Noun Definition and its Types, Examples and Rules in English

A noun is the important & basic part of speech that is to be understood clearly when you begin learning English Grammar. Nouns are words that denote people, places, things, or ideas. They are indispensable elements in constructing sentences, providing clarity and context. The noun can be defined in several ways with several examples.

Noun Definition

A Noun is a word referring to the name of a person, place, thing, state, or quality. The noun is a part of speech that can be classified into both singular & plural forms. In English Grammar, nouns are classified into various types and to understand each type of noun in detail you must read the article further.

Noun Examples

The examples below would help you to understand the noun with ease. To get a better grasp of various noun examples, take a look at the sentences below containing some nouns.

Types of Noun

There are 8 types of nouns in English namely Proper Noun, Collective Noun, Common Noun, Material Noun, Abstract Noun, Countable Noun, Uncountable Noun, and Concrete Noun.  All 8 types of nouns in English Grammar are tabulated below. Let's have a look at all types of nouns with examples.

Noun (संज्ञा) Meaning in Hindi

A word that indicates the name of any person/creature, place or object is called a noun.  The hindi translation of Noun is संज्ञा and the definition for Noun in Hindi is- संज्ञा वह शब्द जिसमें किसी भी प्राणी या व्यक्ति, स्थान या वस्तु के नाम को दर्शाता हो उसे संज्ञा कहते हैं।

Types of Nouns with Examples

There are 8 types of nouns in English Grammar. All 8 types of nouns with examples are explained in the below section. 

1) Proper Noun

The particular name of the place or a person is known as the proper noun. Ex. India, China, Aman, Meena etc.

Has Anand done his homework? 

2) Collective Noun

A name or noun used to denote a group of people, things or a group of animals is called a collective noun. Collective nouns are also called a group of nouns.  Ex. Team (Team India), Committee, Squad, Family.

Group of people going for industrial visits.

3) Common Noun

The common name given to every person, place, thing or activity belonging to the same kind is known as the common noun. A common noun is not a name of a particular person, place, activity or idea. Ex. girl, boy, men, women, lawyer, Engineer etc.

The boy helped his grandmother to cross the road.

4) Material Noun

The names used to mention materials or substances which are made up of and can be perceived by our senses are material nouns. Ex. Gold, Aluminium, Iron, Plastic, cement etc.

She bought Gold jewellery.

5) Concrete Noun

The names used for the materials or the things which have physical existence or that materials are tangible are known as Concrete nouns. Ex. Chair, Bed, Car, Television, Laptop, Mobile phones etc. 

There are many new Mobile phones launched last month.

6) Abstract Noun

The names which are used for an idea, quality, concept or condition are known as Abstract nouns. Abstract nouns are not physical substances, they don't have physical existence. Ex. Friendship, Love, Freedom, Excellence, Patience etc.

The freedom struggle of India is known to the world.

7) Countable Noun

Countable nouns are nouns that can be counted and are plural, that can occur in a noun phrase with a numeral or an indefinite article. Common nouns and concrete nouns can be countable nouns. Ex. One man, two books, Four students etc.

Five students in our school qualify for national games.

8) Uncountable Noun

The noun that cannot be counted is known as an uncountable noun. These nouns are also called Mass nouns. All abstract nouns are uncountable nouns but not all uncountable nouns are abstract. Ex. Work, knowledge, Water, sugar, Advice etc.

1. There's some money in his wallet.
2. The lawyer advises his client.

Noun & its Classification

There are another two classifications of nouns which are, Singular nouns and Plural Noun.

Singular Noun

1) Singular noun - When there is one thing or one person denoted in the phrase then it is called a singular noun.

Ex. Girl, Book, Dog, Table etc.

Boy in our class topped in the Board exam.

2) Plural noun - When a noun in a phrase denotes more than one person or substance or things then it is called a plural noun.

Ex. Mobiles, Boys, Tables, Engineers etc.

Nowadays there are so many Engineers who are unemployed. 

Cases in Noun

A noun is classified on the basis of cases which are given below, these cases tell us the exact position of noun in the sentence.

There are a total of 5 cases of noun in the English language.

1) Objective case - When the noun in the sentence is the direct object of the preposition or the verb then the noun is in the objective case. 

Ex. The doctor is taking care of his clients.

2) Nominative case - In the sentence if the noun is the subject of the verb then it is said to be a nominative case.

Ex. Umesh is a bright and intelligent student.

3) Possessive case - When a noun in a sentence denotes possession or ownership then it is a possessive case.

Ex. You are sitting in Manish’s chair.

4) Dative case - When a noun in a sentence is in the indirect object of a verb then the noun in the sentence is in the dative case.

Ex. Thank you for sending me good messages.

5) Vocative Case - When a noun in a sentence is used to get attention then the noun in the sentence is in the vocative case.

Ex. Ajay, are you coming for a function?

Noun Rules

There are a total of 10 rules of nouns which are discussed below.

1) Rule 1 - The meaning of some nouns is singular but they are used as plural nouns and they are also taken as plural verbs always. For example People, government, audience, men, and women.

Ex. The police are doing a good job.

2) Rule 2 - Some noun are always used in plural form in sentences or phrases and they always take plural verbs. For example Trousers, Buses, Taxes etc.

Ex. He buys a pair of spectacles from the shop, are they classy?

3) Rule 3 -  Some noun in the sentence always indicate the number, weight, length, money etc. When any definite number preceded this noun then they remained unchanged. 

Ex. He bought 5 dozen apples from the shop.

Ajay’s office is % a few kilometres from my home.

4) Rule 4 - Some nouns that always take singular verbs such as ethics, advice, maths, information, furniture etc

Ex. The Scenery of Himachal is enchanting.

She has given advice.

5) Rule 5 - Collective nouns are always used in both plural and singular forms. For example jury, public, government, committee, orchestra etc.

Ex. The team has not played today's match.

My family members are going on a one-day trip.

6) Rule 6 - Material nouns do not take any articles like a, an or the before them.

Ex. i) My sister likes silver, not gold. (Incorrect sentence)

My sister likes silver, not gold. (correct)

7) Rule 7 - Some nouns give different meanings when they are used as a plural noun and another meaning when they are used as a singular noun. For example Work = job work & Work = Compositions.

Ex. i) He has eaten one-quarter of the pizza.

ii) He lives in the RBI quarters. 

8) Rule 8 - To manifest a Neuter gender noun we use 

1. Feminine gender to manifest grace and beauty.
2. Masculine gender to manifest power and strength.

Ex. The stars were shining on the seafloor with all their might.

9) Rule 9 - Collective nouns are used as neuter gender even if they are used to refer to living beings.

Ex. i) The football team gave a poor performance.

ii) The committee gave a negative report on global warming.

- The neuter gender is used for small creatures, very young children or insects.

Ex. i) The newborn babies are so cute.

10) Rule 10 - The title of books, the works of art etc. even if they sound plural is always considered singular. 

Ex. i) The Gangs of Wasseypur is my favourite movie.

ii) The Palace of Versailles is an incredible narration of France.

Other than Nouns, there are various other parts of speech. Have a look at other parts of the speech here.