N O U NFormal Characteristics

Nouns are identified by definite criteria, the most important of which are the following:

1. A noun is a word preceded by function word called a noun determiner. If it is a proper noun, it is marked by a capital letter. Such expression as the, a, an, my, your, our, few and some are always followed by nouns.

The Angkor Vat is a temple-mountain in Cambodia. A proud king undertook his project. Few monuments can equal the Angkor Vat. Much labor and expense were involved.

2. A noun has two inflections, the plural form-s or -es and possessive or genitive -’s.

Manila I a city of churches and bridges. His friends are painters and musicians. Let’s shop at Farmer’s Market and Rustan’s.

3. A noun I a word used to name a person, place or thing. Proper noun: Dante, Bach, Rome, French, Los Angeles Times, Liszt.

Common Noun: nation, clock, teapot, statue, epic, balletCollective Noun: crowd, regiment, herd, congregationAbstract Noun: dignity, faith, hope, communismMass Noun: rice, salt, tea, water, iron, steel

4. A noun fills certain characteristics position in relation to other parts of speech in phrases and utterances.

a) It usually occurs before the verb in the

N + V Pattern Journalists write. Goya painted and etched. The band I playing.

b) It follow such words as at, on, in, to, by, from in the

Prep. + N Pattern “Pieta” is by Michelangelo. This statue is at St. Peter’s in Rome. “Environment” is in the cathedral at Florence. Both statues are about 7 feet each.

c) It comes after the verb in an S + V + C pattern or in an S + V + N pattern.

Mochtar Lubes is an Indonesian writer. He authored Twilight in Djakarta. His other novel is Road Without End.

5. A noun may be identified by various derivational suffixes added either to stems or part of speech as verbs, adjectives or other noun.

Ex: (-ee) draftee, employee, examinee, payee (-er) painter, writer, engineer,

photographer (-ist) violinist, pianist, artist, novelist (-ness) coldness, friendliness, kindness

6. A noun is a word used in various way in the sentence; its position determines its function as follows:

a. Before the Verb: as Subject The Taj Mahal is in India. The Stonehenge rises on Salisbury Plain.

b. After the Verb: as Direct Object Albert Camus wrote The Stranger. Wagner composed Tannhauser.

c. After the Verb: a Indirect Object Aristotle gave scholars the classical definition of tragedy. Alfred Nobel bequeathed the world a priceless legacy.

d. After a Linking Verb: as a Subjective Complement The Bible is great art. A ballad is a narrative poem intended to be sung.

e. After the Verb: as Object Complement Critics call Picasso: “the artist of the century.” The English named Spencer “ a poet’s poet.”

f. Side by side with another Noun as Appositive.

Frank Lloyd Wright, an American architect widely used cantilevers. “Silent Night,” a Christmas carol is attributed to Franz Gruber. g. Beginning or end of the sentence: as Nominative of Address

Class, please pay attention. Turn on the electric fan, Albert

Noun and Noun Clusters

- noun cluster is a group of words in which the principal word is a noun. It consists of two parts – the noun headword itself and the word or words accompanying it. These parts of the cluster, called modifiers may be determiners, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, other noun or word groups.

Note of the following illustrations:

a. Nouns with determiners as modifiers the ballad a sonnet our anthemb. Nouns with Adjectives as modifiers pointed arches fluted columns solid buttressc. Nouns with Noun Modifiers Italian opera Byzantine architecture tapestry bagd. Noun Clusters the marble domes, and minarets of the Taj Mahal in Agra Emperor Shah Jehan’s love memorial for his consort Mumtaz Mahal. the still water of a clear lake overlooking the Jamuna river

Domes and minarets, memorial and lake are the noun headwords. The words clustering around them are the modifiers, which may come either before or after the noun headword.

NounHeadnoun

• Actor• Problem• Writer• remark• vase• Frames• Dress• jacket

DescriptiveQuality Size Color

• Handsome• Common• honored• Silly• Heavy• Ornate• New• Rubber- ized

Intensifier

• Very• Most• Rather• Quite• Some-what

Numeral

• First• second

Determiners

• A• The• Our• His• This• Several• My• that

Tall

BigSmallMaxiExtra-large

Dark

GreyGoldRedbrown

Noun Clusters: Modifiers Before the Headword

Noun Clusters: Modifiers After the Headword

Determiners

A The

TheseThe

SomeA

Noun Headword

workerchildrenbooksdata

paragraphsReception

Adverb Modifier

insideupstairs

here abovebelow

Afterwards

Adverbs are the simplest kind of modifiers occurring after noun headwords as shown in the frames above.

Determiners

theSome

a both many

a great deal of

Noun Headword

composer episodes symbol

paintings mediums

Architecture

Preposition Group

of the sonatain the novel

of the Christian Churchin abstract

of the visual artswith excessive ornamentation

Instead of the adverb modifier after the noun headword, we may have in its place a prepositional phrase.

Determiners

an that many

several The

Noun Headword

etching sculptor works artists

buttresses

Subordinator Group

that you sawwho won the awardwhose authors are

famouswhom we studied

which characterize Gothic architecture

A clause modifying a noun headword is usually introduced by the subordinators that, which, who, whose and whom.

