The noun is one of the most frequently used parts of speech. The words in bold below are all nouns.

Nouns can be classified in several different ways.

Concrete and Abstract Nouns

Concrete nouns name people, places and things; they are often easy to identify. Abstract nouns are often harder to recognize because they name ideas and qualities.

Concrete Nouns
People / student, mother, friend, Jimmy, Mrs. Owens, Dr. Schuler
Places / school, racetrack, Earth, Chicago, California, Africa, Main Street
Things / ocean, summer, car, lion, airplane, building, hat
Abstract Nouns
Ideas and Qualities / love, hope, grief, sorrow, dream, belief, beauty, happiness, horror

Common and Proper Nouns

A common noun names any person, place, or thing. A proper noun names a particular person, place, or thing. Proper nouns are always capitalized.

Common Nouns / friend, city, spacecraft, holiday, month, store
Proper Nouns / Mary, Houston, Voyager, Memorial Day, June, Macy’s

Compound Nouns

Compound nouns are nouns which include more than one word. These nouns can take three different forms. If you are unsure about which form to write, you can check a dictionary.

Separate Words / first aid, coffee cup, sleeping bag
Hyphenated Words / ambassador-at-large, hole-in-the-wall, brother-in-law
Combined Words / turtleneck, onlooker, babysitter, doghouse

Collective Nouns

Nouns such as team and orchestra name groups of people or things. These nouns are collective nouns.

Some Collective Nouns / band, class, colony, crew, family, gang, league, swarm, troop, herd, committee, congregation, crowd, flock, posse, group, pack, gaggle

Practice

1) In each of the sentences below, underline the common nouns and circle the proper nouns.

1. Karen and Leo are coming to my house to watch the Super Bowl.

2. Judge Miller decided that both men should pay for the damages.

3. The surprise gift was two tickets to a resort in Hawaii.

2) In each of the sentences below, underline the concrete nouns and circle the abstract nouns.

1. Harriet Tubman risked her safety to help runaway slaves.

2. Vincent van Gogh is the artist who painted The Starry Night.

3. Edgar Allen Poe is considered a master of mystery and suspense.

3) In each of the sentences below, underline the compound nouns and circle the collective nouns.

1. Mr. Thomasino, who teaches Spanish at the high school, also coaches football.

2. Tammy was appointed spokesperson for the group.

3. The police officer stayed with the lost child until his family arrived.