The Noun

 

 THE NOUN

 A noun is a part of speech used as the name of person, an animal, a place, a job title, a thing, an action ,a quality, a state.

 1.      Classification of Nouns

1.1. According to word-formation, nouns can be:

a) s i m p l e: pencil, dog, boy;

b) d e r i v e d: driver, booklet, discontent;

c) c o m p o u n d: postcard, dining room, editor-in-chief.

d) contract: lab (laboratory), ad(advertisement), gym (gymnastics)

e)abbreviation: MP (Member of Parliament), VIP (Very Important Person), PO (Post Office/Postal Order), TV (Television)

 1.2. According to countability, nouns can be:

a) c o u n t a b l e, when they can have a plural form and can be used with the indefinite article, or with many, few, several: apple, lesson, son:

Give me an apple. They eat many apples.

 b) u n c o u n t a b l e, when they cannot be used in the plural or with the indefinite article, but can be used with much, little:

There was much noise in that room.

 NOTE: Some nouns can be countable in one meaning and uncountable in another: paper, difficulty, lamb, etc.:

Paper is not cheap nowadays. I have a morning paper.

 2.      Number of Nouns

There are two numbers:

-sg: when we speak about one person, one thing

-pl: when we speak about more than one person

 

2.1. THE PLURAL OF COUNT NOUNS:

Nouns are made plural by adding:

a)  -s to the singular:

book – books                             toy – toys

cat – cats                                   boy- boys

 b) -es to nouns ending in -s, -z, -x, -ss, -ch, -sh:

bus – busses               box – boxes

fox – foxes                   fish -fishes

watch – watches         brush – brushes

kiss – kisses              lash -lashes

 c) - es to nouns ending in consonant + y (y changes into i):

fly – flies                party - parties             city – cities                

story -stories         victory – victories         factory –factories

 d) -es is added to nouns ending in -o preceded by a consonant:

hero – heroes                                potato – potatoes

but: photo – photos

 e) - s to nouns ending in a vowel + y:

          boy – boys      key - keys         day –days     ray -rays         toy – toys

f) –f (e) to nouns ending in –f/ -fe (which changes into -v):

knife – knives                        calf -calves

leaf – leaves                         half – halves

wife – wives                          life – lives

loaf – loaves                          wolf – wolves

scarf – scarves                      shelf – shelves

shelf -shelves

but: roof – roofs                           proof –proofs       belief – beliefs                      safe -safes

       chief – chiefs                       grief - griefs

 

both –s /es: beef – beefs (kinds of beef)

                    beeves (carcasses of oxen)

                     dwarf –dwarfs/ dwarves

                     handkerchief – handkerchiefs/ handkerchieves

                     scarf – scarfs/ scarves

                     turf – turfs/ turves

                     wharf – wharfs/ wharves

                     motto – mottos/ mottoes

                     volcano – volcanos/ volcanoes

                     zero – zeros/ zeroes

 g) –s to nouns ending in –th:

          cloth – cloths                     hearth - hearths

          birth – births                      month - months

          heath – heaths                  path - paths

          bath – baths                      mouth - mouths

 h) –s to nouns ending in o:

         bamboo – bamboos         studio – studios

         cameo –cameos              scenario - scenarios

         kangaroo – kangaroos     cuckoo -cuckoos

   radio – radios                   portofolio – portofolios

   folio – folios                      casino – casinos

  embryo – embryos            albino – albinos

 

but :     Negro – Negroes

            tomato –tomatoes

            hero – heroes

           domino - dominoes

abbreviations: kilos ( kilogramme)

                       photos (photograph)

                       pianos (pianoforte)

proper names : Fillipino – Fillipinos

                         Eskimo – Eskimos

                         Romeo - Romeos

i)                    Some nouns have irregular plurals::

man – men                                   mouse – mice;

woman – women                          goose – geese

foot – feet                                     tooth – teeth

louse – lice                                  child – children

ox – oxen

 NOTE: Some nouns have the same form in the singular and the plural: deer, sheep, fish, fruit, trout, salmon, carp, hake, plaice, roe grouse, snipe, game, cod, crossroads,  means, series, species, dozen, hundred, thousand, spacecraft, hovercraft, Chinese, Portuguese, Swiss, etc.:

 A sheep is in the valley. Ten sheep are in the valley.

A Chinese is looking at us. The two Chinese are looking at us.

This is an efficient means. These are efficient means.

