NOUN. CATEGORY OF NUMBER
The noun denotes objects, substances, living beings (people and animals), abstract notions, different phenomena. The English noun has the grammatical categories of number, case and gender. There are different classifications of the Noun. The most important are the semantic classification and the classification of nouns into countable and uncountable
The semantic classification of noun I. The semantic classification of nouns is based on their meaning, according to which they fall into different groups. A common noun is the general name of an object, a place, a person or an idea. • a computer, a city, a boy, love, joy, luck
The semantic classification of noun A common noun may be concrete, abstract or collective. A concrete noun names an object that occupies space and can be seen and touched. • a flower, a CD, a banana Concrete nouns fall into class and material. A class noun refers an object to the same class of things. It can be counted. A material noun denotes substance and generally is uncountable. Compare: • a glass — glass, an iron — iron An abstract noun names an idea, some notion. • freedom, intelligence, competence A collective noun names a group of people or things. • a family, a flotilla, people, government, cast
The semantic classification of noun A proper noun is the name of a particular person or a geographical p 1 асе. • Mrs. Honey, Brian, London, the Tiber, the Alps
The classification of nouns into countable and uncountable is based on the ability of nouns to be counted
The classification of nouns into countable and uncountable 1. If the noun is countable it can agree with the verb in the singular and in the plural; it can take the indefinite article. The indefinite pronouns (not) many or (a) few are used. • This is a great book. — These are great books. I've got (not) many, (a) few French books at home.
The classification of nouns into countable and uncountable 2. If the noun is' uncountable it agrees with the verb only in the singular; it can't take the indefinite article, (not) much, (a) little are used with them. • It is hard work. (No article!) He does much work. I have (a) little work today.
Category of Number Countable nouns in English have two numbers — the singular and the plural. The plural can be expressed in English by: 1. Adding -s or -es to the singular; -es is added to the nouns ending in (t)ch, s, sh, x or z:
2. The change of the root vowel: 3. Identical forms for the singular and for the plural:
Names of nationalities ending in -ese, -ss also have identical forms for the singular and for the plural:
4. Foreign Plurals A lot of words borrowed from Latin and Greek form their plural in modern English in the regular way, i. e. , by adding -(e)s. But a few have kept their original Latin or Greek plural endings. The most common of them form the plural according to the table below.
5. The plural of compound nouns
6. As for uncountable nouns some of them are always singular and some are plural.
