Nouns | Chapter 5 | English Grammar | Benjamin Hathaway

1001 Questions and Answers on English Grammar by Benjamin Hathaway Nouns 1. How may we determine whether any word is a noun or not? If the word is the name of anything that can be thought of or spoken of, it is a noun. 2. Into what two general classes are nouns divided, common and proper? 3. What is a common noun? It is a name that belongs to all of a class, as boy, girl, dog, horse. 4. What is a proper noun? It is a name that belongs to one, and possibly more, of a class, but not all, as Charles, Mary Rhodes, Lebanon, Christmas, etc. 5. In what cases do nouns, usually common, become proper? 1. When the name is personified as, O fate, ambition, thou art a cheat, reason says my power is to advise, peace and plenty smile upon the earth. 2. When the noun is used to distinguish one individual from another of the same class, it is generally known by the article the preceding it, as the capital, the express, the bar, the common, the falls. 6. When do nouns, usually proper, become common nouns? When they are used to denote one or more of a class. They are then preceded by an article, as He is the Cicero of his age, many a fiery Alp. 7. What may be used as a noun? Any word, phrase, sentence, sign, or figure may become a noun. 8. Give examples. The is an article. To be right is better than to be president. That she should be false to one whom she dearly loves is very strange. Equals sign denotes that the quantities between which it is placed are equal. Four, the figure, is a composite number. 9. What names besides common class names are included among common nouns? Abstract, collective, and verbal or participial nouns. 10. Define an abstract noun. It is the name of a quality abstracted from that in which it is found, as goodness, cheerfulness, hardness, frailty, vanity, virtue, knowledge, pride, greatness, wisdom, generosity, cohesion, length, etc. 11. Define a collective noun. It is a word that signifies more than one, though it is singular in form, as assembly, army, people, council, flock, herd, jury, school, swarm, nation, company, crowd, fleet, audience, etc. 12. Define a verbal noun. It is the name of an action or state of being, as singing, cheering, triumphing, description, seeming, substitution, existence, standing, declaration, actuality, etc. 13. What is a compound noun? It is a proper noun composed of two or more proper names, as James Monroe, John Quincy Adams. 14. What is a complex noun? A proper noun with a title prefixed as Lord Chesterfield, Sir Isaac Newton 15. What changes of form do English nouns undergo? A change of form to denote difference of number, another to denote the possessive use, and a third to denote difference of gender or sex As Nominative and Objective Singular Dog, Plural Dogs Singular Church, Plural Churches Singular Man, Plural Men Possession Singular Dogs, D-O-G-Apostrophe-S Plural Dogses, D-O-G-S-Apostrophe Singular Churches, C-H-U-R-C-H-Apostrophe-S Plural Churcheses, C-H-U-R-C-H-E-S-Apostrophe Singular mans, M-A-N apostrophe S, plural mens, M-E-N apostrophe S Gender Masculine count, feminine countess Masculine emperor, feminine empress Note This constitutes the complete inflection of the English noun 16. What properties have nouns? 4. Person, number, gender, and case A. Person 1. What is person? It is that property of a noun or pronoun which distinguishes the speaker, the person spoken to, or the person spoken of. 2. How many persons are there? There are three, first, second, and third. 3. What does the first person denote? The speaker or writer. I am he. 4. What does the second person denote? That which is spoken to, as I wish you, John, to remain. O time, how few know thy value. 