The Noun

A noun is a word used to name a person, a place, a thing, or an idea.

PERSONS	carpenter, tourists, team, cousins. Faith Ringgold
PLACES	cities, theater, forest, neighborhood, Santa Fe
THINGS	telescope, bricks, birds, horseshoe, Liberty Bell
IDEAS	justice, creativity, power, opinions. Buddhism

Common Nouns and Proper Nouns

A common noun names any one of a group of persons, places, things, or ideas. A proper noun names a particular person, place, thing, or idea. Common nouns aren't capitalized (except when they begin a sentence or are part of a title); proper nouns, however, always are.

COMMON NOUNS	PROPER NOUNS
woman	Queen Isabella, Wilma Mankiller, Judith Baca
nation	Egypt, Mexico, Vietnam, New Zealand
event	Pan American Games, French Revolution, Academy Awards, Boston Tea Party
holiday	Patriots' Day, Fourth of July, Potlatch, Martin Luther King, Jr., Day
language	Hebrew, Spanish, Bantu, Thai

Concrete and Abstract Nouns

A concrete noun names an object or event that can be perceived by the senses. An abstract noun names a quality, a characteristic, or an idea.

CONCRETE NOUNS	sneeze, star, gravel, cinnamon, Beijing, Leaning Tower of Pisa, Nolan Ryan
ABSTRACT NOUNS	peace, civilization, honor, courage. Romanticism, Manifest Destiny

Collective Nouns

A collective noun names a group.

COLLECTIVE NOUNS

jury, band, family, class, flock, committee

Compound Nouns

A compound noun consists of two or more words used together as one noun. Some compound nouns are written as a single word, some as separate words, and others as hyphenated words.

ONE WORD	stairway, bookcase, Newfoundland
SEPARATE WORDS	lieutenant governor, ceiling fan. Golden Gate Bridge
HYPHENATED WORD	sister-in-law, jack-of-all-trades, stick-in-the-mud

NOTE

When you're not sure how a compound noun is written, look it up in a dictionary.