Rules of Nouns with Examples in English Grammar
Hello friends! In today’s notes we are going to study about Rules of Nouns with Examples in English Grammar. Noun is an important topic of English grammar. It is very important to make you aware of these rules.
Today we are going to remember the important rules of noun. A lot of questions are asked in competitive examinations based on the rules related to Noun. So let’s learn about it :
Noun : Definition And Forms of Noun
Noun : Definition : Friends! You will all be well aware of the definition of noun. The word denoting the name of any person, object, place, animal, quality, state or idea etc., is called a noun.
Noun : Forms of Noun : We all know that a noun has two forms :
- Singular Noun
- Plural Noun
- Singular noun : It refers to any one person, object or place.
- Plural noun : It refers to more than one person, object or place.
Noun : Types of Noun : Such nouns are placed in two types of categories :
- Countable Noun
- Uncountable Noun
- Countable Noun : Those Nouns that can be counted. Such as : Boy, Girl, Book, Jaipur, India, Team etc.
- Uncountable Noun : Those Nouns that cannot be counted. Such as : Water, Milk, Honesty, Knowledge etc.
Some Important Rules of Nouns
Rule : 1.
- When countable Singular Noun is used as a subject in a sentence, Singular verb is always used with it. like :
01. | A girl is reading a book. |
02. | This Book was available in the store. |
- Whereas if the countable plural noun is used, Plural verb is always used with it. like :
01. | Some boys are playing Cricket. |
02. | These Books were available in the store. |
Rule : 2.
- Uncountable Nouns normally denote quality, state or action. And it is always in singular form. No article (a, an, the) is used Before these Nouns. Like :
01. | Gold is very Precious. |
02. | Honesty is the best policy. |
Rule : 3.
- The following nouns have the same form both in the singular and the plural. like :
Sheep | Fish | Deer |
Hair | Crops | Series |
Sr. | Incorrect | Correct |
---|---|---|
01. | Some sheeps are grazing in the field. | Some sheep are grazing in the field. |
02. | The pond is full of fishes. | The pond is full of fish. |
But,
- A sheep is grazing in the field.
— Here we are talking about only one sheep. This sentence is right.
- I caught two fishes – one White and the other blue.
— Here the use of plural fishes is absolutely appropriate because here we are talking about a certain number of fish. One is white and the other is blue.
Rule : 4.
- The following collective nouns appear singular in form but are always used as plurals. like :
People | Army | Team |
Cattle | Gentry | Artillery |
Sr. | Incorrect | Correct |
---|---|---|
01. | Peoples are working in the office. | People are working in the office. |
02. | This Cattle is grazing in the field. | These Cattle are grazing in the field. |
Rule : 5.
- The following nouns appear to be plural in form but are always used as singulars. like :
Some Names : | News | Ethics | Summons |
Names of Subjects : | Mathematics | Physics | Politics |
Names of Diseases : | Diabetes | Measles | Mumps |
Names of Games : | Cards | Billiards | Darts |
01. | Maths was my favourite subject during school time. |
02. | Diabetes is a very bad disease. |
Rule : 6.
- The following nouns are used only in the plurals. like :
Certain Nouns : | Certain instruments with two parts in pair | Certain articles of dress |
---|---|---|
Thanks | Scissors | Jeans |
Particulars | Spectacles | Pants |
Arms | Clippers | Shorts |
Wages | Bellows | Trousers |
Assests | Tongs | Breeches |
01. | Arms are fatal to human life. |
02. | Scissors are a good tool for cutting. |
Rule : 7.
- The following nouns are used in the singular only. They cannot be pluralized by adding “s or es“. And “A” or “An” cannot be used before them. like :
Knowledge | Money | Business |
Food | Grass | Stationary |
Scenery | Poetry | Furniture |
Advice | Information | Machinery |
01. | Food is very important for human life. |
02. | Business is the basis of economic strength. |
— Note : If you want to understand the plurals from these words, you can use bits of / pieces of / items of / articles of etc. before them. And if the singularity is to be understood, a bit of / a piece of / an item of / an article of etc. can be used. But always use the above words in singular form only.
Rule : 8.
- If a noun in a compound word acts as an adjective, it is always used as a singular. Even if there is a number before it. Such as :
01. | a five year boy. | 03. | a two rupee note. |
02. | a ten year plan. | 04. | a seven mile distance. |
Rule : 9.
- When there is a definite number before the number denoting units like : pair, dozen, gross, hundred, thousand etc. these should always be used in singular number, such as :
Sr. | Incorrect | Correct |
---|---|---|
01. | I bought 5 dozens bananas for Monkeys. | I bought 5 dozen bananas for monkeys. |
02. | I have 2 pairs of shoes. | I have 2 pair of shoes. |
— So you have seen that despite having more than one dozen here, only the singular form of dozen is used. Because it has a definite number before it.
But if the above words are used for an indefinite number, they are used in the plural. like :
Sr. | Incorrect | Correct |
---|---|---|
01. | Hundred of masks sold during lock down | Hundreds of masks sold during lock down. |
02. | Thousand of people died from Corona in 2020. | Thousands of people died from Corona in 2020. |
We can say :
one dozen mangoes. | one score books | two pair of shoes. |
dozens of mangoes. | thousands of students. | many pairs of shoes. |
in dozens. | in thousands. | in pairs. |
Keep in mind that there should not use “of” after a dozen / a pair / a hundred / two hundred etc. but there can be dozens of / pairs of / hundreds of.
Thus friends! These are some important rules. You must keep these in mind during the use of noun. You should remember these rules and practice them well. Some other important rules related to Noun will be mentioned in further notes. that’s it for today. Thank you !
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