Welcome to Lesson 4: Nouns.
In the previous lessons, you learned about subjects and subject pronouns. In this lesson, you will learn about nouns and how we use them in English sentences.
Use Google Translate if you need help.
What Is a Noun?
A noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea.
Person
- teacher
- mother
- doctor
- Bob
- Maria
Place
- school
- store
- park
- California
- Mexico
Thing
- book
- phone
- car
- table
- computer
Idea
Some nouns name things that we cannot see or touch.
- love
- happiness
- freedom
- time
Nouns Can Be Subjects
Remember:
The subject tells us who or what is doing or being something.
A noun can be the subject of a sentence.
| Sentence | Noun Used as the Subject |
|---|---|
| Bob is a teacher. | Bob |
| Maria has a book. | Maria |
| The dog is sleeping. | dog |
| The students study English. | students |
| My family lives in California. | family |
Common Nouns and Proper Nouns
A common noun is a general name for a person, place, or thing.
- teacher
- city
- restaurant
- woman
A proper noun is the specific name of a person, place, or thing.
- Bob
- Los Angeles
- California
- English Teacher KBob
Proper nouns begin with a capital letter.
Examples
teacher → Bob
city → Los Angeles
state → California
One or More Than One
A noun can name one person, place, or thing.
- student
- book
- teacher
- car
A noun can also name more than one.
- students
- books
- teachers
- cars
We often add -s to make a noun plural.
You will learn more about singular and plural nouns in future lessons.
Practice
Identify the noun or nouns in each sentence.
- Bob is a teacher.
- Maria has a book.
- The students are in the classroom.
- My brother drives a car.
- The dog is sleeping.
- My family lives in California.
- The teacher has a computer.
- The children play soccer.
Remember
A noun names a:
- person
- place
- thing
- idea
Nouns can be used as the subject of a sentence.
Goal
After completing this lesson, you should be able to:
- Explain what a noun is.
- Identify nouns in simple English sentences.
- Recognize nouns that are people, places, things, or ideas.
- Understand the difference between common and proper nouns.
- Recognize nouns used as subjects.
Great job!