5. What does the third person denote? That which is spoken of, as Victor Hugo is a great writer. 6. How is the person of a noun determined? By seeing if it be the name of the speaker, that spoken to, or that spoken of. 7. Give examples of the third person form used for the first. Mr. Wood asks the honor of Miss Smith's Company. B. Number. 1. What is number? It is that in nouns which distinguishes one from more than one. 2. How many numbers are there, and what are they called? There are two, singular and plural. 3. What does the singular number denote? Only one, as boy, man, horse. 4. What does the plural number denote? More than one, as boys, men, horses. 5. How is the plural regularly formed? By adding s or es to the singular, as hat, hats, log, logs, box, boxes. 6. How is the plural irregularly formed? Usually by change of word, as man, men, ox, oxen, child, children. 7. How are the plurals of nouns ending in x, z, s, ss, sh, ch formed? By adding es to the singular. As fox, foxes. Ads, adses. Lens, lenses. Kiss, kisses. Lash, lashes. Church, churches. Eight, how do you form the plural of a word ending in y preceded by a consonant, by changing the y into i-e-s, unless the name is proper. Then the plural is formed regularly, as memory, memories, m-e-m-o-r-i-e-s, fairy, fairies, f-a-i-r-i-e-s, sky, skies, s-k-i-e-s, merry, marys, m-a-r-y-s, fanny, Fanny's, F-A-N-N-Y-S, Henry, Henry's, H-E-N-R-Y-S. 9. How do the compounds ending in full or full, F-U-L or F-U-L-L, form their plurals? Regularly, as handfuls, cupfuls, spoonfuls, bowlfuls, etc. 10. How do most other compounds form the plural? The sign is generally added to the part described by the rest, as step-sons, courts-martial, sons-in-law, etc. 11. How are the plurals of nouns ending in F or F-E formed? Generally by changing F or F-E into V-E-S. 12. Give a list of the words forming their plurals thus. calf, beef, life, wife, elf, self, wolf, half, loaf, shelf, knife, thief, wharf, sheaf, leaf, etc. 13. Give a list of words ending in F or FE that take their plurals by adding S only. brief, strife, fife, safe, chief, grief, mischief, scarf, turf, gulf, hoof, roof, proof, etc. 14. How do nouns ending in FF form their plurals? Usually, regularly, as puff, P-U-F-F, puffs, P-U-F-F-S, but sometimes irregularly, as staff, S-T-A-F-F, staves, S-T-A-V-E-S. 15. How are the plurals of nouns ending in O, preceded by a consonant, formed? By adding ES to the singular, as cargos, C-A-R-G-O-E-S, potatoes, P-O-T-A-T-O-E-S, heroes, H-E-R-O-E-S, negros, N-E-G-R-O-E-S, Mosquitoes, M-O-S-Q-U-I-T-O-E-S Grottos, G-R-O-T-T-O-E-S Porticoes, P-O-R-T-I-C-O-E-S Twos, T-W-O-E-S, etc. 16. Give a list of words that are exceptions. Cantos, Solos, Quartos, Octavos, Halos, Tyros, Duodecimos. 17. How are the plurals of nouns ending in O preceded by a vowel formed? By adding S to the singular, as folios, cameos, bamboos, duos, etc. 18. How do the names of letters, figures, marks, signs, etc. form their plurals? By adding an apostrophe and S, as say the A's, A apostrophe S, and B's, B apostrophe S. Give the fours, number four, apostrophe s, and fives, number five, apostrophe s. Notice the commas, comma, apostrophe s, and periods, period, apostrophe s, in reading. Do not omit the pluses, plus sign, apostrophe s, and minuses, minus sign, apostrophe s. 19. When other parts of speech are used as nouns, how form their plurals? The best usage authorizes the regular form, as his buts and ifs and ands are numerous in his writings. The novel is full of ohs, byes, and whys. The yeas and nays were spoken. 