8 Types of Nouns in English Grammar and Examples

8 Types of Nouns in English Grammar and Examples: The 8 types of nouns in English grammar and examples include proper nouns, common nouns, concrete nouns, abstract nouns, collective nouns, compound nouns, countable nouns and non-countable nouns.

Recognizing the 8 types of nouns in English grammar with examples will help you develop your ability to write and speak English sentences with precision.

8 Types of Nouns and Examples

1. Proper Nouns
2. Common Nouns
3. Concrete Nouns
4. Abstract Nouns
5. Collective Nouns
6. Compound Nouns
7. Countable Nouns
8. Non-Countable Nouns

Before you look at the 8 types of nouns with their examples, a brief definition of a noun would be advantageous.

Definition: The traditional definition of a noun is that a noun refers to a person, place, thing or an idea.

Here are examples of nouns referring to a person, place, thing or an idea!

• Jonathan and Rebekah love fishing (referring to a person).
• David and Jennifer live in America and holiday in Australia (referring to a place).
• Bradley hit the ball with the bat (referring to a thing).
• Teenagers enjoy their freedom (referring to an idea).

1. Proper Nouns

Proper nouns name specific persons, places or things.

When writing proper nouns in English sentences, it usually begins with capital letters in order to distinguish it from common nouns (see common nouns below).

• Jenny is my friend and companion (referring to person).
• He gave his excess belongings to David before leaving on a long road trip around the country (referring to a person).
• Washington, D.C. has been the federal capital city of the United States since 1802 (referring to a place).
• The President usually lives at the White House (referring to a thing).
• Amazon is where I buy most of my books (referring to a thing).

If proper nouns name a specific thing, it is normally prefixed by the definite article “the”.

• The White House is the home of the President.
• The Foundation supports disadvantage children.
• The Middle East Crisis has been in the news recently.
• The American Civil War was the defining event in our nation’s history.
• What states fought for the Confederacy?

2. Common Nouns

Common nouns name any person, place or thing.

Common nouns are the words that refer to most general things like: man, woman, park, street, road, part, shop or town.

• A man and a woman were spotted stealing from the hardware store (referring to persons).
• The children played in a park that was close to their homes (referring to a place).
• The man ran passed the intersection in the road to get to the city (referring to a place).
• The stranger painted a shop in the landscape scenery (referring to a thing).
• The boys drove through a town in the middle of no-where (referring to a place).

NB The noun “road” is a word for a thing unless it specifies a point in the road (intersection), then it is a place.

Generally, common nouns are prefixed by the indefinite article “a”.

• A sound was coming from the motor of the car.
• A bottle of coke exploded in the hot vehicle.
• During the holidays, a boat crashed into the local pier.
• As I was walking down the street, a dog attacked a young child.
• A thief stole some money from the safe in my house.

NB Here are some examples of Proper Nouns and Common Nouns in the same sentence.

• My favorite movie (common noun) is Inception (proper noun).
• My car (common noun) is a Toyota (proper noun).
• My wife (common noun) is called Jennifer (proper noun).
• I love living in the city (common noun) and that’s why I live in New York (proper noun).
• My house (common noun) is in Denver (proper noun).

3. Concrete Nouns

Concrete nouns name things in their material forms.

• The grass in the backyard needs to be mowed.
• The mobile phone fell into the water basin.
• The power drill was stolen from Jonathan’s toolbox.
• Rachel bought several brushes for her art class.
• The shed in the backyard needed a new roof.

Concrete nouns are material things that are tangible.

• The computer in the office needed to be repaired.
• The bike in the shed had a flat tyre.
• The house on the corner was being renovated by Day Dream Constructions.
• The car in the driveway had been in an accident recently.
• The trailer in the backyard was ready to be repainted.

Concrete nouns are nouns that can be experienced through our five senses: touch, feel, smell, taste or hear.

• The cupboard was made of pine wood.
• Rachel made her bed every morning.
• Jonathan hit his finger with the hammer.
• The boys kicked the football in the park.
• David broke his camera while taking photographs at the zoo.
• The aroma of the flowers flowed throughout the house.
• The beautiful sunset created the perfect photograph.

4. Abstract Nouns

Abstract nouns name concepts, ideas and emotions.

• The speaker said love is kind and gentle.
• His success was built on the foundation of discipline.
• His courage won the battle of despondency.
• Forgiveness is something we must all consider at some stage in life.
• My friendship with my children helped me through life.

If you cannot taste, touch, hear, smell or see something, it is an abstract noun.

