2. Nouns are identified by definite criteria, the most
important of which are the following:
1. A noun is a word preceded by function word called a
noun determiner. If it is a proper noun, it is marked by
a capital letter. Such expression as the, a, an, my, your,
our, few and some are always followed by nouns.
The Angkor Vat is a temple-mountain in Cambodia.
A proud king undertook his project.
Few monuments can equal the Angkor Vat.
Much labor and expense were involved.

3. 2. A noun has two inflections, the plural form-s or -es and
possessive or genitive -’s.
Manila I a city of churches and bridges.
His friends are painters and musicians.
Let’s shop at Farmer’s Market and Rustan’s.
3. A noun I a word used to name a person, place or thing. Proper
noun: Dante, Bach, Rome, French, Los Angeles Times, Liszt.
Common Noun: nation, clock, teapot, statue, epic, ballet
Collective Noun: crowd, regiment, herd, congregation
Abstract Noun: dignity, faith, hope, communism
Mass Noun: rice, salt, tea, water, iron, steel

4. 4. A noun fills certain characteristics position in relation to other parts of speech in
phrases and utterances.
a) It usually occurs before the verb in the
N + V Pattern
Journalists write.
Goya painted and etched.
The band I playing.
b) It follow such words as at, on, in, to, by, from in the
Prep. + N Pattern
“Pieta” is by Michelangelo.
This statue is at St. Peter’s in Rome.
“Environment” is in the cathedral at Florence.
Both statues are about 7 feet each.
c) It comes after the verb in an S + V + C pattern or in an S + V + N pattern.
Mochtar Lubes is an Indonesian writer.
He authored Twilight in Djakarta.
His other novel is Road Without End.

5. 5. A noun may be identified by various derivational
suffixes added either to stems or part of speech
as verbs, adjectives or other noun.
Ex:
(-ee) draftee, employee, examinee, payee
(-er) painter, writer, engineer, photographer
(-ist) violinist, pianist, artist, novelist
(-ness) coldness, friendliness, kindness

6. 6. A noun is a word used in various way in the sentence; its position determines its
function as follows:
a. Before the Verb: as Subject
The Taj Mahal is in India.
The Stonehenge rises on Salisbury Plain.
b. After the Verb: as Direct Object
Albert Camus wrote The Stranger.
Wagner composed Tannhauser.
c. After the Verb: a Indirect Object
Aristotle gave scholars the classical definition of tragedy.
Alfred Nobel bequeathed the world a priceless legacy.
d. After a Linking Verb: as a Subjective Complement
The Bible is great art.
A ballad is a narrative poem intended to be sung.

7. e. After the Verb: as Object Complement
Critics call Picasso: “the artist of the century.”
The English named Spencer “ a poet’s poet.”
f. Side by side with another Noun as Appositive.
Frank Lloyd Wright, an American architect widely used
cantilevers.
“Silent Night,” a Christmas carol is attributed to Franz Gruber.
g. Beginning or end of the sentence: as Nominative of Address
Class, please pay attention.
Turn on the electric fan, Albert

8. Noun and Noun Clusters
- noun cluster is a group of words in which the
principal word is a noun. It consists of two parts – the
noun headword itself and the word or words
accompanying it. These parts of the cluster, called
modifiers may be determiners, adjectives, verbs,
adverbs, other noun or word groups.

9. Note of the following illustrations:
a. Nouns with determiners as modifiers
the ballad a sonnet our anthem
b. Nouns with Adjectives as modifiers
pointed arches fluted columns solid buttress
c. Nouns with Noun Modifiers
Italian opera Byzantine architecture tapestry bag
d. Noun Clusters
the marble domes, and minarets of the Taj Mahal in Agra
Emperor Shah Jehan’s love memorial for his consort Mumtaz
Mahal.
the still water of a clear lake overlooking the Jamuna river
Domes and minarets, memorial and lake are the noun headwords.
The words clustering around them are the modifiers, which may
come either before or after the noun headword.

10. Noun
Headnoun
• Actor
• Problem
• Writer
• remark
• vase
• Frames
• Dress
• jacket
Descriptive
Quality Size Color
•Handsome
•Common
•honored
•Silly
•Heavy
•Ornate
•New
•Rubber-
ized
Intensifier
• Very
• Most
• Rather
• Quite
• Some-
what
Numeral
• First
• second
Determiner
s
• A
• The
• Our
• His
• This
• Several
• My
• that
Tall
Big
Small
Maxi
Extra-
large
Dark
Grey
Gold
Red
brown
Noun Clusters: Modifiers Before the Headword

11. Noun Clusters: Modifiers After the Headword
Determiners
A
The
These
The
Some
A
Noun Headword
worker
children
books
data
paragraphs
Reception
Adverb Modifier
inside
upstairs
here
above
below
Afterwards
got hurt.
are noisy.
are new.
look accurate.
have errors.
will follow.

12. Adverbs are the simplest kind of modifiers occurring
after noun headwords as shown in the frames above.
Determiners
the
Some
a
both
many
a great deal of
Noun Headword
composer
episodes
symbol
paintings
mediums
Architecture
Preposition Group
of the sonata
in the novel
of the Christian Church
in abstract
of the visual arts
with excessive ornamentation

13. Instead of the adverb modifier after the noun headword,
we may have in its place a prepositional phrase.
Determiners
an
that
many
several
The
Noun
Headword
etching
sculptor
works
artists
buttresses
Subordinator Group
that you saw
who won the award
whose authors are famous
whom we studied
which characterize Gothic architecture

14. A clause modifying a noun headword is usually introduced
by the subordinators that, which, who, whose and whom.
Number: Singular and Plural and Possessive Case of
Nouns.
- number is the distinction of word form to denote reference to
one, or more than one. It is revealed sometimes by form, some
times by meaning. A word which denotes one is singular; a word
which denotes more than one is plural.

