Grammar-Quizzes › Noun Phrases › Nouns
Nouns
Recognize function and form
A noun:
- expresses or names a person, animal, place, thing, substance, event, quality, action, natural phenomenon, concept, and more. A noun has lexical meaning (one or more meanings that can be found in a dictionary.)
- functions as the "head" element, primary element of a noun phrase.
- takes form with a number of suffixes such as -al, -ence, -tion, -ment, -ing, -ery, -ness, -ity, -ism, -ty.
A noun phrase:
- expresses or names a person, animal, place, thing, substance, event, quality, action, or concept. A noun phrase includes determiners and modifiers that specifically add information about the noun.
- functions as the subject or object of a clause or as the object of a prepositional phrase.
- takes form as a noun (the head or primary element) and may include dependents—a determiner (the, a, this, his, some) and modifiers such as adjectives or prepositional phrases or clauses.
Plural Forms
Noun Terms
Top Search
Nouns
Summary of Practices
Nouns—Diagnostic Quiz
Noun Diagnostic: identify specific points that need review
This is a grammar diagnostic page with study links.
Quiz 1: beginning – intermediate
Quiz 2: intermediate – advanced
A Noun: recognize how it can function in a clause
Beginning – Advanced ESL, native speakers
jet (N)
A private jet (NP)
Genitive Nouns: indicate possession for people or things
Intermediate–Advanced ESL, Native Speakers
Genitives — Dependent vs. Independent
Determiners with Genitive Proper Nouns
Practice – fill in the blank
Related page: Apostrophes
The state's soccer team won several games.
The state's won several games.
The states' soccer teams won several games.
The goalpost's leg was broken.
The leg of the goal post was broken.
Double Pronouns: distinguish subject vs. object pronouns
Native Speakers
Double Personal Subject Pronouns
Double Personal Object Pronouns
Grammar Notes *between you and I
Practice 1 – complete sentence (MC)
Practice 2 – complete paragraph (MC)
Me and Diana got to know each other.
Diana and I got to know each other.
I had a good feeling about her and I.
I had a good feeling about her and me.
Noun Suffixes: recognize a variety of noun forms
Beginning – Advanced ESL, native speakers
-ing Nouns (noun properties)
Practice 1 – complete the sentence (MC)
Practice 2 – correct / incorrect
Practice 3 – edit sentences
Our plane arrived at noon. (verb form)
The arrival of our plane was at noon. (noun form)
We departed on time. (verb form)
Our departure was on time. (noun form)
Our landing was on time. (noun form)
Landing was difficult.(gerund)
Word Forms: recognize meanings of noun, verb, adjective and adverb forms (origins and dates)
Beginning – Advanced ESL, native speakers
Source word – which came first?
Practice 1 – identify the word form (MC)
Practice 2 – correct the word form
Practice 3 – edit sentences
The singer had imagination.
He imagined.
His writing was imaginative.
He used words imaginatively.
The singer sang about social revolution.
He revolted.
~His writing was revolting. (disgusting)
~He used words revoltingly.
Negative Word Forms: express absence, doubt, denial, prohibition and more (Negative Word Forms)
Beginning – Advanced ESL, native speakers
Negativity Expressed in Noun Phrases
Similar but Different Negatives
Practice 1 – identify the word form (MC)
Practice 2 – contrast word forms (MC)
No one / Not anyone has parked illegally.
His inability / disability was clear to us.
He was unsatisfied / dissatisfied.
Do not park there! We do not park there.
He would park there, wouldn't he?
We asked him not to park there.
I doubt that he *never / ever helps.
He is neither optimistic nor pessimistic.
His no nonsense approach to life is refreshing. (expression)
Nationality: recognize country, language/origin, people and person word forms
Beginning–Intermediate ESL
He is an Englishman. (unspecific)
He is English. (adjective of nationality)
The English are northern people. (specific nationality)
Regular Plural Nouns: mark these nouns with the plural form -s
Beginning ESL
Two apples were hanging from a high branch.
Two tomatoes were on the plant.
Two leaves were on the ground.
Two roofs blew away.
Irregular Plural Nouns: mark these nouns with plural forms: -ee, -i, -en, -a, -es, -ae
Beginning ESL
Borrowed Words-en, -oes, -a, -ae, -ices, -i
Practice 1 – multiple choice
Practice 2 – multiple choice
Two cacti were along side of the highway.
Two deer stood by the road.
Two indices were incomplete.
Two formulas were used.
The data were received.
All the fishes in the sea…
Unusual Singular/Plural Nouns: note some unexpected subject-predicate agreement
Beginning ESL
A sheep is walking on the road.
Two sheep are walking on the road.
The news is good today!
Mathematics is an important course.
The measles is a serious disease.
The police are at the door.
The cattle are coming in from the pasture.
Twenty minutes is a short time.
These twenty minutes are passing slowly
Plurals of Linked Words: mark plurals of hyphenated words, letters and numbers
Int – Advanced ESL & Native Speakers
We watched the passers-by.
He earned As and Bs.
We watch the 747s take off.
Send me cc's and bcc's of your messages.
Accommodation has two c's and two m's.
Eating cakes and cookies are no-no's.
Nouns—as countable or noncountable entities
Count/Noncount: differentiate individual nouns from mass and collective nouns
Beginning ESL
Practice 1 – multiple choice
My hair is clean.
Some blond hairs are on your jacket.
Group Nouns: identify the collective noun for individual items
Beginning ESL
Practice 1 – multiple choice
She had a computer, printer, fax and scanner.
