WORD

POWER
Guide in English Grammar for students

Prepared by:
JOEL I. MACURAY
Teacher
Aupagan National High School
Parts
Of
Speech
It is important to understand that most
organizations today consider there only to be eight
parts of speech and in some cases, nine parts of
speech. Both articles and determiner or quantifiers
are the two parts of grammar that may sometimes
be left out. The parts of speech are noun, pronoun,
verb, adjective, adverb, conjunction, preposition,
interjection and the two that may sometimes be
left out, the article and the determiner.
 Noun
A noun is a word that refers to person, place,
thing, event, substance or quality; can be either
countable or uncountable.
 Types/classifications of noun: Proper noun,
common noun, concrete noun, abstract noun,
collective noun, compound noun, countable and
uncountable, material noun and possessive noun.
Common nouns name any person, place,
thing, or idea. They are not capitalized
unless they come at the beginning of a
sentence.
Proper nouns are the names of specific
people, places, things, or ideas. Proper
nouns should always be capitalized.
Common Proper
boy ⇒ James
river ⇒ Agusan River
car ⇒Ford, Toyota, Mitsubishi
doctor ⇒Doctor Jefferson,
city ⇒Butuan, Cagayan, Surigao
teacher ⇒Sir/Mr. Joel Macuray
school ⇒Aupagan National High School
mayor ⇒Mayor Ronie Vicente C. Lagnada
Concrete nouns are nouns that refer to things
that exist physically and can be touched, seen,
smelled, felt, or tasted. Here are some examples:
examples:
Can I pet your dog?
Please pass the salt.
Your sweater is made of such soft wool.
Concrete nouns can be perceived by at least one
of our five senses.
Abstract Nouns are more ethereal, theoretical concepts
use abstract nouns to refer to them. Ideas, qualities or
conditions like love, hate, power, and time are all
examples of abstract nouns.
examples:
All you need is love.
There's so much hate for the new Star Wars trilogy.
We must use this time wisely.
In these sentences, the abstract nouns refer to concepts or
feelings that cannot be understood concretely or touched
physically.
Collective nouns are nouns that refer to a group of
something in particular. Often, collective nouns are
used to refer to groups of animals. Consider the
following sentences.
examples:
Look at that gaggle of geese.
There used to be herds of wild buffalo on the prairie.
A crowd of kids is in the pool today.
The team did a great job in the competition.
Here are some examples of common
collective nouns:

People: board, choir, class, committee,

family, group, jury, panel, staff
Animals: flock, herd, pod, swarm
Things: bunch, collection, fleet, flotilla,
pack, set
 Singular and plural verbs with collective nouns
A plural collective noun takes a plural verb:
example: Families enjoy this restaurant.

A singular collective noun usually takes a singular verb:

example: Our family enjoys this restaurant.

But there are some cases where a singular collective noun

actually expresses a plural idea and needs a plural verb. The
guidelines below will help you decide whether a singular
collective noun takes a singular or plural verb.
 When to use a singular verb
When all the members of a collective noun are
performing an action as a unit (and that’s usually the
case), use a singular verb.
examples:
• The chamber orchestra often plays at the Art Centre.
• The cast is celebrating the success of the play with a
party after the performance.
• A wolf pack hunts as a group.
• The fleet was anchored in the channel.
 When to use a plural verb
When the members of a collective noun are performing an
action as individuals, use a plural verb. In this case, all or
some members of the group are doing something
independently of the other members; the group is not acting
together as a unit.
examples:
The orchestra are tuning their instruments.
The cast have been practising their lines.
The flock were running off in every direction.
The staff disagree on the proposal.
In many cases, it may sound more natural to
make the subject plural in form by adding a word
like members:
examples:
• The members of the orchestra are tuning their
instruments.
• The cast members have been practising their
lines.
• The staff members disagree on the proposal.
compound noun contains two or more words
that join together to make a single noun.
Compound nouns can be two words written as
one (closed form), such
as softball and toothpaste; words that are
hyphenated (hyphenated form), such as six-
pack and son-in-law; or separate words (open
form), such as post office and upper class that
go together by meaning.
They normally have two parts.
The first part tells us what kind of object or
person it is, or what its purpose is.
The second part identifies the object or
person in question.
Compound nouns often have a meaning that
is different, or more specific, than the two
separate words.
First part: type Second part: Compound noun
or purpose what or who
police man policeman

