Lesson 3: Prose: Nouns
Completion requirements
Unit 3
What Does It Mean to Explore?
Reader's Notebook
Prose
Poetry is the best words in the best order. Prose is words in their best order. Non-fiction or fiction writing is called prose. In prose, ideas are presented in simple, direct language.
A noun is a person, place, or thing. For example, Spiderman is a person, Superman's Metropolis is a place, and Batman's Batmobile is a thing.
In a sentence, a noun is the do-er of the action. That makes it the subject in the sentence.
If a noun ends in y and the letter before the -y is a consonant, change the ending to ies to make the noun plural.
There are some unique words which require you to change the f to a v in front of a plural.
Some very unique words require an i for plural endings
If the singular noun ends in us, the plural ending is frequently i.
Example:
If the singular noun ends in on, the plural ending is a.
In a sentence, a noun is the do-er of the action. That makes it the subject in the sentence.
Click on the three tabs below for information on nouns.
All nouns are either
proper nouns, which begin with uppercase letters, or
common nouns, which begin with a lowercase letters.
-
Proper nouns name particular persons, places, or things and require capital letters.
Examples:
(person) Garrett
(place) Lethbridge, Alberta
(thing) Big Dipper
(thing) King's Elementary School
- Common nouns refer generally to persons, places, or things and do not require capital letters (unless they begin sentences).
Examples:
(person) student
(place) home
(thing) fear
Nouns often come before the main verbs and sometimes after as receivers of the action or object.
Examples:
The child walked to the store.
A boy hit the ball out of the park.
When you write about more than one of anything, you usually use the same word, and add an -s to the end.
Example:
If the noun ends in –is, –o, s, -ss, -sh, -ch, -x, or -z, add es to the end to make it plural.
Example:
Example:
Hat – Hats
Boat – Boats
Ray - Rays
Boat – Boats
Ray - Rays
If the noun ends in –is, –o, s, -ss, -sh, -ch, -x, or -z, add es to the end to make it plural.
Example:
Fox – Foxes
Potato – Potatoes (exception photo- photos)
Analysis - Analyses
Potato – Potatoes (exception photo- photos)
Analysis - Analyses
If a noun ends in y and the letter before the -y is a consonant, change the ending to ies to make the noun plural.
City – Cities
Puppy – Puppies
Puppy – Puppies
There are some unique words which require you to change the f to a v in front of a plural.
Leaf – leaves
Wife - Wives
Roof is an exception – the plural is roofs
Two other exceptions are belief – beliefs; chief – chiefs
Wife - Wives
Roof is an exception – the plural is roofs
Two other exceptions are belief – beliefs; chief – chiefs
Some very unique words require an i for plural endings
If the singular noun ends in us, the plural ending is frequently i.
Example:
cactus – cacti
focus – foci
focus – foci
If the singular noun ends in on, the plural ending is a.
Example:
Some plural endings don’t change so you need to identify whether the word is singular or plural by how it is used in the sentence:
Other endings must be memorized because there is no rule for them:
phenomenon – phenomena
criterion – criteria
criterion – criteria
Some plural endings don’t change so you need to identify whether the word is singular or plural by how it is used in the sentence:
Fish – fish
Sheep – sheep
Deer - deer
Sheep – sheep
Deer - deer
Other endings must be memorized because there is no rule for them:
Examples:
Goose – geese
Tooth – teeth
Foot- feet
Mouse – mice
Child – children
Man – men
Person - people
Tooth – teeth
Foot- feet
Mouse – mice
Child – children
Man – men
Person - people
Capitalize proper nouns. Capitalize the first word of your story or paragraph. Capitalize the first word after a period.
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