A noun is the name of a person (designer), object (computer), phenomenon (light) or process (development) . Nouns are divided into common nouns, such as book, car, air, love, and proper nouns, such as Mary, Shakespeare, Moscow, the Mississippi, October, Sunday.
2. Nouns are usually accompanied by articles and are often combined with prepositions. The article and preposition are the main features of a noun: a table, the table (table), on the table (on the table), under the table (under the table).
3. Nouns have two numbers: singular and plural , for example: a table (singular) table, tables (plural) tables.
4. Nouns have two cases: common and possessive , for example: mother (common case), mother’s (possessive).
5. The gender of nouns in English is determined not by the form of the word, but by its meaning. Nouns denoting animate objects are masculine or feminine, depending on the gender they denote: a man (masculine) a man, a woman (feminine) a woman. Nouns denoting inanimate objects are neuter: a chair (chair), water (water).
6. Nouns are simple and derivative. Simple nouns are nouns that do not have any prefixes or suffixes: city, book, wheat. Derived nouns are nouns that have suffixes or prefixes, or both: darkness, misprint, unemployment.
7. The characteristic suffixes of derivative nouns include:
– er: manager, worker
– ment: government, advertisement
– ess: hostess, actress
– ness: happiness, kindness
– ion: restriction, connection
– tion: formation, examination
– dom: wisdom, kingdom
– hood: childhood, neighbourhood
– ship: friendship, leadership
– ist: linguist, dramatist
– ty: property, cruelty
– ure: culture, structure
– age: passage, marriage
– ian: musician, technician
– (e)ance: difference (difference), importance (importance)
– ism: journalism (journalism), nationalism (nationalism)
8. Nouns have almost no characteristic prefixes. Prefixes of nouns generally coincide with prefixes of verbs and adjectives, because they occur mainly in nouns formed from these parts of speech:
– re: reconstruction, reflection
– co: coexistence, co-author
– dis: disarmament, dishonesty
– mis: misunderstanding, misrule
– over: overestimate, overflow
– un: uneasiness, unanimity
– under: underestimate, under-secretary
– in: inequality, inefficiency
– sub: subdivision, submission
– inter: interaction, interchange
9. Some nouns are compound and are formed from two words that make up one concept: bedroom, newspaper, reading-room. Some compound nouns are formed from two words with a preposition between them: commander-in-chief, mother-in-law.
10. Nouns can be used in a sentence as:
a) the subject: The train leaves at 6 o’clock.
b) the nominal part of a compound predicate: He is a teacher.
c) an object (direct, indirect prepositional and indirect prepositional): I’ve received a telegram.