Number: Singular and Plural and Possessive Case of Nouns.

- number is the distinction of word form to denote reference to one, or more than one. It is revealed sometimes by form, some times by meaning. A word which denotes one is singular; a word which denotes more than one is plural.

1. Most nouns form the plural by adding –s to the singular.

boy + s boystree + s trees

papaya + s papayas

fence + s fencesroom + s rooms

Emma + s Emmas

2. Nouns ending in a hissing sound (s, ch, sh, x or z) add –es in order to be pronounceable.

Box + es boxeschurch + es churches

glass + es glasses

six + es sixesrush + es rushes

waltz + es waltzes

3. Most nouns ending in f or fe change –f or –fe to –ve before adding –s.

calf + calveself + elves

knife + knives

leaf + leavesshelf + shelvesthief + thieves

4. Most nouns ending in y preceded by a consonant sound chande the y to i and add –es to form the plural.

city + citieslady + ladies

reply + replies

army + armieslibrary + libraries

solliloquy + solliloquies

5. Noun ending y after a vowel form the plural by adding –s to the unchanged word.

bouy + s bouyskey + s keys

alley + s alleys

journey + s journeysmonkey + s monkeys

valley + s valleys

6. Some nouns ending in o preceded by a consonant form the plural by adding –es.

cargo + es cargoesecho + es echoes hero + es heroes

mosquito + es mosquitoestomato + es tomatoes

Negro + es Negroes

7. A few very common nouns add –en or change the vowel or remain change the vowel or remain unchanged in the plural.

ox oxen child children

man men

foot feettooth teeth

sheep sheep

8. Most noun of foreign origin retain the foreign plural.

alumnus alumni (masc.)alumna alumnae (fem.)

Analysis analysesMr. Messieurs

Bacterium bactreiaCrisis crises

Parenthesis prenthesesMadam Mesdames

9. Most compound nouns add –s or –es to the principal word of the compound.

Bookcase bookcasesFootstep footsteps handful handfuls

Forget-me-not forget-me-notsSon-in-law sons-in-lawRunner-up runners-up

10. Other nouns have kept the foreign plurals, but the regular plural forms (s or es endings) are also used.

FormulaCurriculumSyllabus

StimulusIndex

MemorandumPlateau

formulascurriculumssyllabusesstimuluses

indexesmemorandums

plateau

or formulateor curricula

or syllabior stimulior indices

or memorandaor plateaux

11. A few nouns are regularly plural in form and meaning.

ScissorsTongspants

Slacks Shorts

trousers

12. A few nouns are plural in form but singular in meaning.

MathematicsStatisticsdramatics

AcousticsEconomics

politics

AestheticsNews

measles

Possessive Case of Nouns

- All English nouns have the possessive or genitive case. There are two possessives, singular and plural, but only in a few nouns is there any differences in sound among them.

Singular Noun Singular Possessive Plural Noun Plural Possesive

GirlLady

HorseWitch

StudentProfessor

Girl’sLady’s

Horse’sWitch’s

Student’sProfessor’s

GirlsLadiesHorses

WitchesStudents

Professors

Girls’Ladies’Horses’

Witches’Students’

Professors’

-You will note that the spelling of the possessive of regular nouns is as follows: ‘s is added to the singular for the singular possessive, and the apostrophe alone (‘) is added to the plural.

-The plural possessive of noun whose plural does not have the regular –s ending ‘s (with its sound determined by the preceding sound, as in the case of ordinary plurals) to the plural form of the noun.

OxenBrethrenWomen

MenDeerhorse

Oxen’s Brethren’s Women’s

Men’sDeer’sHorse’s

If you object to double sibilants at the end of a proper noun ending in s, x, or z, you

may add only an apostrophe.

CarlosPerezJesusMitos

SanchezGutierrez

Carlos’Perez’Jesus’Mitos’

Sanchez’Gutierrez’

Possession is also indicated by placing an of phrase after a noun. In general the type

of noun determines the method used.Compare:

The girls’ dressesMy father’s friend

The President’s sonMabini’s essaysJoaquin’s stories

To express possession in the case of inanimate objects, a pre-positional phrase with of is normally used. Noun-noun compounds however, are also used.

Compare:

The garage doorThe table top

The book coverThe house roof

The flower petals

The door of the garageThe top of the table

The cover of the bookThe roof of the house

The petals of the flower

Noun referring to things, places and concept are often followed by an of phrase to indicate relationships such as association, measure, or portion.

The town of NalbuanThe lid of the pan

Half of the chapter the rays of the moon

The deck of a ship

A ream of paperA cup of sugar

A bottle of perfumeA box of candy

A pitcher of juice

Possessive forms of certain nouns denote time, distance, measure and value.

A day’s workAn hour’s rest

Ten yard’s distanceA month’s vacation

Man’s destiny

Six pesos’ worthTwo weeks’ pay

A year’s timeA kilometer’s walk

Life’s ironies