What is a noun?

A noun is basically a naming word. It names a person, place, thing, animal, or idea.

Many people learn it as ‘a naming word’ – and that's a good simple start! The word ‘noun’ even comes from a Latin word that means ‘name’.

Fun tip: ‘nombre’ means ‘noun’ in Spanish, but it also means ‘name’.

Nouns are super important?

Yes! Because just like verbs, they help make even the shortest sentences.

Example

“Cats like cream”. – Cats (noun) + like (verb) + cream (noun)

Babies and usually learn nouns first – things like ‘mum’, ‘dad’, ‘ball’, and ‘dog’ –  before other words.

How to check if a word is a noun (easy test)

Take the word and put ‘the’ in front of it. If it sounds natural and correct, it's probably a noun.

Example

The cat. (Cat is a noun)

The garden. (Garden is a noun)

The amazement. (Amazement is a noun)

Main types of nouns

#1. Common nouns

These are general names for things (not specific ones). They are not written with a capital letter (unless they start a sentence). Almost all common nouns pass the ‘the’ test.

Common nouns split into two groups

Concrete nouns

things you can see, touch, hear, smell, or taste (real, physical things) Examples: cat, garden, book, apple, car, water, phone.

#1. Abstract nouns

Things you cannot touch or see (ideas, feelings, qualities)

Example

Amazement, love, happiness, fear, freedom, time, beauty

#2. Proper nouns

These name specific, unique people, places, animals, or things. They always start with a capital letter.

Example

London (a specific city)

Jane (a specific person's name)

Monday (a specific day)

The Thames (a specific river)

The ‘the’ test usually doesn't work with proper nouns

Example

We say "the city" (common noun), but not "the London" (proper noun – sounds wrong).

We say "the woman", but not "the Jane".

Exception

Sometimes proper nouns do use ‘the’ as part of their name.

Example

The Hague

The Bank of England

The United States

But in normal use, proper nouns don't take ‘the’ the same way common nouns do. It’s tricky, but it’s just something you have to remember. Don’t worry, it will come with experience.

Quick comparison examples

-       Common noun: the city → any city

-       Proper noun: London (or sometimes the London my dad remembers → special use)

-       Common noun: the cat → any cat

-       Proper noun: Whiskers (a specific cat's name)

Nouns can do the same job in a sentence whether they are common or proper

-       The cat is my friend.

-       Jane is my friend. (both work the same way!)

That's the basics! Nouns name almost everything around us. Start spotting them in sentences and you'll get better very quickly.