20. When a title and name are used together, which is pluralized? The best usage pluralizes the name when the names are the same, as the Miss Smiths, the Mrs. Browns, the Mr. Sharps, the Professor Joneses, etc. When the names are different, the title receives the plural form, as the Mrs. Miller and Wright, the Mrs. Ella and Susie Van Horn, Professors Mendenhall and Scott, Messieurs Payne and Anderson, etc. 21. What classes of nouns have no plurals? names of material substances, abstract nouns, names of arts and sciences, and names of some diseases, as gold, silver, lead, flour, wheat, prudence, indolence, frankness, temperance, music, poetry, algebra, cholera, measles, etc. 22. Are not names of substances ever used in the plural sense? They are when different kinds or qualities of the same substance are meant, as sugars, wines, vinegars, etc. 23. Give a list of nouns that have no singular forms. Ashes, annals, alms, amends, morals, clothes, drawers, scissors, shears, snuffers, tongs, embers, oats, literati, odds, riches, wages, tidings, suds, etc. 24. Name some of the nouns that are alike in the singular and plural numbers. Sheep, deer, swine, species, cattle, vermin, couple, bellows, gallows, dozen, salmon, trout, nuptials, measles, mumps, core, hose, yolk. 25. How are the words news and molasses used in the singular? 26. What are the plurals of nouns taken from foreign languages? Most of them retain their original plurals. 27. How are the plurals of foreign nouns ending in O-N and -um formed? By changing the terminations -on and -um to -a, as criterion, criteria, phenomenon, phenomena, datum, data, erratum, errata, etc. 28. Of foreign nouns ending in -a? Generally by changing -a into -ae, as larva, larvae, nebula, nebulae, formula, formulae, etc. 29. How are the plurals of foreign nouns ending in -us formed? By changing the termination -us into -i, as alumnus, alumni, focus, foci, radius, radii, etc. 30. Of foreign nouns ending in "-is", generally by changing the termination "-is", into "-es", as ellipsis, ellipses, oasis, oases, thesis, theses, etc. 31. Give the plural of child, mouse, cow, sow, sheep, deer, datum, axis, fungus, medium, analysis, calculus, magus, basis, hypothesis. Children, mice, kine or cows, sows or swine, sheep, deer, data, axes, fungi, media, analyses, calculi, magi, bases, hypotheses. 32. Spell the plurals of the following words. Down-sitting, Staff, Bolas, Delay, Valley, Beauty, Bandit, Arcanum, Cherub, Stratum, Oxcart, Foot, Flagstaff, Nunzio, Punctilio, Brush, Seraph, Father-in-law, Madam, I, No. Rebuses, R-E-B-U-S-E-S. Isthmuses, I-S-T-H-M-U-S-E-S. Prospectuses, P-R-O-S-P-E-C-T-U-S-E-S Courts-martial, C-O-U-R-T-S-M-A-R-T-I-A-L Fellow Servants, F-E-L-L-O-W-S-E-R-V-A-N-T-S Outpourings, O-U-T-P-O-U-R-I-N-G-S Attorneys, A-T-T-O-R-N-E-Y-S Ladies, L-A-D-I-E-S Cities, C-I-T-I-E-S Prodigies, P-R-O-D-I-G-I-E-S Mottos, M-O-T-T-O-E-S Monkeys, M-O-N-K-E-Y-S Gases, G-A-S-E-S Geniuses, or Genii Geniuses, G-E-N-I-U-S-E-S Or Genii, G-E-N-I-I Seamen, S-E-A-M-E-N Soliloquies S-O-L-I-L-O-Q-U-I-E-S Talismans T-A-L-I-S-M-A-N-S Ignes Fatui I-G-N-E-S-F-A-T-U-I Beaux or Beau B-E-A-U-X or B-E-A-U-S Henrys H-E-N-R-Y-S Stepsons S-T-E-P-S-O-N-S Miss Franceses M-I-S-S-F-R-A-N-C-E-S-E-S. Master Charlie's. M-A-S-T-E-R-C-H-A-R-L-E-Y-S. Down Settings. D-O-W-N-S-I-T-T-I-N-G-S. Staffs. S-T-A-F-F-S. Or Staves. S-T-A-V-E-S. Boluses. B-O-L-U-S-E-S. Delays. D-E-L-A-Y-S. Valleys. V-A-L-L-E-Y-S. Beauties, B-E-A-U-T-I-E-S Banditti, B-A-N-D-I-T-T-I Arcana, A-R-C-A-N-A Cherubs, C-H-E-R-U-B-S Strata, S-T-R-A-T-A Oxcarts, O-X-C-A-R-T-S Feet, F-E-E-T Flagstaffs, F-L-A-G-S-T-A-F-F-S Nuncios, N-U-N-C-I-O-S Punctilios, P-U-N-C-T-I-L-I-O-S Brushes, B-R-U-S-H-E-S Seraphs, S-E-R-A-P-H-S Fathers-in-law, F-A-T-H-E-R-S-I-N-L-A-W Mesdames, M-E-S-D-A-M-E-S Eyes, E-Y-E-S Nose, N-O-S-E 33. Name some words that have two plural forms. Brother, brothers, in the same family. Brethren, in the same society. Die, dies, stamps used in coining. Dice, used in gambling. Genius, geniuses, persons of ability. Genii, good or bad spirits. Index, indexes, table of contents. Indices, algebraic signs. P, peas, definite number, peas referring to the fruit of the plant without any definite number, penny, pennies, pieces of money, pence, the species of money, fish, fishes, more than one, fish, the species. 