NOUNS - Basic English Grammar - What is a NOUN? - Types of Nouns - Examples of Nouns - Common/Proper

Summary

In this educational video, Ganesh dives into the world of nouns, explaining the various types including concrete and abstract, common and proper, and collective nouns. He emphasizes the importance of capitalization for proper nouns and explores the distinction between countable and uncountable nouns. With practical examples and engaging language, Ganesh clarifies common mistakes, such as the incorrect use of 'less' with countable nouns, aiming to enhance viewers' understanding and usage of nouns in English.

Takeaways

• 📘 Nouns are words used to name a person, place, animal, thing, feeling, or idea.
• 🏗️ Concrete nouns represent physical objects that can be seen and touched, such as 'watch' or 'zoo'.
• 💭 Abstract nouns represent ideas and feelings that cannot be physically touched or seen, like 'honesty' or 'love'.
• 🔍 Common nouns are general terms for any member of a group, such as 'man' or 'city'.
• 🎯 Proper nouns are specific names for unique individuals or entities, like 'Ganesh' or 'Hamburg', and are always capitalized.
• 👥 Collective nouns refer to a group of people, animals, places, or things, such as 'team' or 'pack'.
• 📚 Learning common collective nouns can enhance the style of speech, but using a general term like 'group' can also convey clear meaning.
• 📋 Countable nouns can be counted and have both singular and plural forms, like 'book' or 'building'.
• 📏 Uncountable nouns cannot be counted and do not have plural forms; they include liquids, gases, small particles, and many abstract concepts.
• ❓ To ask about the quantity of countable nouns, use 'How many...?', and for uncountable nouns, use 'How much...?'.
• ✅ When comparing quantities, use 'fewer' with countable nouns and 'less' with uncountable nouns to avoid common grammatical mistakes.

Q & A

What is the main focus of this lesson?

The main focus of this lesson is on nouns, explaining different types of nouns in English and the rules for using them.

What are concrete nouns?

Concrete nouns are nouns that represent physical entities such as people, places, animals, and things that can be seen and touched.

Give an example of an abstract noun mentioned in the script.

Examples of abstract nouns mentioned in the script include 'honesty' and 'love', which represent ideas and feelings that cannot be physically touched or seen.

What is the difference between common and proper nouns?

Common nouns are general nouns that refer to any member of a group, while proper nouns are specific names given to individual entities and are always capitalized.

Why are proper nouns always capitalized in English?

Proper nouns are always capitalized in English to distinguish them as the specific names of individuals, places, or institutions.

What is a collective noun?

A collective noun is a term used to refer to a group of people, animals, places, or things, such as 'team' for a group of players or 'pack' for a group of wolves.

Can you provide an example of a collective noun for animals?

An example of a collective noun for animals is 'swarm', which is used to refer to a group of bees.

What is the difference between countable and uncountable nouns?

Countable nouns are nouns that can be counted and have plural forms, while uncountable nouns cannot be counted and do not have plural forms. They are often abstract or represent substances that are difficult to count individually.

How can you express the quantity of uncountable nouns?

The quantity of uncountable nouns can be expressed using units of measurement such as 'glasses of water', 'tablespoons of sugar', or terms like 'a lot of' or 'some'.

What is the correct way to ask about the quantity of countable and uncountable nouns?

For countable nouns, use 'How many...?', and for uncountable nouns, use 'How much...?'.

What is the common mistake made when comparing quantities of countable and uncountable nouns?

The common mistake is using 'less' with countable nouns when it should be 'fewer'. 'Less' is correctly used with uncountable nouns.

Why is it important to learn collective nouns?

Learning collective nouns is important because using the correct collective noun in a situation can make speech sound more stylish and precise.

How can you express a small number or quantity of countable and uncountable nouns?

For countable nouns, you can use 'a few', and for uncountable nouns, you can use 'a little' to express a small number or quantity.

What are some quantity expressions that can be used with both countable and uncountable nouns?

'A lot of' and 'some' are quantity expressions that can be used with both countable and uncountable nouns.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Introduction to Nouns

In this introductory lesson, Ganesh explains the concept of nouns, which are words used to name a person, place, animal, thing, feeling, or idea. He distinguishes between concrete nouns, which have a physical existence and can be seen or touched, and abstract nouns, which represent ideas and feelings that cannot be physically interacted with. Examples are provided to illustrate these categories, and Ganesh invites questions from the audience in the comments section.

05:02

🔍 Common and Proper Nouns

Ganesh delves into the distinction between common and proper nouns. Common nouns are general and can refer to any member of a group, while proper nouns are specific and refer to one individual entity. The importance of capitalization for proper nouns is highlighted, with examples showing how they are always written with a capital first letter. The lesson includes a chart and examples that emphasize the rule and its application in various contexts, such as days of the week and months.

