Exercise on Kinds of Nouns

Words which are used as names of persons, animals, places, or things are called

All naming-words are Nouns, e.g., Tom, girl, army, iron, health, etc.

• A Proper Noun is the special name of a particular person or place. For instance, Smith is a Proper Noun, for it is the name of one particular In the same way Madras is a Proper Noun, because it is the name of a. particular city.

NOTE: A Proper Noun always begins with a Capital Letter.

• The name boy can be given to any and every boy—to Aftab, Harry, Raman, John, etc. It does not point out any particular boy. It is a name common to all boys. It is, therefore, called a Common Noun. In the same way, the name city is called a Common Noun, because it does not point out any particular city, such as Delhi, Madras, Patna, but is used for any and every city in any part of the world.

A Noun which does not point out any particular person, place or thing, but is comnion to all persons, places or things of the same class or kind is called a Common Noun.

• When a Noun stands for a collection of persons or things, considered as one complete whole, it is called a Collective Noun; as, army, flock, crowd, class, team, fierd,fleet, jury, family, nation, committee.
• The Nouns iron, wood, gold and cotton are the names of the material of which things can be made. They are, therefore, called Material Nouns.

A Noun which stands for the matter or substance of which things are made is called a Material Noun.

• Read this sentence :

Ashok always speaks the truth.

We can see the sun; we can touch a slate; but can we see or touch the truth ? No; it denotes a thing which we can neither see nor touch. It is the name of something that we can only think of. Such a name is called an Abstract Noun.

An Abstract Noun is the name of something which we can neither see nor touch, but which we can only think of; as, hope, honesty, health, courage, pity, joy, pain, sleep, death, bravery, sickness.

Exercise 1: Pick out the Nouns in the following sentences and say whether they are Common, Proper, Material, Collective, or Abstract:

1. Clothes are made of cotton, wool and silk.
2. Without health there is no happiness.
3. The people who live in Holland are called Dutch.
4. Solomon was famous for his wisdom.
5. There was a large crowd in the street.
6. The jury found the prisoner guilty.
7. Ashoka was a just and wise ruler.
8. The police dispersed the mob.
9. Our class consists of forty pupils.
10. He treats his servants with great kindness.
11. Wisdom is better than strength.
12. We saw a hefd of cattle grazing in the field,
13. People wear woollen clothes in cold weather.
14. The Red Sea is to the east of Egypt.
15. Ornaments are made of silver and gold.

Exercise 2: Put these Collective Nouns in the blanks below:

mob	regiment	crew	flock	herd
swarm	committee	jury	fleet	team

1. Our___________ won the match by two goals
2. We saw a __________ of ships in the harbour.
3. The ship has a___________ of a hundred sailors.
4. A____________ of bees flew out of the hive.
5. The___________ found the prisoner guilty.
6. A____________ of five was appointed.
7. The police dispersed the___________.
8. A___________ of cattle was grazing in the forest.
9. A____________ of sheep was seen in the field.
10. The___________ of soldiers has marched away.

Exercise 3: Certain Common Nouns go together:

Example: men and women. 

Now complete the following pairs by choosing the correct nouns from this box:

pupils	gentlemen	enemies	saucers
villages	geography	wives	feet
answers	vegetables	forks	nurses

1. ladies and _____
2. history and _____
3. hands and _____
4. doctors and _____
5. fruit and _____
6. friends and _____
7. cuds and _____
8. teachers and _____
9. questions and _____
10. towns and _____
11. husbands and _____
12. knives and _____

Exercise 4: Fill In the blanks with the Abstract Nouns formed from the words given in brackets:

1. Solomon was famous for his_____ (wise)
2. Always speak the________ . (true)
3. We all love________ . (honest)
4. The elephant has great_________ . (strong)
5. Without health there is no_________ . (happy)
6. I believe in her_________ . (innocent)
7. I often think of the happy days of my________ . (child)
8. A slave knows no________ . (free)
9. She accepted bur________ . (invite)
10. Tie Headmaster gave him_______ for telling a lie. (punish)

Exercise 5: Choose from the box the noun which has the meaning given in List:

List (meanings)

1. a place where books are kept
2. a machine that flies through the air
3. a person who loves and is ready to defend his country
4. a person who is receiving medical treatment.
5. paved way at the side of a street for people on foot,
6. a person trained to take ships into or out of a harbour
7. a fight between two armies
8. cows, oxen, bullocks all together
9. a large number of ships
10. yearly or season’s produce of grain, grass, fruit, etc.
11. all the men working a ship, boat, etc., excepting the officers
12. the habit of coming, or doing something, at the time fixed

punctuality     cattle     crew            library    aeroplane     battle patient           crop      pavement     patriot    pilot             fleet