer 2

True. There are no rules about where a noun can or cannot appear in a sentence. However, a sentence must have at least one noun acting as the subject in order for the sentence to be complete.

Question 3

Find all the nouns in the following sentence:

Children enjoy cookies, television, books, and soft sheets.

Answer 3

The nouns are children, cookies, television, books and sheets.

Question 4

What is a common noun?

Answer 4

A common noun is a naming noun that is not capitalized (unless it happens to be at the beginning of a sentence). It is a general name for a person, place, thing, or idea.

actor
planet
month

EX: interstate, college, books, cars

Question 5

What is a proper noun?

Answer 5

A proper noun is a specifically named (a particular) person, place, or thing. A proper noun is capitalized.

President Clinton
Snafu University
England
Boston Red Sox
Adam Sandler
Venus
November

Question 6

T/F: All proper nouns are capitalized.

Answer 6

True

Question 7

What type of nouns are -airplane- and -Delta-?

Answer 7

Airplane is a common noun. Delta is a proper noun.

Question 8

What is the difference between a proper noun and a common noun?

Answer 8

A proper noun names a specific person, place, or thing, whereas a common noun does not specify by name instead referring to a general person, place, or thing.

Question 9

Are Skippy and peanut the same type of noun?

Answer 9

No. Skippy is a proper noun, and peanut is a common noun.

Question 10

T/F: No common noun is ever capitalized.

Answer 10

False. If a sentence begins with a common noun, that common noun will be capitalized.
EX; Apples are good for you.

Question 11

Find all the common nouns in the following sentence:

The Robertsons drove for thirty miles on the freeway before they stopped at a restaurant to eat some pie.

Answer 11

The common nouns are miles, freeway, restaurant, and pie

Question 12

Find all the proper nouns in the following sentence: 
Mrs. Wallace told her fifth-grade class that Texas, California, and Alaska are the biggest states in America.

Answer 12

The proper nouns are Mrs. Wallace, Texas. California, Alaska, and America.

Question 13

T/F: Kleenex and Xerox are the same type of noun.

Answer 13

True. Kleenex and Xerox are both proper nouns.

Question 14

What is a concrete noun?

Answer 14

A concrete noun is any noun that is experiential and thus can be felt or perceived by one of the five senses.

Names a person, place, or thing that can be seen, heard, smelled, touched, or tasted.

milk
music
orange
bell
skunk
sand
apple

Question 15

What is an abstract noun?

Answer 15

An abstract noun is a noun that refers to something intangible, like an idea or a feeling. It names an idea, quality, or state.

peace
irony
kindness
pride
sadness
uncertainty
independence

Question 16

Is -sadness- a concrete noun?

Answer 16

No. Although we feel sadness, we don’t feel it in a literal way-that is, we can’t touch it or taste it. Sadness- is an abstract noun.

Question 17

What type of noun is -contentment-?

Answer 17

Contentment - is an abstract noun

Question 18

Find all the abstract nouns in the following sentence:

Freedom and democracy allow for liberty and happiness.

Answer 18

The abstract nouns are freedom, democracy, liberty, and happiness

Question 19

What is a singular noun?

Answer 19

names only one person, place, thing, or idea

city
foot
monster

Question 20

What is a plural noun?

Answer 20

names more than one person, place, thing, or idea

cities
feet
monsters

Question 21

What is a collective noun?

Answer 21

names a group of people or things

takes on a singular form but refers to a group

herd
media
pack
team
band
division

Question 22

Do all collective nouns take singular verbs?

Answer 22

No. Most collective nouns take singular verbs (our class is always rowdy). In British English, some collective nouns take plural verbs when members of the group are acting individually (the family bicker during the holidays)

Question 23

T/F : Flock is a collective noun.

Answer 23

True. Flock is a singular word referring to a group of individual beings usually birds.

Question 24

T/F: Freshness is a collective noun.

Answer 24

False. Freshness- is an abstract noun.

Question 25

What is a compound noun?

Answer 25

a single noun that is formed by combining two or more words footprint doghouse backpack

Question 26

What is a gendered noun?

Answer 26

A gendered noun is a gender-specific and changes depending on the object's gender. Ex: Actor - Actress

Question 27

What is a countable noun?