• Our CEO is a great leader due to his compassion for people.
• The staff had a bad attitude due to the inundation of customers.
• The local football player was dishonest about why he violated the law.
• My sympathy goes out to all those who lost their homes in the bush fire.
• His determination to finish the race was courageous.

NB Abstract noun denote intangible things; whereas, concrete nouns denote tangible things. Concrete nouns perceive things with the five senses; whereas, abstract nouns cannot perceive things with five senses.

Here are some examples of abstract and concrete nouns in the same sentence.

• His success (abstract noun) is seen in the money (concrete noun) he as accumulated.
• He demonstrated his love (abstract noun) with a passionate kiss (concrete noun).
• My friendship (abstract noun) with my father (concrete noun) grew as I matured as a person.
• The man showed great patience (abstract noun) with his elderly parents (concrete noun).
• My siblings were given many opportunities (abstract noun) to help our parents (concrete noun) during their horrible ordeal.

NB Remember when you recognize the 8 types of nouns in English grammar and examples, you will build your confidence in your ability to speak and write so that you will present your material with clarity.

5. Collective Nouns

Collective nouns name a group, a collection or a number of people or things.

• A gang of thieves broke into the corner store on the weekend.
• My class was involved in a field trip to the local zoo.
• The speaker spoke to a large audience during the conference.
• The football team traveled by bus to play the game.
• The committee drew up a set of rules for the organization.

NB Keep in mind that collective nouns are words that convey a single entity for multiple persons, animals, places, things and ideas. For example, a class is a single entity even though it has several students. Here are more examples.

• The football team has twelve players.
• A herd of cattle broke through the fence and destroyed the neighbor’s crops.
• The local council meet for their meeting on a weekly basis.
• A swarm of locusts destroyed the vegetable garden over the weekend.
• I bought a pair of shoes while they were on sale at the local shopping mall.

6. Compound Nouns

Compound nouns are made up of two or more words.

• The grasshoppers destroyed some of the vegetables in the garden.
• The thief was caught by the policeman.
• My classmate was arrested for drink driving.
• The teacher gave us homework over the weekend break.
• The traffic was congested on the highway all morning.

Compound nouns can take three forms.

• with spaces: ice cream, swimming pool or bus stop
• without spaces: greenhouse, skyscraper or snowboard
• with hyphens: mother-in-law, merry-go-round or sister-in-law

Compound nouns are made from the following components:

• The football is in the garage (noun + noun).
• The highway is closed to all traffic (adjective + noun).
• We always eat breakfast before school (verb + noun).
• I have taken many photographs of the sunrise (noun + verb).
• Several onlookers were injured during the evacuation (preposition + noun).
• The overthrow of the government took place in a violent attack (preposition + verb).
• The only drawback to a weekend of fishing is the prospect of heavy rain (verb + preposition).
• The family blowup affected all members (verb + adverb).

7. Countable Nouns

Countable nouns are nouns that can be counted whether singular or plural.

• I drink a glass of orange juice a day.
• I eat an apple a day to keep the doctor away.
• The toolbox contains four spanners.
• I love listening to songs while I work.
• I read a book a week for my spiritual growth.

Only countable nouns can be preceded by a number or the indefinite article a/an.

• I have a computer on my desk in my office.
• I put a glass of water on my bedside table every night.
• I use two tablets when I get a headache.
• I read three books for my latest history assignment.
• My brother bought a car from the local car yard.

You can learn more about countable nouns and uncountable nouns by clicking on the following link: Countable and Uncountable Nouns.

8. Non-Countable Nouns

Non-Countable nouns are nouns without plural form, that is they only have a singular form.

• My mentor always gave me good advice.
• The information led to an arrest by the policeman.
• The water in the glass was as clear as crystal.
• The milk in the jug had gone bad because it was left out of the fridge.
• The pasta was very good.

Non-Countable nouns cannot be preceded by a number or the indefinite a/an. Here are some examples of countable and non-countable nouns in the same sentence.

• I put a glass (countable noun) of water (non-countable noun) on the table.
• I ate a bowl (countable noun) of rice (non-countable noun) for lunch.
• I gave a cup (countable noun) of sugar (non-countable noun) to my neighbor.
• The hospital received three cylinders (countable noun) of oxygen (non-countable noun) for patients with breathing difficulties.
• My sister bought three pieces (countable noun) of clothing (non-countable noun) from the shopping mall.

NB The 8 types of nouns in English grammar and examples will help you recognize how nouns are used in English sentences. This will help you write and speak with greater confidence knowing which noun to use in your presentation.