The plural forms fishes, fruits denote different species or varieties:

We studied the fishes of the Pacific Ocean.

 j) some count nouns are usually plural and are followed by a plural verb. These nouns refer to single items that have two linked parts:

- articles of dress: braces, breeches, drawers, jeans, pants,  knickers, pyjamas, shorts, tails, tights,                                trousers

 - tools and instruments consisting of 2 parts: bellows, pliers, binoculars, glasses, scales,                             scissors, tongs, spectacles

 - parts of the body: entrails, genitals, thews, vitals, bowels

 - miscellaneous: alms, annals, auspicies, barracks, clothes,  colours (flag), contents, corps, customs,     

                                   funds, fireworks, gallows, headquarters,  innings, manners, remains, sands, spirits,

                                   thanks, works

 k) -s is added to

- the last element of a compound noun:                         

       washing machine – washing machines

             forget-me-not – forget-me-nots

             grown –up – grown –ups

             merry – go – round – merry –go –rounds

 -       to the first element:

             passer-by – passes-by

             son-in-law – sons-in-law

            editor – in – chief  - editors – in – chief

            man – of –war – men of war

            looker –on – lookers -on

 -       both elements take the plural:

              woman-driver – women-drivers.

             man servant – men servants

l) some nouns of Greek or Latin origin form their plural by adding Greek or Latin suffixes:

 stimulus – stimuli

larva – larvae

stratum – strata

basis – bases

criterion – criteria

stratum –strata

datum -data

 but: cactus – cacti/cactuses

        formula – formulae / formulas

2.2. Uncountable nouns have either the singular or the plural.

2.2.1 Singular nouns, which take a verb in the singular, are:

 a) Concrete uncountable nouns: bread, meat, luggage, furniture, money, etc.:

       My luggage is very heavy.       The money is on the table. 

b) Abstract uncountable nouns: music, progress, nonsense, information, knowledge, advice, homework, etc.:

        Your advice is always good.     His knowledge of German is poor. 

c) Proper nouns: George, The United States, The Atlantic Ocean, The Danube, etc.:

       The United States lies in North America.

d) Nouns ending in -s: news, measles (and another names of diseases), optics, mathematics (and other names of sciences), cards, ninepins (and other names of games):

       This news is very good. Mathematics is difficult for me..

 NOTE: To express quantity of uncountable nouns, we can use the words: piece, item, bar, slice, gramme, pound, a loaf etc.:

a piece of news/information/furniture/advice/cake/bread (o veste / informaţie / mobilă / un sfat /o bucată de prăjitură /pâine),

a bar of soap/chocolate, a slice of bacon/cake,

a pound of sugar/flour/rice/coffee.

 a loaf of bread.

 2.2.2. Plural nouns, which take a verb in the plural, are:

a) Articles of dress: trousers, pijamas, tolls and instruments: scales, scissors, etc.:

       Your trousers are on the chair. Where are the scissors?

 b) Proper nouns: The Alps, The Highlands:  The Alps are high mountains.

 c) Substantivized adjectives: the rich, the poor, goods, etc.:

          The poor are suffering. The goods were sold at the     auction.

 d) Unmarked plurals: cattle, infantry, people, police, etc.:

The police are after the thief.

 NOTE: When we want to refer to one article of dress or instrument, we can use the word pair: a pair of trousers/scissors/scales. Some “collective nouns” like: family, team, crew, jury, etc., take a verb in the plural when reference is made to the component elements, and a verb in the singular, when they are used generically: His family is large. His family are at home. The crew is waiting for the captain’ command. All the crew are washing the deck 

 3.      Case of Nouns. The Genitive

From the point of view of form, there are two types of genitive:

3.1. The analytical genitive with the preposition of, used with neuter nouns or with long noun phrases:

 the colour of his eyes, the husband of the woman you have met.

          

   3.2. The synthetical genitive with ‘s added to singular nouns or irregular plurals: the girl’s performance, the men’s results, and (‘) added to regular plurals, or to proper nouns ending in –s: the students’ answer, Dickens’ works. It may be used with the following:

 a) nouns denoting persons or other beings:

John’s wife, the doctor’s order, the cow’s milk;

 b) nouns denoting measurement, time, space, quantity, value:

a two weeks’ holiday, a life’s work, a mile’s drive, a pound’s worth of pears;

 c) collective nouns: the firm’s investment, the government’s decision;

 d) nouns that can be personified (geographical names, vehicles, natural phenomena, etc.):

Romania’s history, the ship’s crew, the day’s heat.

 NOTE: In the elliptic genitive the head noun is not expressed: the baker’s (shop), my grandmother’s (house), St. Paul’s (Cathedral). I’ve seen some of Harry’s drawings, but none of Mary’s (drawings).

 COLLECTIVE NOUNS – refer to a group of people and things considered as a whole; take a verb in the singular, if we refer to them as a whole, and in the plural, if we refer to their component elements:

 army, audience, assembly, board, band, cabinet, class, committee, company, community, corporation, council, crew, department, enemy, faculty, family, firm, flock, gang, group, government, herd, jury, majority, minority, navy, press, public, school, staff, senate, society, team, troupe, government, herd, pack, pod, swarm, string

 His family is small.   His family are sleeping.

