A noun typically names a person, place, thing, group, or idea. Examples include guide, town, map, team, and patience.
Common types of nouns
- Common and proper. Mountain is a common noun. Mount Hood is a proper noun, the specific name of a mountain. Proper nouns take capitals.
- Concrete and abstract. A rope is a physical object. Courage names a quality.
- Collective. A noun such as crew or flock names a group as a unit.
Count and noncount nouns
A count noun can take a number, as in one ticket or two tickets. A noncount noun, also called a mass noun, is treated as a whole in that use. Write some advice or two pieces of advice. The same noun can work both ways. In made of glass, glass names a material. In two glasses of water, glasses names containers.
Nouns in sentences
In The guide unfolded the map, guide heads the noun phrase the guide, which is the subject. Map heads the noun phrase the map, which is the direct object. The noun is the main word in each phrase.