15. 1. Most nouns form the plural by adding –s to the singular.
boy + s boys
tree + s trees
papaya + s papayas
fence + s fences
room + s rooms
Emma + s Emmas
2. Nouns ending in a hissing sound (s, ch, sh, x or z) add –es in order to be pronounceable.
Box + es boxes
church + es churches
glass + es glasses
six + es sixes
rush + es rushes
waltz + es waltzes
3. Most nouns ending in f or fe change –f or –fe to –ve before adding –s.
calf + calves
elf + elves
knife + knives
leaf + leaves
shelf + shelves
thief + thieves

16. 4. Most nouns ending in y preceded by a consonant sound chande the y to i and add –es to form the plural.
city + cities
lady + ladies
reply + replies
army + armies
library + libraries
solliloquy + solliloquies
5. Noun ending y after a vowel form the plural by adding –s to the unchanged word.
bouy + s bouys
key + s keys
alley + s alleys
journey + s journeys
monkey + s monkeys
valley + s valleys
6. Some nouns ending in o preceded by a consonant form the plural by adding –es.
cargo + es cargoes
echo + es echoes
hero + es heroes
mosquito + es mosquitoes
tomato + es tomatoes
Negro + es Negroes

17. 7. A few very common nouns add –en or change the vowel or remain change the vowel or remain
unchanged in the plural.
ox oxen
child children
man men
foot feet
tooth teeth
sheep sheep
8. Most noun of foreign origin retain the foreign plural.
alumnus alumni (masc.)
alumna alumnae (fem.)
Analysis analyses
Mr. Messieurs
Bacterium bactreia
Crisis crises
Parenthesis prentheses
Madam Mesdames
9. Most compound nouns add –s or –es to the principal word of the compound.
Bookcase bookcases
Footstep footsteps
handful handfuls
Forget-me-not forget-me-nots
Son-in-law sons-in-law
Runner-up runners-up

18. 10. Other nouns have kept the foreign plurals,
but the regular plural forms (s or es endings)
are also used.
Formula
Curriculum
Syllabus
Stimulus
Index
Memorandum
Plateau
formulas
curriculums
syllabuses
stimuluses
indexes
memorandums
plateau
or formulate
or curricula
or syllabi
or stimuli
or indices
or memoranda
or plateaux

19. 11. A few nouns are regularly plural in form and meaning.
Scissors
Tongs
pants
Slacks
Shorts
trousers
12. A few nouns are plural in form but singular in meaning.
Mathematics
Statistics
dramatics
Acoustics
Economics
politics
Aesthetics
News
measles

20. Possessive Case of Nouns
- All English nouns have the possessive or genitive
case. There are two possessives, singular and plural, but
only in a few nouns is there any differences in sound
among them.
Singular Noun Singular Possessive Plural Noun Plural Possesive
Girl
Lady
Horse
Witch
Student
Professor
Girl’s
Lady’s
Horse’s
Witch’s
Student’s
Professor’s
Girls
Ladies
Horses
Witches
Students
Professors
Girls’
Ladies’
Horses’
Witches’
Students’
Professors’

21. -You will note that the spelling of the possessive of regular
nouns is as follows: ‘s is added to the singular for the
singular possessive, and the apostrophe alone (‘) is added to
the plural.
-The plural possessive of noun whose plural does not have
the regular –s ending ‘s (with its sound determined by the
preceding sound, as in the case of ordinary plurals) to the
plural form of the noun.
Oxen
Brethren
Women
Men
Deer
horse
Oxen’s
Brethren’s
Women’s
Men’s
Deer’s
Horse’s

22. If you object to double sibilants
at the end of a proper noun
ending in s, x, or z, you may
add only an apostrophe.
Carlos
Perez
Jesus
Mitos
Sanchez
Gutierrez
Carlos’
Perez’
Jesus’
Mitos’
Sanchez’
Gutierrez’
Possession is also indicated by placing
an of phrase after a noun. In general
the type of noun determines the
method used.
Compare:
The girls’ dresses
My father’s friend
The President’s son
Mabini’s essays
Joaquin’s stories
The dresses of the girls
The friend of my father
The son of the
President
The essays of Mabini
The stories of Joaquin

23. To express possession in the case of inanimate objects, a pre-
positional phrase with of is normally used. Noun-noun
compounds however, are also used.
Compare:
The garage door
The table top
The book cover
The house roof
The flower petals
The door of the garage
The top of the table
The cover of the book
The roof of the house
The petals of the flower

24. Noun referring to things, places and concept are often
followed by an of phrase to indicate relationships such
as association, measure, or portion.
The town of Nalbuan
The lid of the pan
Half of the chapter
the rays of the moon
The deck of a ship
A ream of paper
A cup of sugar
A bottle of perfume
A box of candy
A pitcher of juice

25. Possessive forms of certain nouns denote
time, distance, measure and value.
A day’s work
An hour’s rest
Ten yard’s distance
A month’s vacation
Man’s destiny
Six pesos’ worth
Two weeks’ pay
A year’s time
A kilometer’s walk
Life’s ironies