Nouns

A noun is a person, place, thing, or idea. Every sentence must have a noun as its subject.

Examples:  The bear sleeps.
  Toronto is a city.


Types of Nouns

Forms of Nouns





Proper Nouns

A proper noun is the name of a person, place or thing. Proper nouns should always be capitalized.

Examples: Toronto
  Mr. Brown
  Sally


Common Nouns

A common noun is any noun that is not a proper noun. Common nouns are not capitalized.

Examples: the city
  a leader
  this woman


Plural Forms

The plural form of a noun indicates more than one. The plural form is usually formed by adding an s or es.

Examples: one week, two weeks
  a house, many houses
  one box, two boxes



Nouns that end in a consonant followed by a y are made plural by dropping the y and adding ies.

Example: one country, two countries



Nouns that end in a vowel followed by a y are made plural by adding s.

one toy, two toys
Example: 



Nouns that end in f or fe drop the f or fe and add ves.

Example: one leaf, two leaves



Certain irregular nouns have special plural forms.

Examples: one foot, two feet
  a mouse, many mice

To find the plural form of a noun that you are unsure of, check the Gage Canadian Dictionary.



Possessive Forms

The possessive form of a noun indicates ownership or modifies another noun. The possessive form is usually formed by adding 's to the end of a noun.

Examples: the player's equipment
  the woman's job
  Canada's government