10:03

🐺 Collective Nouns and Their Usage

This section explores collective nouns, which are used to name a group of people, animals, places, or things. Ganesh presents several examples of collective nouns, such as 'team' for a group of players and 'pack' for a group of wolves, and explains their meanings. He suggests learning common collective nouns to enhance speaking style and provides strategies for when a specific collective noun is not known, recommending the use of 'group' or 'bunch' as general terms.

15:08

📏 Countable and Uncountable Nouns

Ganesh explains the difference between countable and uncountable nouns. Countable nouns can be quantified and are often used with numbers or in plural forms, while uncountable nouns cannot be counted and do not take plural forms. He provides strategies for discussing quantities of uncountable nouns, such as using units of measurement or expressions like 'a lot of'. The lesson also covers common mistakes made when comparing quantities, emphasizing the correct use of 'fewer' for countable nouns and 'less' for uncountable nouns.

🔚 Recap and Conclusion

In the concluding part of the lesson, Ganesh recaps the main points covered in the video, including the definitions and differences between concrete and abstract nouns, the capitalization rule for proper nouns, the importance of learning collective nouns, and the rules for countable and uncountable nouns. He reminds viewers of the common grammatical error to avoid when comparing quantities and encourages them to subscribe for more lessons.

Keywords

💡Noun

A noun is the name of a person, place, animal, thing, feeling, or idea. It forms a fundamental part of speech in English, allowing us to identify and refer to various entities. For example, in the script, 'Graham', 'zoo', and 'animals' are all nouns.

💡Concrete Noun

Concrete nouns refer to entities that have physical existence and can be seen or touched. Examples include 'watch' and 'T-shirt' as mentioned in the script. They are important for identifying tangible objects in everyday language.

💡Abstract Noun

Abstract nouns are nouns that do not have physical existence; they represent ideas, qualities, or feelings. In the script, 'honesty' and 'policy' are given as examples of abstract nouns, highlighting concepts that cannot be seen or touched.

💡Common Noun

A common noun is a general name for a class of entities, as opposed to a specific name. For instance, 'man', 'city', and 'university' are common nouns used in the script. They are not capitalized unless they begin a sentence.

💡Proper Noun

Proper nouns are names given to specific individuals, places, or organizations. They always begin with a capital letter. Examples from the script include 'Ganesh', 'Allison', 'Hamburg', and 'China'. Proper nouns provide precise identification.

💡Collective Noun

Collective nouns refer to groups of people, animals, or things. Examples from the script include 'team' for players, 'staff' for workers, and 'crowd' for onlookers. They are interesting because they provide a way to talk about collections as single entities.

💡Countable Noun

Countable nouns are nouns that can be counted and have both singular and plural forms. Examples from the script are 'book', 'pen', and 'building'. They can be used with numbers and can be quantified directly.

💡Uncountable Noun

Uncountable nouns cannot be counted individually and do not have plural forms. Examples include 'water', 'coffee', and 'advice' as mentioned in the script. They often represent substances or abstract concepts and require units for measurement.

💡Capitalization

Capitalization refers to the use of capital letters at the beginning of proper nouns and certain other words. The script emphasizes that proper nouns such as 'University of Chicago' must be capitalized to denote specificity and importance.

💡Comparative Expressions

Comparative expressions are used to compare quantities or amounts. The script explains that 'more' and 'fewer' are used with countable nouns, while 'more' and 'less' are used with uncountable nouns. This distinction is crucial for grammatical accuracy in comparisons.

Highlights

Introduction to the lesson on nouns by Ganesh, covering different types and rules for their usage.

Explanation of concrete nouns as physical entities that can be seen and touched.

Definition and examples of abstract nouns representing ideas and feelings.

Discussion on common nouns as general terms and proper nouns as specific names, with capitalization rules.

Illustration of proper nouns with capital first letters, such as names of people, places, and days.

Introduction to collective nouns and their use for naming groups of people, animals, places, or things.

Examples of common collective nouns like 'team', 'class', 'gang', 'army', and 'crowd'.

Advice on learning collective nouns to enhance speech style and fluency.

Differentiation between countable and uncountable nouns and their usage rules.

Use of numbers and plurals with countable nouns to indicate quantity.

Explanation of uncountable nouns and the use of units of volume or weight to express quantity.

Guidance on using 'How many' for countable nouns and 'How much' for uncountable nouns in questions.

Clarification on using 'a few', 'a little', 'many', 'a lot of', and 'some' with countable and uncountable nouns.

Common mistake warning about using 'less' with countable nouns instead of 'fewer'.

Recap of the lesson's key points on nouns, including concrete, abstract, common, proper, collective, countable, and uncountable.

Encouragement to subscribe for more lessons and a sign-off for the next lesson.

