Parts of Speech · Today with Nelson

Welcome to the Noun Office.

1 Learn Start here

2 Assess Take the quiz

3 Practice Try it out

4 Create Make your own

★ Certified Earn your badge

▶ Play Optional

I name a specific person, place, thing, or idea. It's a big responsibility, a responsibility that requires a certain attention to detail. Watch.

A noun names a person.

Examples

doctor, Beyoncé, brother, teacher

Library

My mom walks me to school every morning.

Have you met Bill? He is my best friend.

Coach Reyes taught us how to kick the ball.

Now you try

A person can be specific or general. You could try a chef, or your grandma, or your best friend, or a librarian. Anyone counts.

A noun names a place.

Examples

wilderness, Antarctica, neighborhood, Houston

Library

The park near our house has a long slide.

Monica is learning about Japan for school.

Our family drove to the beach all summer.

Now you try

A location, a city, a country, or a room. You could try the kitchen, or Cleveland, or Mars, or your closet. Any place counts.

A noun names a thing.

Examples

clipboard, sandwich, lamp, kazoo

Library

Daniel got a bike for his birthday.

That spear belongs to Helen.

Alice used a broom to sweep the floor.

Now you try

Anything you can pick up, point to, or photograph. You could try stapler, or banana, or clarinet, or paperclip. Things count.

A noun names an idea.

Examples

courage, boredom, justice, freedom

Library

Puppies show their love by licking your face.

Bravery is what helps you raise your hand.

You cannot hold happiness, but you can feel it.

Now you try

A feeling, a quality, or a concept you cannot touch. You could try hope, or curiosity, or honesty, or sadness. Ideas count.

Common Nouns and Proper Nouns

A common noun names any person, place, or thing and is written in lowercase. A proper noun names a specific person, place, or thing and must be capitalized.

Common Noun : Names any general person, place, thing, or idea; written in lowercase.
Proper Noun : Names a specific person, place, thing, or idea; capitalized.

In a sentence

Watch the same sentence twice. Swap each word from common to proper, and the capital letters turn on.

I met a girl in a city.

I met Lucy in Chicago.

Now you try

A common noun names a general person, place, thing, or idea. You could try marker, or stapler, or snack, or paperclip. Common nouns stay lowercase.

Singular Nouns and Plural Nouns

A singular noun names one person, place, or thing. A plural noun names more than one. Most nouns add -s, but nouns ending in s, ss, ch, sh, x, z add -es. Nouns ending in consonant + y change to -ies. Some nouns are irregular (man/men, child/children).

Singular Noun : Names one person, place, thing, or idea.
Plural Noun : Names more than one person, place, thing, or idea.

In a sentence

Add an s for most nouns. A few change completely. Those are the irregular ones.

One cat becomes two cats.

One goose becomes two geese.

One mouse becomes three mice.

Now you try

A singular noun names just one of something. You could try goose, or cactus, or child, or sandwich. One only.

Possessive Nouns

A possessive noun shows that it owns something. You make one by adding an apostrophe and an s to the owner noun, so dog becomes dog's. A possessive noun does the same job as a possessive adjective like his or its.

Possessive Noun : A noun that shows ownership by adding an apostrophe and an s, like the dog's bone.

In a sentence

Each owner noun adds an apostrophe and an s to show what it owns.

The dog's bone was buried in the yard.

Maria's backpack hung by the door.

The teacher's desk was covered in stickers.

Now you try

A possessive noun adds an apostrophe and an s. You could try cat, or teacher, or city. The owner gets the 's.