 Always use a plural verb with: police, people, cattle

 4.      Gender of Nouns

4.1. There are four categories of gender:

a) m a s c u l i n e: man, brother, uncle;

b) f e m i n i n e: woman, sister, aunt;

c) n e u t e r: book, house, snow; (ob.neanimate sau finite ale caror gen nu este necesar sa fie specificat- nu implica ideea de sex)

d) c o m m o n: cousin, friend, pacient. ( o singura forma ptr masc. si fem)

 The feminine can be formed:

1. By adding "-ess" to the masculine (sometimes with other slight changes):

MASCULINE	FEMININE
actor	actress
ambassador	ambassadress
adventures	adventuress
author	authoress
baron	baroness
benefactor (donator)	benefactress
count	countess
doctor	doctoress
duke	duchess
editor	editress
emperor	empress
enchanter (vrajitor)	enchantress
founder	foundress
god	goddess
giant	giantess
heir	heiress
host	hostess
hunter	Huntress
inspector	inspectress
Jew	Jewess
lion	lioness
mayor	mayoress
manager	manageress
master	mistress
murderer	murderess
negro	negress
priest	priestess
prince	princess
poet	poetess
patron	patroness
prophet	prophetess
protector	protectress
steward	stewardess
shepherd	shepherdess
sorcerer (vrajitor, vraci)	sorceress
tiger	tigress
waiter	waitress

- er

MASCULINE	FEMININE
widow	widower
spinster	spinner

-rix

MASCULINE	FEMININE
administrator	administratrix
executor	executrix
prosecutor (procurer)	prosecutrix
testator	testatrix
aviator	aviatrix/aviatress
director	directrix/directress

-a

MASCULINE	FEMININE
don	dona
czar	czarina
sultan	sultana
signor	signora

                                                                              

2. By use of different words:

MASCULINE	FEMININE
bachelor	maid/spinster
boy	girl
brother	sister
dad/daddy	mum/mummy
father	mother
friar /monk	nun
earl	countess
gentleman	lady
husband	wife
King	Queen
lad	lass
lord	lady
landlord	landlady
lover	mistress
man	woman
monk	nun
nephew	nice
papa	mamma
sir	lady, madam
son	daughter
tutor	governess
uncle	aunt
wizard	witch

 3. By prefixing or suffixing a word:

MASCULINE	FEMININE	COMMON
bridegroom	bride	spouse
boy-friend	girl-friend	friend
chairman	chairwoman
grandfather	grandmother
great grandfather	great grandmother
grandson	granddaughter	grandchild
great grandson	great granddaughter
father-in-law	mother-in-law
brother-in-law	sister-in-law
son-in-law	daughter-in-law
landlord	landlady
man-friend	woman-friend
malenurse	nurse
male patient	female patient	patient
manservant	maidservant	servant
milkman	milkmaid
male-cousin	female-cousin
policeman	policewoman
salesman	saleswoman	salespeople
spaceman	spacewoman	astronaut
schoolboy	schoolgirl	schoolchild
step-father	step-mother
shopman	shop-woman	shop-assistant
step-son	step-daughter
Godfather	Godmother
Godson	Goddaughter

ANIMALS

MASCULINE	FEMININE	COMMON
buck- rabitt	doe-rabitt	rabitt
tom (cat)	tobby (cat)	cat
male elephant	female elephant	elephant
Bull, ox	cow	cow
cock, rooster	hen	fowl
dog, hound	bitch	dog
drake (ratoi)	duck	Duck
fox (vulpoi)	vixen	Fox
gander (gascan)	goose	goose
stallion (armasar)	mare (iapa)	horse
ram	ewe	sheep
drone	bee	bee
buck, stag (cerb)	doe (caprioara)	deer
boar, hog (vier)	sow (scroafa)	pig/swine
he-bird	She-bird	bird
bull-dog	bull-bitch	bull-dog
male-dog	female-dog	dog
he-goat	she-goat	goat
he-bear (urs)	she-bear (ursoaica)	bear
bull-calf	cow-calf	calf
turkey cock (curcan)	turkey-hen (curca)	turkey
cock-pheasant (fazan)	hen-phasant (fazanita)	pigeon
dog-wolf	bitch wolf	wolf
cock-sparrow  (vrabioi)	hen-sparrow (vrabiuta)	sparroe
cock-pigeon	hen-pigeon	pigeon (porumbel)
peacock	peahen	peafowl

 4. Foreign feminines:

MASCULINE	FEMININE
fiancé	fiancée
hero	heroine