Transcripts

Hi there and welcome back to our series of lessons on the parts of speech

My name is Ganesh and this lesson is all about nouns. In this lesson we will

learn about the different kinds of nouns there are in English and we will also

look at some rules to keep in mind when using them. We will first talk about

concrete and abstract nouns, then we'll look at common and proper nouns

which are a very important area. Then we'll discuss the very interesting

collective nouns and finally we'll turn to the most important topic relating to

nouns, and that is countable and uncountable nouns. Before we start just

remember - for any questions let me know in the comments section below and I'll

talk to you there.

OK so first of all what is a noun? I'm sure you know the answer to this -

A noun is just the name of a person, place, animal, thing, feeling or idea. For

example in this sentence "Graham likes to go to the zoo and see the animals." Here

there are three nouns - can you identify all of them? The nouns are Graham - a

person, zoo - a place and animals. Nouns can also be things like watch, T-shirt etc.

And all of these - people, places, animals and things are physical - that means we

can see them and we can touch them. So they are called concrete nouns - that

means they have a real physical existence. So what are abstract nouns?

Abstract nouns are nouns that don't have physical existence. That means we

cannot touch them or see them, and these are ideas and feelings. Now in this

sentence

"Honesty is the best policy." It's a very popular proverb in English

Have you heard of that? In that sentence

honesty and policy are both nouns but they are abstract nouns. And this next

example

"Love is a powerful emotion." Love is the name of a feeling like anger, happiness

or sorrow. And love is a noun. Emotion is also a noun.

OK let's now talk about common and proper nouns.

Do you know what common and proper nouns are? A common noun is a general noun and a

proper noun is the name given to a specific individual. For example in this

chart all the nouns on the left are common nouns and all the nouns on the

right are proper nouns. For example man is a common noun because it can mean any man

but Ganesh is the name of one man - one individual, which in this case is me of

course.

So Ganesh is a proper noun. Woman, in the same way, is a common noun - it could be any

woman but Allison is the name of an individual, so a proper noun. In the next

two, city and country are common nouns but Hamburg and China are the names of one

city and one country, so proper nouns.

OK now let me ask you a question at this point - do you notice something about the

proper nouns? You should be noticing that they're all written with a capital first

letter. And that is actually a rule in English - proper nouns are always written

with a capital first letter. With university, for example, when we talk

about universities in general we use it as a common noun so the whole word is

written in lower case - that means in small letters. But when we're talking

about a specific university like the University of Chicago, notice that both

the 'U' in University and the 'C' in Chicago are capitals.

That's because it's

a proper noun that refers to one specific university. OK there are more

examples on the screen but I want you to focus on the last two - day and month. With

the days of the week - Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday,

Saturday, we always write them with the first letter capitalized because they

are proper nouns. And it's the same thing for months as well. From January to

December all months are written with a capital first letter, so please don't

forget this rule - proper nouns are always capitalized or always written with the

first letter capitalized.

OK let's now turn to the really interesting collective nouns. Collective

means something like collection and a collective noun is the name given to a

group of people - animals, places or things. I say that these are interesting because

there are a lot of collective nouns in English and they can be very interesting

to learn.

Let's look at some common examples - a group of players is called a team. Team

is a collective noun and it means a group of players, or it could even mean a group of

workers in a company. Actually there's another word for a group of workers or

employees - can you guess that word? That word is staff. In the same way on the

screen I have some more examples but I want you to guess the collective nouns

before I show them to you.

What do we call a group of students? A group of students is a class.

What about

a group of criminals? A gang A group of soldiers is an army.

What about a group of onlookers? Onlookers means - let's say there has been

an accident on the road - like there's been a car crash. Onlookers are the

people that stand around the scene and they want to see what's happening.

So what do you you call a group of onlookers? We call them a crowd.

Did you get that one? There are also collective nouns for animals. For example

a group of wolves is called a pack. And wolves are very dangerous when they're

in a pack. A group of bees is called a swarm. If you ever see a swarm of bees

coming towards you please run because they can sting really hard and it hurts

very, very bad.

Alright there are also collective nouns for things - like if I have five or

six keys in my hand

do you know what we call that? We call it a bunch of keys.

What about two shoes? A pair. And when there are stairs that you have to take

from one floor of a building to the next floor

do you know what we call that? It's called a flight of stairs. OK so like I

said these can be really interesting but there's one problem - collective nouns can

be difficult because there are so many of them. So what can you do?

Well there are two things that you can do - first

you can learn the most common collective nouns. The examples that I just showed

you are some very common collective nouns.

So if you learn the most common ones then you can use them fluently in

conversation but sometimes you might be in a situation where you want to use a

collective noun but you don't know it or you cannot remember it.

Like, let's say you want to say a gang of criminals but you cannot remember that

word - gang.