She had a lot of equipment.
Count-Noncount Practice: practice agreement in sentences and paragraphs
Beginning ESL
Review link – singular/plural, count/noncount
Practice1 – multiple choice
Practice2 – complete paragraph
Practice3 – complete paragraph
I use my laptop all day. I look up general information and (detail / details) ____.
I have learned a lot of (vocabulary/ vocabularies) ____.
The–Group: name a collective group by a shared characteristic
Beginning–Intermediate ESL
Group Names – the blind, the homeless, the young
Nationality Names– the English, the French
Selected-Quality Names – the wheat, the blue
Unique-Quality Names – the former, the tallest
Practice 1 – complete sentence
Practice 2 – complete sentence
Practice 3 – complete paragraph
The blind need accessible walkways.
The English were proud of their team.
Do you want a large or a small coffee. I'll have the large.
The latter will be much better. In fact, it's the best.
Nationality Names: (Demonyms) country, language/origin, people and person word forms
Beginning–Intermediate ESL
He is an Englishman. (unspecific)
He is English. (adjective of nationality)
The English are northern people. (specific nationality)
Country Names: recognize when to use the with country names
Beginning–Intermediate ESL
Articles – Kind of Union (state, republic, kingdom)
Practice – multiple choice
She lives in Bolivia. (no article)
He is from the Kingdom of Tonga. (kind of union)
He lives in the United States of America.
He lives in the Netherlands. (plural)
He lives in The Gambia. (exception–capital)
Noun Modifiers: modify a noun with a noun
Beginning–Intermediate ESL
Its a chair for an office.
It's an office chair. (singular)
It is a sports car. (a rare plural modifier)
Number-Noun Modifiers: combine a number and noun to form a modifier
Beginning–Intermediate ESL
The ladder had five steps.
It was a five-step ladder.
There are a million uses for WD-40. (spelled out)
Transitive Verbs: indicate the person or thing affected by the action ( "patient" of the action)
Beginning–Intermediate ESL
Jason rises.
Jason raises the blinds.
Jason studies.
Jason studies English.
The glass broke.
Jason broke the glass.
The baby weighs 10 lbs.
The doctor weighed the baby.
Ditransitive Verbs: indicate the thing or person for whom the action is done ("recipient" or "beneficiary" of the action)
Beginning–Intermediate ESL
Practice 1 – complete the sentence
Practice 2 – complete the sentence
Practice 3 – complete the sentence
My friend is bringing me a letter.
My friend is bringing a letter to me.
My friend is bringing me it.
See Pronoun Summary ›
Use the above link to advance to a list of pages.
It / There Subjects (weather, time, or existence)
Cleft Clauses ("It" Extraposition)
Gender & Pronouns: express a gender neutral reference ("Singular They and Their")
Intermediate–Advanced ESL, Native Speakers
Singular "They" ("Everyone…their")
Practice 1 – complete the paragraph
Practice 2 – complete the paragraph
Everyone in my class had their homework.
Grammar Dispute: citations from Fowler, Hudddleston and Pullam, Merriam-Webster, Robin Lakoff, Bill Walsh, McIntyre and others.
Subject–Predicate Agreement: mark verbs for third person singular agreement
Beginning–Intermediate ESL
Simon get up at 6 a.m. everyday.
Final -S Practice: edit nouns and verbs for final -S / -ES
Beginning ESL
Tom work at a grocery store.
Every day, he arrive early to do his chore.
Final –S Audio: listen for final "s" as /s/ or /z/
Beginning ESL
Practice – complete sentences – (wav) and (mp3) files
ropes [s]
robes [z]
Nouns with Modifiers: recognize the true subject in agreement with the verb
Intermediate ESL, Native Speakers
Quantity Phrase Agreement (w/relative clause)
Practice 1 – multiple choice
Practice 2 – correct/incorrect
At least three quarters of the monkeys – in the zoo – suffer from nutritional deficiencies.
The monkey – under the bananas – is hiding.
The monkeys – under the bananas – are hiding.
The chimpanzee is one of the monkeys that is/are closely related to humans.
Sentence Edit: edit for articles, pronouns and singular-plural agreement
Beginning–Intermediate ESL
Sentence Editing (general)
Practice – edit sent.
*When my mother was child, she lived in small town.
Paragraph Editing: using agreement within an essay
Intermediate ESL
*My family enjoy scuba-diving, so nearly every vacation, we go on a diving trip.
What Phrases: package content for emphasis (noun phrases)
Intermediate–Advanced ESL, Native Speakers
That which / What "fused relatives"
Practice 1 – complete sentence
Practice 2 – correct/incorrect
Practice 3 – edit sentence
What he said was funny. (that + which he said)
What was funny was his expression.
Cleft Clauses: reposition content to another part of a sentence by using it or what
Advanced ESL, Native Speaker
"What" Clefts ("what" phrases)
"Who", "Where", "What", "Why" Clefts (wh- phrases)
Practice 1 – Identify
Practice 2 – Complete
Practice 3 – Edit
His energy amazed me.
What amazed me was his energy.
His energy was what amazed me.
It amazed me that he had so much energy.
Wh-ever Phrases: refer to any one (noun phrases)
Intermediate–Advanced ESL, Native Speakers
Whatever you say is confidential. (NP)
You can take whomever you want.
Whatever way will be fine.
Whatever!
Chapter Review: review singular–plural agreement
Intermediate ESL
Azar - Chapters 6, 7, 8 box-by-box review
If one of the (baby) _____ (cry) _____, call one of the (nurse)___.