boy friend boyfriend

water tank water tank

dining table dining-table

The elements in a compound noun are very diverse parts of speech.
Compound elements Examples
noun + noun bedroom, water tank, motorcycle, printer cartridge
noun + verb rainfall, haircut, train-spotting
noun + adverb hanger-on, passer-by
verb + noun washing machine, driving licence, swimming pool
verb + adverb lookout, take-off, drawback
adverb + noun onlooker, bystander
adjective + verb dry-cleaning, public speaking
adjective + noun greenhouse, software, redhead
adverb + verb output, overthrow, upturn, input
Material nouns refer to materials or
substances from which things are made. Let's
take the word "cotton." Cotton is an adjective
when used in "cotton dress." However, cotton
is a material noun when used to describe the
crop.
For example:
We use cotton from a local farm in our t-
shirts.
Examples:
• Cotton dresses are very cheap and comfortable.
• My mom purchased a gold ring for me.
• I drink milk in the silver glass.
• My father has a shop for diamonds.
• Calcium is a good mineral for health.
• Plastic is made up of many molecules of ethylene.
• There are many utensils in my kitchen made up of iron.
• Taj Mahal is built using marbles.
• I drink milk daily in the night.
• Most of the industries use fiber.
• In the ancient time, most of the kitchen utensils were made up of brass.
Possessive nouns demonstrate ownership over
something else. The best way to spot them is to
look for an apostrophe. Here are some examples:
•President Duterte's administration is working
hard to combat the pandemic.
•Butuan City's health safety measures are strictly
implemented and observed.
These nouns are demonstrating ownership, but
they're also still persons, places, or things.
Countable nouns, as the term suggests, are things
that can be counted. They have singular and plural
forms.
Examples: table, tables; month, months; pen,
pens.
A countable noun becomes plural by adding s at
the end of the word. Of course, there are nouns
that form plurals in other ways.
• Examples: man, men; woman, women, child,
children; goose, geese.
Add s to pluralize most count nouns
examples: House --- houses , mountain ---
mountains, bag ---bags
Add es to pluralize count nouns ending in
ss, ch, s, sh, or x
Examples : glass---glasses, beach---beaches,

fax---faxes, class---classes, box---boxes

Add s or es to nouns ending in o
Examples: echo---echoes, video---videos,
tomato---tomatoes, shoe---shoes, toe---toes
Add ies to nouns ending in a consonant and y
Examples: baby---babies, city---cities
Numbers can be used with count nouns
• three hens
• two boys
• one idea
When a singular count noun is the subject in a
sentence, it must be used with the singular
verb form
Example: The cover of that book tells us
nothing.
The plural count noun is used with the plural
verb form
Example: The whales were swimming very
close to shore.
Incorrect: The woman who were working on the
magazine received awards for design, layout, and
content development.
Explanation: The count noun is the subject of the
plural verb were, so the two must agree.

Correct: The women who were working on the

magazine received awards for design, layout, and
content development.
In contrast, uncountable nouns cannot be
counted. They have a singular form and do not
have a plural form – you can’t add an s to it, e.g.
dirt, rice, information and hair.
Some uncountable nouns are abstract nouns such
as advice and knowledge.
Example: Her jewellery is designed by a well-
known designer.
I needed some advice, so I went to see the
counsellor.
Some nouns can be countable or uncountable depending
on the context or situation.
• Example:
We’ll have two coffees (countable).
I don’t like coffee (uncountable).
uncountable nouns are often substances, such as water
or rice, which cannot easily be counted, or they may be
abstract ideas, such as intelligence or honesty.
Rain, confidence, money, laughter, Grass, oxygen
Non-count nouns do not pluralize
Incorrect: Our teacher gives us a lot of
homeworks.
Explanation: Homework is a non-count noun,
so it cannot take a plural form.
Correct: Our teacher gives us a lot of
homework.
 Count and Non-count Nouns and
the Use of Prepositions
Prepositions link nouns to other words in a sentence. The
preposition indicates the relationship of its object to the rest of the
sentence.
Consider the nature of the relationship between the noun and the
rest of the sentence indicated by the preposition.
Incorrect: We can put partitions up between the table.
Explanation: Between suggests more than one item. We should
choose the
plural count noun.
Correct: We can put partitions up between the tables
 Irregular Noun Plurals
There are some common exceptions to the
plural rules for nouns Some of them
include: tooth---teeth, man---men,
mouse---mice, woman---women child---
children
Some other count nouns do not have a plural
form Some of these include:
Fish—fish, moose--moose
Aircraft—aircraft, means--means
Incorrect: Deers come in our yard and eat all
our flowers.
Correct: Deer come in our yard and eat all our
flowers.
 Articles
Articles are short words that come before a
noun.You cannot refer to a singular countable
noun on its own.
It is usually preceded by an article, either the
indefinite article – a, an – or the definite
article the.
Indefinite Article
When the countable noun is mentioned for the
first time, you use an indefinite article a for
words beginning with a consonant sound or
an if the noun begins with a vowel sound.
However, when a countable noun is
mentioned for the second time, it is usually
preceded by the definite
article the.
Examples:
I saw a (indefinite article) cat yesterday.
The (definite article) cat was grey with black
stripes.
The girl was wearing a (indefinite article
preceding word with a consonant sound
“you”) uniform but it looked faded. The
(definite article) uniform was old.
I took an (indefinite article preceding word with a
vowel sound “um”) umbrella as it was beginning
to rain. It did not help because the (definite
article) umbrella was faulty.

