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You are here: Home / Education / English Grammar / Nouns: Naming Words in English Grammar

Nouns: Naming Words in English Grammar

posted on October 6, 2025

A noun is one of the most fundamental parts of speech in English. Understanding nouns is essential for building sentences and communicating clearly. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore what nouns are, different types of nouns, and how to form plurals correctly.

What is a Noun?

A noun names a person, place, thing, or idea. Nouns are the building blocks of sentences – they tell us who or what we’re talking about.

Examples of nouns:

  • Person: teacher, doctor, child, Maria
  • Place: school, park, London, India
  • Thing: book, computer, chair, apple
  • Idea: happiness, freedom, love, courage

Types of Nouns: Common vs Proper

Common Nouns

Common nouns are general names for people, places, or things. They are not capitalized unless they begin a sentence.

Examples: boy, city, book, dog, teacher, country, river

Proper Nouns

Proper nouns are specific names for particular people, places, or things. They are always capitalized, no matter where they appear in a sentence.

Examples:

  • People: John, Mary, Dr. Smith
  • Places: London, India, Mount Everest
  • Days: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday
  • Months: January, February, March
  • Brands: Apple, Nike, Toyota

Comparison:

  • Common: city → Proper: London
  • Common: boy → Proper: John
  • Common: month → Proper: January

Plural Nouns: Rules and Examples

Most nouns can be singular (one) or plural (more than one). Here are the essential rules for forming plurals:

Rule 1: Add -s

For most nouns, simply add -s to make them plural.

Examples:

  • cat → cats
  • dog → dogs
  • book → books
  • table → tables

Rule 2: Add -es

For nouns ending in -s, -ss, -sh, -ch, -x, or -z, add -es.

Examples:

  • box → boxes
  • glass → glasses
  • brush → brushes
  • watch → watches
  • quiz → quizzes

Rule 3: Consonant + y

When a noun ends in a consonant + y, change the y to i and add -es.

Examples:

  • baby → babies
  • city → cities
  • lady → ladies
  • story → stories

Note: If the noun ends in a vowel + y, just add -s (boy → boys, key → keys).

Rule 4: Words ending in -f or -fe

Some nouns ending in -f or -fe change to -ves.

Examples:

  • knife → knives
  • leaf → leaves
  • wife → wives
  • shelf → shelves

Exceptions: Some just add -s (roof → roofs, chef → chefs).

Rule 5: Irregular Plurals

Some nouns have irregular plural forms that don’t follow the standard rules. These must be memorized.

Common irregular plurals:

  • man → men
  • woman → women
  • child → children
  • tooth → teeth
  • foot → feet
  • mouse → mice
  • person → people

Using Nouns in Sentences

Nouns can function in different ways within a sentence:

As a subject: The dog barks loudly. (The dog is doing the action)

As an object: I read the book. (The book receives the action)

After a preposition: The cat is under the table. (The table follows the preposition “under”)

For more information on sentence structure, check out our guide on subjects and predicates.

Practice Exercise

Identify the nouns in these sentences:

  1. The teacher gave homework to the students.
  2. London is a beautiful city in England.
  3. My brother plays football every Saturday.

Make these nouns plural:

  1. box → ___
  2. baby → ___
  3. child → ___
  4. knife → ___

What’s Next?

Now that you understand nouns, continue your grammar journey:

  • Learn about pronouns – words that replace nouns
  • Explore verbs – action and being words
  • Return to the Basic English Grammar homepage

Understanding nouns is your first step toward mastering English grammar. Practice identifying and using both common and proper nouns, and you’ll build a strong foundation for all your future language learning!

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