NOUN

NOUN: Definition & Concept

  • A Noun is a word used as the name of a person, place, thing, state, quality, or action.

Classification of Nouns

1. Proper Noun

  • Names a specific person, place, or thing.
  • Always begins with a capital letter.
  • Example: Ram, Delhi, The Taj Mahal, The Gita.

2. Common Noun

  • A general name for a person, place, or thing.
  • Example: boy, city, monument, book.

3. Collective Noun

  • Names a group of persons, animals, or things.
  • Example: team, army, flock, bunch, committee.

4. Material Noun

  • Names the substance or material of which things are made.
  • Example: gold, iron, wood, water, milk.
  • These are not counted (e.g., we don’t say “two golds”).

5. Abstract Noun

  • Names a quality, state, idea, or action that you cannot touch or see.
  • Often formed from adjectives or verbs.
  • Example: honesty (from honest), bravery, childhood, laughter, sleep.

Important Rules for  (with Examples)

Rule 1: Some vs. Any

  • Some is used in affirmative sentences.
  • Any is used in negative or interrogative sentences.
  • Example: I need some water. I don’t need any water. Do you have any money?

Rule 2: Uncountable Nouns

  • Cannot be used with ‘a’ or ‘an’ and have no plural form.
  • Common Examples: Advice, Information, News, Furniture, Luggage, Scenery, Poetry, Work, Evidence, Machinery.
  • Incorrect: He gave me an advice.
  • Correct: He gave me a piece of advice.

Rule 3: Nouns always in Plural Form

  • These nouns look plural and take a plural verb.
  • Examples: Trousers, Scissors, Spectacles, Thanks, Assets, Premises, Alms, Riches.
  • Example: My trousers are new. These scissors are sharp.

Rule 4: Nouns that look plural but are singular

  • These nouns end with ‘s’ but take a singular verb.
  • Examples: News, Politics, Economics, Physics, Mathematics, Measles, Billiards.
  • Example: The news is good today. Physics is a interesting subject.

Rule 5: Nouns with identical Singular and Plural forms

  • Examples: Sheep, Deer, Series, Species, Fish, Aircraft.
  • Example: One sheep is here. Ten sheep are there.

Rule 6: The + Adjective = Plural Noun

  • When ‘the’ is used with an adjective, it represents a class of people and becomes a plural noun.
  • Examples: The rich, The poor, The blind, The dead, The unemployed.
  • Example: The rich are not always happy.

Rule 7: Pair Nouns

  • For objects that come in two parts, we use “a pair of”.
  • Examples: A pair of shoes, a pair of socks, a pair of spectacles.

Noun Gender (Specific for SSC)

  • Masculine: Bachelor, Boy, Monk, Horse (Stallion).
  • Feminine: Spinster, Girl, Nun, Horse (Mare).
  • Common Mistakes: The noun ‘Vixen’ is the feminine of ‘Fox’. ‘Drake’ is the masculine of ‘Duck’.

Quick Practice Spot for SSC CGL

Direction: Choose the correct sentence.

  1. a) He provided me with an information.
    b) He provided me with a piece of information.
  2. a) The scenery of Kashmir are beautiful.
    b) The scenery of Kashmir is beautiful.
  3. a) Her hair are long.
    b) Her hair is long.
  4. a) The committee are divided in its opinion.
    b) The committee is divided in its opinion.

Answers: 1(b), 2(b), 3(b), 4(b). (Committee as a whole unit takes a singular verb).

Pro Tip: Memorize the lists of uncountable and always-plural nouns. This is a high-frequency question area.

NOUN