34. What singular noun forms are sometimes used in the plural, cannon, yoke, sail, shot, head, etc., as 10 cannon, 4 yoke, 20 sail, all the shot, 1,000 foot, soldiers, 100 head, cattle. C. Gender. 1. What is gender? That property of nouns by which sex is denoted. 2. How many genders are there? There are three, masculine, feminine, and neuter. 3. When is a noun of the masculine gender? When it signifies male beings as man, son. 4. When is a noun of the feminine gender? When it signifies female beings as woman, daughter. 5. What does the neuter gender signify? There are some nouns which have nothing to do with defining sex. They are said to be of the neuter gender, as sun, day, house. 6. Are all nouns included under the above heads? No. There are some nouns that are used indifferently to represent beings of both sexes, as child, fish, mosquito. 7. How many methods are there of distinguishing the gender of a noun? 3. 1. By different words, as boy, girl. 2. By different terminations, as heir, heiress. 3. By prefixes and suffixes, as he-wolf, she-wolf, gentleman, gentlewoman. 8. Give examples of the first. Brother, sister, bachelor, maid, or spinster, beau, belle, steer, heifer, friar or monk, nun, hart, roe, lad, lass, mr., mrs., or miss. 9. Give a list of nouns whose genders are distinguished by different terminations. Adulterer, Adulteress Caterer, Cateress Executor, Executrix Hero, Heroine Heir, Heiress Landgrave, Landgravine Margrave, Margravine Testator, Testatrix Tutor, Tutoress Host, Hostess Jew, Jewess Negro, Negress Note, the best speakers and writers now rarely add the suffix ess to a noun denoting vocation, office, or rank, unless the word primarily means a man, which is true of but a few of our nouns. Thus, the word editor means one who edits, not a man who edits. 10. Give a list of words whose genders are distinguished by prefixes and suffixes. Landlord, landlady, manservant, maidservant, grandfather, grandmother, peacock, peahen, gentleman, gentlewoman, Mr. Jones, Mrs. or Miss Jones. 11. When objects without life are figuratively used as having sex, which are masculine, those noted for their power, size, sublimity, or firmness as sun, time, death, sleep, fear, anger, winter, war, etc. 12. Which are feminine. Those nouns which convey the idea of beauty, pleasantness, weakness, timidity, or fruitfulness, as moon, earth, spring, nature, fortune, hope, knowledge, peace, ship, religion, wisdom, virtue, etc. 13. Name two feminine nouns that have no corresponding masculine. Seamstress, milliner. 14. Name some masculine nouns that have no corresponding feminine. Baker, dandy, brewer, carpenter, lawyer. 15. Collective nouns have what gender? When the objects are considered as a unit, the noun is neuter. D. Case. 1. What is case? It is the property of nouns and pronouns by which their relation to other parts of the sentence is indicated. 