coming to grips with nouns defining the noun classifying nouns countable and uncountable nouns number and possession of nouns specifying the noun quantifying the noun noun phrases 1

a noun is… a naming word that refers to: a person, e.g. Maria a place, e.g. Singapore a thing, feeling, concept etc, e.g. fear, summer

Classifying nouns common proper - Ah Seng abstract collective 1

counting nouns       countable uncountable can be counted individually one orange  one fruit   can be made plural by themselves oranges fruits   can stand alone in the singular (without a determiner) orange fruit

BUT some non-count nouns can be made countable by adding a measure term e.g. Would you like sugar in your tea? Please give me two teaspoons (of sugar) Did you have bread for breakfast? I ate two slices (of bread)

note some usages can make: a countable noun uncountable, e.g. when we generalise: Experience is a good teacher. an uncountable noun countable, e.g. when we refer to varieties or types of the noun: There is no such thing as a butter that is not fattening.

counting abstract nouns abstract nouns are typically: (Greenbaum & Quirk) count when they refer to events, e.g. meeting; arrival; discovery. non-count when they refer to activities, states and qualities, e.g. employment; happiness; sleep; swimming But remember that they may be both!!!

forming the plural noun ending -o*, -ch, -sh, -ss, -x consonant + y vowel + y -fe plural + -es y i + -s -fe -ves e.g tomatoes churches bosses boxes *kimonos babies keys knives

singular and plural nouns irregular forms, e.g. ox; oxen; child children only one form (‘singular’), e.g. music; milk only one form (‘plural’), e.g. physics; jeans context-dependent interpretation of number, e.g. craft (spacecraft etc)

gender in English, nouns are not feminine, masculine, or neuter; rather, gender information is shown via: pronouns e.g. he she word endings, e.g. actor actress forms, e.g. stallion mare

noun phrases HEAD a group of words organised around a noun e.g. those two little snakes The noun is the Head word HEAD

noun phrase structure pre-modifier HEAD post-modifier determiners Numeratives those two little baby snakes that I have met pre-modifier HEAD post-modifier Classifiers Describers qualifier (phrase or clause)

modifiers pre-modifiers: determiners which indicate whether or not the noun is specific; a snake; the snake; Modification gives us information about the Thing. The more describers and classifiers there are the clearer we express which Thing we mean. The most precise information is usually to be found in the post-modifier. adjectives which count, describe or classify the noun, e.g. the two small dinner sets

pre-modifiers (cont...) determiners indicate whether or not the head word is specific specific non-specific definite article, e.g. the child; indefinite article, e.g. a child; an egg; demonstrative, e.g. this/that child; no determiner at all, e.g. eggs possessive, e.g. her child interrogatives: whose, which, what As we previously saw, Pointers are technically known as Deictics. What they do is determine whether or not the Head word (the Thing) is specific. So another term that is used to refer to these is Determiner. Notice that demonstrative and possessive determiners refer to i) proximity (this/that) or ii) person (1st/2nd/3rd person)

possessive determiners add ‘s to: singular nouns not ending in -s e.g. the cook’s pie; Keats’s poem (Keats’s…) plural nouns not ending in -s e.g. the children’s play add ‘ to: plural nouns ending in -s e.g. the teachers’ workshop

quantifiers how many things; or how much of a thing Countable things both other eggs some/any six Uncountable things much a little less water some/any six cups of

combining noun phrases appositional noun phrases: two adjacent noun phrases both of which refer to the same thing, e.g. my student, Ah Seng, wrote this text.

combining noun phrases 2. co-ordinating noun phrases: two adjoining noun phrases each referring to a different thing, e.g. Ah Seng and his teacher wrote this text.

common errors uncountable nouns are treated as countable, e.g. homeworks 2. abstract nouns are inappropriately treated as countable, e.g. The question sparked off lively discussions; This company has no intentions of raising prices. Articles are omitted, e.g. Your request for appointment in salaries section has been rejected.

useful references Rediscover Grammar by David Crystal London: Longman. (nd.) pp.92-123 A Students’ Grammar of the English Language by S. Greenbaum & R. Quirk. London: Longman 1990. pp. 70-107

jokingly... Which determiner? A man went into a pet shop. “Can I help you sir?” asked the shop assistant. “Yes, do you have …… dogs going cheap?” any “I’m sorry sir. …… our dogs go ‘Woof! Woof!’” all

I’m afraid Alice will not be at school today. Who’s this calling? Which determiner? I’m afraid Alice will not be at school today. Who’s this calling? It’s …… mother her John and George, is this …. football? Did it break anything sir? No, not that I know of. Then yes, sir, it’s ….. your ours

I don’t have …… hair so I’d like to buy a wig. Which determiner? much I don’t have …… hair so I’d like to buy a wig. Certainly sir. That’s 50 pounds plus tax. Forget the tacks. I’ll use ……glue. some

You are a person of sophistication and discernment You are a person of sophistication and discernment. You know what you want and what you like. Achievement and ambition are a part of your life. You are known for your energy and zest for living. ... So, now there is a range of skin care especially for people of your calibre. Mustique – skin care for the charismatic, career-minded person who wants to look good effortlessly.

your energy and zest for living. a range of skin care a person of sophistication and discernment . pre-modifier Head post-modifier a part of your life. your energy and zest for living. a range of skin care people of your calibre. skin care

the charismatic, career-minded person pre-modifier Head our high-tech laboratories pre-modifier Head state-of-the-art combinations of natural oils of plants and flowers and laboratory-tested ingredients

Snakes Snakes are reptiles (cold blooded creatures). They belong to the same group as lizards but form a sub-group of their own. Snakes have a scaly skin and no legs. They can wriggle and slide out of their old skin and grow a bright new one. Female snakes lay eggs. When the baby snakes hatch out of the eggs they are small, sticky and have a bright scaly skin. They look just like a tiny version of the mother. Baby snakes have to look after themselves and find their own food. Some snakes kill animals such as frogs, fish, rabbits, rats and mice. They can kill these animals in two ways. Firstly by squeezing them, to death and secondly by injecting them with poison.

Snakes Snakes reptiles cold blooded creatures. the same group as lizards a sub-group of their own. a scaly skin and no legs. their old skin

Female snakes eggs. the baby snakes the eggs a bright scaly skin. a tiny version of the mother. Baby snakes their own food. Some snakes animals frogs, fish, rabbits, rats and mice. these animals poison.