Answer 27

A countable noun is any noun that can be numbered. EX: Four bowls, Several papers, many bottles. A noun like paint is not countable. We can say -a lot of paint- but we cannot say seven paints.

Question 28

Is -rain- a countable noun?

Answer 28

No

Question 29

T/F: -Wine- is a non- countable (mass) noun.

Answer 29

True. Wine- cannot be counted.

Question 30

What is a non-countable (or mass) noun?

Answer 30

A non-countable noun is any noun that cannot be numbered. | EX> earth, wind, fire.

Question 31

Find all the countable nouns in the following sentence: | Nat had two sandwiches, and Angle had soup and a few marshmallows.

Answer 31

The countable nouns are sandwiches and marshmallows

Question 32

T/F: A countable noun names a non-specific noun

Answer 32

False. A common noun names a non-specific noun. A countable noun is any noun that can be numbered.

Question 33

T/F: Pumpkins-is a countable noun

Answer 33

True. We can count pumpkins, so =pumpkins- is a countable noun

Question 34

T/F: Air- is a countable noun

Answer 34

False. Air- cannot be counted, so it is not a countable noun

Question 35

Find all the non-countable (mass) nouns in the following sentence: The rain poured in through the roof, dampening the flames and smoke.

Answer 35

The non-countable nouns are rain, flames, and smoke.

Question 36

T/F: "Rims" is a countable noun.

Answer 36

True. We can count rims.

Question 37

T/F: A noun can only be one type of noun.

Answer 37

False. Nouns can fall into multiple categories. For EX> Waitress is both a gendered noun and a countable noun.

Question 38

What is an appositive?

Answer 38

An appositive modifies or clarifies the noun or noun phrase that precedes it. Ex: Ivan the Terrible ruled for a number of years. (The Terrible is an appositive that tells us something about Ivan.)

Question 39

Final all the appositives in the following sentence: | Lucas the Kind had lunch with Donald the Cheapskate.

Answer 39

The Kind- and -he Cheapskate- are appositives. | They modify the nouns Lucas and Donald.

Question 40

what is an appositive phrase?

Answer 40

An appositive phrase is a phrase set off by commas that tells the reader more about the noun or pronoun it modifies. Ex: San Francisco, a city often shrouded in fog, is chilly at this time of year. (A city often shrouded in fog is the appositive phrase.)

Question 41

Why are appositive phrases set off by commas?

Answer 41

Appositive phrases are treated as asides that are not essential to the meaning of the sentence. The commas act almost like parentheses, indicating the nonessential quality of the information they contain.

Question 42

What is a gerund?

Answer 42

A gerund is a verb that acts as a noun. Gerunds always end in -ing. Ex: Skiing is my favorite form of exercise; eating enough leafy greens is hard to do; sleeping solves most of my problems. (skiing, eating, and sleeping are gerunds).

Question 43

T/F: Every profession differentiates between gender.

Answer 43

False. Many professions (law, medicine, etc.) do not distinguish between their male and female practitioners (lawyers, doctors, etc.)

Question 44

T/F: An infinitive can sometimes act as a noun

Answer 44

True. An infinitive sometimes acts as a noun. For example, in the sentence -To grow is the dream of many pre-teens-, -to grow- is an infinitive acting as the subject of the sentence.

Question 45

Can a gerund be the subject of a sentence?

Answer 45

Yes. A gerund takes on all the traits of a noun, and since nouns can be subjects, so can gerunds.

Question 46

Can an infinitive be the subject of a sentence?

Answer 46

Yes. In the sentence -to err is human, to err - is the subject.

Question 47

What famous line in -Hamlet- repeats the same infinitive twice?

Answer 47

"to be or not to be, that is the question"

Question 48

Find the gerunds in the following sentence; | After I went running the other day, I decided that drinking cold water is one of life's most underrated pleasures.

Answer 48

Drinking- is a gerund. Running is not, because in this instance it refers to a specific jog and therefore does not act as a noun.

Question 49

What part of speech are the infinitives in the following sentence? Tomorrow, Johnny plans to go to the game and then to wash his mascot suit.

Answer 49

To go- and -to wash- are verbs.