Sometimes when uncountable nouns are treated as

countable nouns, you can use the indefinite
article.
• Example: Please select a wine that you like.
A or an is an indefinite article.
Use a or an to refer to a non-specific, singular noun
a book, an angel, a person, an elephant
The is a definite article
Use the to refer to a specific singular or plural noun.
--the cake in the refrigerator
--the movies we saw last night
--the past
 The Indefinite Article A or An
A or an is used in front of a noun that can be
counted
example: a pleasant afternoon.
We can count a number of afternoons.
Use an indefinite article when you talk about
people or things without saying
• exactly who or what they are
example: I went to see a doctor.
Use an indefinite article the first time you refer to
something that is not specifically known to the
person you are communicating with

Example: While we were on vacation, we went to

a show. The show we saw was called Les
Miserables.
 Definite Article
You can use the with countable nouns when
you want to refer to a specific person or thing.
Examples:
The baby stared at the moon in fascination.
Please take me to the clinic near the coffee
shop. I’m not feeling well.
The indefinite article is not used with
uncountable nouns. However, the definite
article the can be used with uncountable
nouns when referring to specific items.
•Examples:
I found the luggage that I had lost.
I appreciated the honesty of the salesman.
• The is used in front of a count noun, and when the noun cannot
be counted, but is specific:
--the dollar he lent me. (We can count the number of dollars.)
--the sadness I feel. (We cannot count a number of sadness.)
Use a definite article when the person you are talking to knows
which person or thing you mean
Example: We saw him in the cafeteria.
Use a definite article when you have already mentioned the
person or thing
Example: I was looking after a dog this weekend. The dog was
very disobedient.
 Tricky Uncountable Nouns

The noun fruit is usually considered as an

uncountable noun.
Example. Fruit is good for your health.
When referring to a single piece of fruit, you
would say,
“She had only a piece of fruit for lunch!”
However, when referring to different kinds of
fruit, you may use fruit as a countable noun.
• Example: I love to shop at that supermarket –
they have a wide variety of tropical fruits.
Similarly, you may use an indefinite article for
uncountable nouns when you are referring to a
single item.
Example: a piece of furniture, a bottle of water, a
grain of rice.
 Quantifiers
Countable and uncountable nouns may also be
used with quantifiers. These are words that
express amount or quantity. Common
examples are some, any, more, few, little,
several. However, there are some quantifiers
that can be used with only countable nouns:
many, few, a few, fewer, several.
Examples:
The citizens came to the meeting with many suggestions on
how to improve their neighborhood.
Fewer tourists visited that area as it was known to be unsafe.

Some other quantifiers can be used with only uncountable

nouns: much, little, a bit of.
Example.
Would you like a bit of pepper in your soup?
There’s very little dessert left.
Some quantifiers may be used with both
countable and uncountable nouns: all, some, any,
lots of, plenty of, enough.
Example: He has enough courage to face the
bullies.
We have some plates for the party tonight. Tracy
will bring more.
 Subject-Verb Agreement
Countable nouns may take singular or plural verbs.
Example:
--Our neighbor is singing at the competition tonight.
--Our neighbors are singing at the competition
tonight.
However, uncountable nouns are considered singular
and may take only singular verbs.
Nouns such as luggage, furniture and jewelry are
uncountable nouns and take singular verbs.
Examples: The furniture in this house needs to be replaced.
The apparatus for the next experiment has been set up.
My luggage has been checked in.
Uncountable nouns ending with s may pose a problem to
users of English.
These nouns have the plural ending s, but they take a singular
verb.
Examples: The news is not good.
Mathematics is a very important subject.
All uncountable nouns associated with clothes,
such as shorts, jeans and briefs, are plural
uncountables. They cannot be used in the singular
form or with numbers. We cannot say for example
a shorts or two shorts.
Instead we say:
Example:
Can you lend me a pair of shorts? I didn’t bring
mine.
Prepare for some exercises.

Up next:
Parts of Speech:
PRONOUN
• https://grammar.yourdictionary.com/parts-of-speech/nouns/
types-of-nouns.html
• https://7esl.com/collective-nouns/
• https://englishstudyhere.com/nouns/100-examples-of-
collective-nouns/
• https://www.btb.termiumplus.gc.ca/tpv2guides/guides/wrtp
s/index-eng.html?
lang=eng&lettr=indx_catlog_v&page=95TrTtTB_flE.html
• https://www.ef.com/wwen/english-resources/english-
grammar/compound-nouns/
THANK
YOU!!!