TOPIC 1

NOUNS AND PRONOUNS

TOPIC 1

NOUNS AND PRONOUNS

Chung Han Tek

INTRODUCTION
This topic introduces the two major word classes of English grammar: nouns and pronouns. These two word classes belong to the noun group. You can use a noun group to refer to someone or something by naming them. You do this by using a name, called a noun. You may decide not to name the person or thing and use a pronoun. This module will take you through a series of language awareness activities and some language proficiency exercises on nouns and pronouns. The language awareness activities will sensitise you to the characteristics and the grammar rules related to the forms and functions of nouns and pronouns, while the language proficiency exercises provide practice on the use of these two word classes in meaningful contexts.

OBJECTIVES
By the end of this topic, you should be able to: 1. differentiate between nouns and pronouns; 2. identify nouns and pronouns used in prose; 3. explain the grammar rules related to nouns and pronouns; 4. categorise different types of nouns and pronouns; 5. use a dictionary to look for grammatical information about nouns and pronouns; and 6. use different types of nouns and pronouns in appropriate contexts.

TOPIC OVERVIEW
Noun group

NOUNS

PRONOUNS

Common Countable Singular

Proper Uncountable Plural

Personal Reflexive Possessive Demonstrative

Reciprocal Relative Indefinite

Interrogative

Collective

Quantifying

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1.1

NOUNS

Do you know what a noun is? Can you underline all the nouns in the following sentences? Can you explain the criteria you have used to identify the nouns?

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

Hassan is a good doctor. Kuala Lumpur is a city in Malaysia. She wrote a letter to her pen-friend. The teacher likes my singing and dancing. The policeman caught the thief. Wisdom is better than strength. I lost my personal computer at the market. The food at the restaurant is delicious. The crowd dispersed immediately. The team had played very well in the competition.

A noun is a naming word. It tells us what someone or something is called. For example, it can be used to refer to a person (e.g. Hassan, boy, pen-friend, thief), a job title (doctor, policeman), a place (e.g. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, city, market, restaurant), an object (e.g. letter, personal computer, food), an activity/event (e.g. singing, dancing, competition), a quality (e.g. wisdom, strength), a group (crowd, team) or whatever name we can think of. Some nouns consist of more than one word as in pen-friend, policeman and personal computer. These nouns are called compound nouns. Refer to Collins Cobuild English Grammar, p. 27 for more details.

Activity 1.1
Identify all the nouns in the text below by underlining them.

Carriers to share routes Kuala Lumpur: Both Malaysia Airlines and AirAsia will be allowed to fly major domestic routes, the Government has decided. MAS will provide the premium service while the budget airline will provide the low-cost domestic trunk services. The Government also decided that both companies would be given the flexibility to decide on the frequency of flights, capacity distribution, types of aircraft and airfare under the supervision of the Transport Ministry. Adapted from: The Star, 17 March 2006

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1.1.1

Types of Nouns

All nouns are either proper nouns or common nouns. There are two types of common nouns: countable nouns and uncountable nouns. Figure 1.1 shows the relationship among the four types of nouns. Nouns

Proper Nouns

Common Nouns

Countable Nouns
Figure 1.1: Types of Nouns

Uncountable Nouns

(a)

Proper and Common Nouns You use a proper noun as the specific name of a person, place, event or thing. You always spell this type of noun with a capital letter (e.g. Elizabeth, Japan, Monday, Deepavali, Proton Perdana, etc). You use a common noun as the general name of a person, place, event or thing (e.g. girl, country, day, festival, car, etc.).

Activity 1.2
The following text contains proper and common nouns. Can you identify them?

Zaaba, whose real name was Zainal Abidin bin Ahmad, was born on 16 September 1895 in Kampung Batu Kikir near Kuala Pilah, Negeri Sembilan. At a very young age, Zaaba was taught at home by his own father. When he was 13 years old, he started his formal education in a Malay school and developed a strong interest in reading. In 1910, he furthered his studies at St. Pauls Institution in Seremban for 6 years. After graduation, he taught English at the English College, Johor Bahru. Later, he was transferred to the Malay College, Kuala Kangsar. There, he started his career as a writer and contributed articles to newspapers and educational journals. Soon Zaaba became well-known for his literary works.

(b)

Countable and Uncountable Nouns Some common nouns refer to people or things that we can count. They are countable nouns.