2. What relations to other parts of a sentence may a noun hold? A. As subject. As by that sin the angels fell. B. As predicate. As a little learning is a dangerous thing. C. as object of the verb, as he giveth sleep. D. As object of a preposition, as we judge the future by the past. E. As limiting, by signifying possession or kind, as in this place ran Cassius's dagger through. A thousand flowers enchant the gale with perfume sweet as love's first kiss. 3. How many cases are there? There are five case relations which nouns may have. nouns as subject and predicate are said to be in the nominative case nouns as object of a verb and of a preposition are said to be in the objective case and nouns denoting possession or kind are said to be in the possessive case 4. How is the possessive case singular number of nouns made by adding an apostrophe and s to the nominative form as boy's, b o y apostrophe s note a this is the remains of the old form es as in jones j o h n e s 5. How is the possessive plural formed? When the nominative form does not end in S, it is made the same as the singular possessive, as men's, M-E-N apostrophe S. When the plural nominative ends in S, only an apostrophe is added, as horses, H-O-R-S-E-S apostrophe, ladies, L-A-D-I-E-S apostrophe, judges, J-U-D-G-E-S apostrophe. 6. What expression may often be used instead of the possessive form? The phrase with of as the man's enemy or the enemy of the man. 7. When a singular nominative ends in an S sound, how is the possessive usually made? By adding only the apostrophe, as Moses' Law, M-O-S-E-S apostrophe, Goodness' Sake, G-O-O-D-N-E-S-S apostrophe, Peace's Sake, P-E-A-C-E apostrophe. 8. How form the possessive case of compound terms? Annex the sign to the last word, as His Mother-in-Law's Sainted Disposition, President Lincoln's Proclamation, Their Son's-in-Law's Estate, that is S-O-N-S hyphen I-N hyphen L-A-W apostrophe S. 9. Are the apostrophe and S always indications of the possessive case? When added to figures, letters, signs, etc., they mean only plurality, as A's, A apostrophe S, and B's, B apostrophe S, 4's, number 4 apostrophe S, and 5's, number 5 apostrophe S, X's, X apostrophe S, and Y's, Y apostrophe S. 10. When one or more words come between the possessive and the noun limited, which word receives the sign? The word immediately preceding the noun limited, as Mr. Gunther, the tailor's goose, Emmett, the Irish patriot's fidelity. 11. What if different names have separate possessions? Then the possessive sign is annexed to each, as Holbrook's, Harvey's, and Brown's Grammars. 12. What if two or more names refer conjointly to the thing possessed? The possessive sign is annexed to the last one only, as William and Mary's parents are dead. Lucy, Ava, and Martha's teacher is so kind. 13. Give the possessive singular and possessive plural of the following nouns. Foxes, F-O-X-E-S, oxes, O-X-S, oxens, O-X-E-N-S, flies, F-L-Y-S, flieses, F-L-I-E-S, mouses, M-O-U-S-E-S, Mices, M-I-C-E apostrophe S Childs, C-H-I-L-D apostrophe S Childrens, C-H-I-L-D-R-E-N apostrophe S Friends, F-R-I-E-N-D apostrophe S Frienses, F-R-I-E-N-D-S apostrophe Georges, G-E-O-R-G-E apostrophe S Georgeses, G-E-O-R-G-E-S apostrophe Wifes, W-I-F-E apostrophe S Wiveses, W-I-V-E-S apostrophe 14. Give the possessive singular and possessive plural of the following Negro, Bamboo, Lady, Fife, Foot, Fisherman, James, Musselman, Boatman, Sister-in-law, German Negroes, N-E-G-R-O apostrophe S Negroes, N-E-G-R-O-E-S Bamboos, B-A-M-B-O-O-S Bambooses, B-A-M-B-O-O-S Ladies, L-A-D-Y-S Ladieses, L-A-D-I-E-S Fifes, F-I-F-E-S Fifeses, F-I-F-E-S Foots, F-O-O-T-S Feats, F-E-E-T apostrophe S Fishermen's, F-I-S-H-E-R-M-A-N apostrophe S Fishermen's, F-I-S-H-E-R-M-E-N apostrophe S James's, J-A-M-E-S apostrophe S James's, J-A-M-E-S-E-S apostrophe Musulmans, M-U-S-S-U-L-M-A-N apostrophe S Musulmanses, M-U-S-S-U-L-M-A-N-S Boatmans, B-O-A-T-M-A-N-S Boatmens, B-O-A-T-M-E-N-S Sister-in-laws, S-I-S-T-E-R-I-N-L-A-W-S Sisters-in-laws, S-I-S-T-E-R-S-I-N-L-A-W-S End of Nouns