Noun: Grammar Usage & Spotting Errors

In any competitive exam, proper understanding of Grammar Usage is required for attempting questions from the section – ‘English Language’ or ‘Verbal Ability’.  These types of questions are quite common in all competitive exams and mostly come in the form of questions like ‘spotting the errors’.

Finding an error in a sentence is a step-by-step process. Students must follow grammar rules while solving such type of questions.

In English, ‘Parts of speech’ are the basic types of words. There are nine parts of speech: nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, conjunctions, prepositions, interjections and articles.

Let us understand the first part of speech – NOUN.

NOUN: A noun is the name of a person, thing, emotion, idea, group, etc.

There are four types of nouns:

PROPER NOUN: 

A proper noun is the name for one particular member of a class, and usually has a Capital Letter. Examples: Rama, John, Madras, New York, etc.

Also learn the grammar usage of Pronouns

COMMON NOUN:

Names that can be applied to any one class of persons or places or things. Examples: river, cottage, car, child, etc. They are of two types of common noun:

•    COUNTABLE NOUNS:

Those can be counted like one boy, two boys, etc. Countable nouns which can be used singularly should be accompanied with an article.

•    UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS:

Those cannot be counted. Example: Things which are considered in mass or quantity and not in numbers: sugar, sand, dust, etc.; Materials: paper, wood, cloth, silver, gold, iron, etc.; Liquids: water, milk, oil, ink, honey, etc.; Gases: steam, mist, nitrogen, air, etc.; Natural phenomena: heat, cold, electricity, lightning, etc.; Branches of learning: Economics, Mathematics, and Politics, etc.

ABSTRACT NOUN:

An abstract noun refers to an intangible thing, without physical properties, such as an emotion, concept, etc. Examples: love, nationalism, lust, character, etc.

CONCRETE NOUN: 

A concrete noun refers to things with physical properties. These nouns can be sensed using one of our five senses - sight, hear, touch, smell and taste. Examples: paper, sun, light, chair, people.

Considering the fact that nouns are the most significant words in English Language, it is required by the students to classify them into proper categories for identifying correct mistakes or errors in a sentence or a paragraph.