PAIN-FREE GRAMMAR

Parts of Speech

Nouns

Nouns

Person Place Thing Idea

Common vs. Proper

Determines capitalization Proper nouns name specific…

persons Mom

places England

things that have formal names Dead Poets’ Society

events New Year’s Eve

(Proper nouns are always capitalized.)

Note:

Capitalize adjectives that are forms of proper nouns: French bread, Texan beauty queen.

Common vs. Proper

Common nouns refer to informal, generically named… Persons

poet Places

country Things

film Events

Holiday (Common nouns are not capitalized.)

Concrete vs. Abstract

Concrete nouns occupy space or can be detected by the senses: My dog, Buster, wagged his tail as he sniffed the wind.

Concrete vs. Abstract

Abstract nouns name an idea, a quality, or a characteristic. Love is the center of all great

friendships. Attraction and devotion are key

elements of a good marriage.

Collective Nouns

the collective noun, looks like a singular word, but it names a group.

It can be considered singular or plural, depending on the meaning.

the family that couple the audience the board (of directors)

Why does this matter?

You will need to decide from context whether the collective noun is singular or plural, and make sure all associated verbs and pronouns match in number.

I asked the board for its approval. (not “their approval”) (Here, “board” is singular, because the board is acting as a unit.)

I asked the board to raise their hands if they approved. (not “its hands…it approved”) (Here, “board” is plural, because the individual members raise their hands individually.)

The family decided to take its vacation in the mountains this year. (Family acting as one unit, taking its vacation.)

The family may write their signatures in the special guestbook in the lobby. (Family members are writing their names as individuals.)

Collective Nouns Review

The council spent all its/their time debating the new budget.

The class raised its/their

hand/hands to show Mrs. Rennie it/they

understood collective nouns.