So what can you do? You can just use a word like group - a group of criminals - and

your meaning will be clear. Or you can say a bunch of things - the word bunch is

a common collective noun - like a bunch of bananas, for example. So these kinds of

expressions - common collective nouns and even quantity expressions like a lot of,

some etc. If you use them your meaning will be clear. But one reason to learn

collective nouns is that if you use the correct collective noun in a situation

it will make your speech sound stylish, so try to learn as many as you can.

Alright let's now move on and talk about the most important area relating to

nouns and that is countable and uncountable nouns. That's why I've underlined them

in red because they're so important.

Do you know the meaning of countable nouns? A countable noun is a noun that can be

counted and an uncountable noun cannot be counted. Some common countable nouns are are

book, pen, man, spoon, building, elephant etc. With all of these we can use numbers

or plurals to talk about them. We can say two books, five pens, three buildings

etc. If there's only one, we can use a or an - I have a book, there's an elephant

standing over there etc. But uncountable nouns are nouns like water, coffee, air,

salt, sugar, love, advice and so on.

And just by seeing them you should be able to say there's no way to count them

because water and coffee are liquids. Air is a gas. Salt and sugar are so small

that if you try to count the individual particles that would be an extremely

difficult task. And love and advice are abstract nouns because they're feelings

and ideas. Most abstract nouns are uncountable. So with uncountable nouns we

cannot use plurals and we cannot use a and an - that is very important. But we

can use units to talk about quantity. For example we can say a glass of water or

two glasses of water, six tablespoons of sugar or a cup of coffee,

5 cups of coffee and so on. Or we can use units of volume or weight like pounds,

kilograms, ounces and liters. This is how we talk about the quantity of

uncountable nouns. To ask questions we use the expression "How many...?" with

countable nouns like "How many computers do you have in your office?" And with

uncountable nouns we use "How much...?" "How much water is there in the bottle?" or "How

much sugar is there in the jar?" Now with any of these questions if you know the

exact answer you can give it - you can say "There are 20 computers in my office."

"There's half a liter of water." "There's four pounds of sugar in the jar." But what

about if you don't know the exact number or quantity? In that case you can use

quantity expressions with countable nouns - we use a 'few' to mean a small

number. I can say "Oh there are only a few computers in my office."

I don't know the exact number but it's a small number. Or I can say "There's only a

little water in the jar." So with uncountable

nouns we use 'a little' - this is very important. And what about to talk

about a big number or a big quantity? Can you tell me what we use with countable

nouns? We use 'many' or 'a lot of'. "There are many computers in my office." Or "There are

a lot of computers in my office." With uncountable nouns we can use 'much' but

that's less common.

It's more common once again to use 'a lot of' like "There is a lot of coffee in the

cup." So notice that 'a lot' can be used both with countable and uncountable

nouns. In the same way the word 'some' can also be used with both types. For example

"Some computers in my office

don't work." That's some number but I don't want to say the number or I don't know

the number. In the same way we can say "There's some tea left in the glass" - some

tea is some quantity but I don't know the quantity. So with both countable and

uncountable nouns we can use 'a lot of' and 'some.'

OK now I want to tell you about an area where a lot of students make mistakes, so

pay close attention. And this is when we want to make comparisons. We're going to

take a couple of examples - let's say that in my neighborhood, that is in the place

where I live, there are five buildings. In your neighborhood

there are 10 buildings. So we can say that there are more buildings in your

neighborhood.

OK just keep that in mind. And let's take another example - this time

uncountable nouns. I drink two cups of coffee a day but you drink four cups of

coffee a day, so you drink more coffee.

OK so far so good. But what about the opposite? We

say that I drink less coffee. Alright back to our first example, we said there

are more buildings your neighborhood. That means in my neighborhood there are

fewer buildings.

This is where a lot of people go wrong - people say there are less buildings in

my neighborhood. That is grammatically incorrect because with countable nouns

you cannot use less, you have to use fewer to compare.

OK so remember these rules and remember not to make the common mistakes that we

discussed here.

Alright let's do a quick recap of what we've learned today. We started with

concrete and abstract nouns. Remember that concrete nouns have a physical

existence and abstract nouns are ideas and feelings which we cannot touch or

see. Then we spoke about common and proper nouns - what is the important rule

with proper nouns? You always capitalize the first letter. Then we turned to

collective nouns. Remember to learn as many collective nouns as you can because

that will help you to speak with more style. And finally we looked at countable

and uncountable nouns - we discussed a number of rules. Remember the most common

mistake is using 'less' with countable nouns - it's wrong.

'Less' is used with uncountable nouns. 'Fewer' is used with countable nouns.

Alright so that brings us to the end of this lesson. I hope you enjoyed it.

Remember to subscribe to this channel and I will see you in the next lesson.