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Example: I have two pens. Some common nouns refer to things that are not usually counted. They are uncountable nouns. Example: Drinking milk every day is healthy. However, we can use certain common nouns as countable as well as uncountable, depending on the context. Examples: I bought a chicken to cook my favourite curry. (Countable) Would you like some chicken for dinner? (Uncountable) A good dictionary will indicate whether you can use a noun as countable, uncountable or countable and uncountable.

Activity 1.3
Can you get this type of grammatical information from your dictionary? Find out how your dictionary indicates the information?

Activity 1.4
Sort the following nouns into 3 categories:

countable uncountable countable and uncountable

For each countable or uncountable noun, make a sentence to show its use.

paper furniture beach device talent

electricity meeting beauty luggage work

potato outcome chief billiards instrument

diabetes advice noise factory problem

housewife task poverty experience child

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Examples:
Noun paper furniture Beach Countable I am writing a paper for the conference. ---Pantai Seri is a beautiful beach. Uncountable You can wrap the parcel in brown paper. Malaysia exports furniture made of rubber wood. ----

1.1.2

Number: Singular and Plural

A countable nouns has two forms, singular and plural. The singular form denotes one and the plural form denotes more than one An uncountable noun only has the singular form. Examples: Noun Countable Uncountable Singular girl homework Plural girls -

Here are some rules for you to follow to form plurals for countable nouns. Some examples are provided for each rule.

Activity 1.5
Can you provide some examples of your own? You can use a good dictionary to check your answers.

No. 1. 2.

Rule Add s to the singular Add es to the singular that ends in s, -sh, -ch, -x, or o Cow Rose Class Brush Match Box Cargo Photo Radio Zero Buffalo

Example cows roses classes brushes matches boxes cargoes photos radios zeros/zeroes buffalos/ buffaloes

Your Example

3. 4.

Add s to the singular that ends in -o Add s or es to the singular that ends in o

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No. 5.

Rule Change y into i and add es for the singular ending in y, preceded by a consonant Change f or fe into v and add es to the singular Add s to the singular that ends in f or fe Change the inside vowel of the singular Add en to the singular Nouns from foreign languages have two plural forms Lady Party Thief Leaf Belief Roof Tooth Foot Child Ox Formula

Example ladies parties

Your Example

6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

theives leaves beliefs roofs teeth feet children oxen formulae/ formulas Syllabus syllabi/ syllabuses

So far you have seen that you can form a plural by making some changes to the singular form of a noun. However, this is not the case all the time.

Some nouns have a plural form but no singular form. You can only use them as plural nouns. Examples: Clothing - trousers, pants, glasses, spectacles, pyjamas, shorts, trunks, etc. Tools - scissors, binoculars, clippers, tongs, shears, pincers, etc. Others - belongings, surroundings, goods, expenses, handcuffs, etc. 1. 2. 3. My trousers are dirty. I have a pair of scissors. All his belongings are in the bag.

Some nouns have a plural form but they are uncountable nouns which are singular in meaning. Examples: Diseases measles, mumps, rickets, diabetes, rabies, shingles, etc. Subjects of study/activity classics, physics, statistics, aerobics, athletics, etc. Games draughts, billiards, cards, checkers, darts, etc. Others news, savings, politics, etc. 1. 2. 3. 4. Measles is a harmless disease. Aerobics has become a popular exercise. Draughts is easier to play than chess. The news brings cheers to the public.

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Some nouns have a plural form but you can use them in the singular or plural. Examples: Crossroads, means, series, barracks, headquarters, quarters, barracks, bellows, gallows, species, etc. 1. 2. 3. This crossroads does not have traffic lights. There are three crossroads along Jalan Indah. Internet is an effective means of communication. All means have been used to locate him. This species of orchid is very rare. You can find different species of flowers in the park.

Some nouns do not have a plural form and you always use them in the singular. They are uncountable nouns. Examples: Furniture, information, traffic, knowledge, advice, machinery, homework, equipment, clothing, scenery, luggage, oil, sand, rice, love, meat, milk, etc 1. 2. 3. This information is reliable. Little knowledge is dangerous. The meat has turned bad.

Some nouns do not have a plural form but you always use them in the plural. They are also known as plural nouns. Examples: Cattle, police, vermin, gentry, poultry, people, military, etc 1. 2. 3. The cattle are grazing in the field. The police have completed their investigation. Some people are never satisfied. (Note: People is singular when it means nation.)

Some nouns do not have a plural form but you can use them in the singular or plural. Examples: Sheep, deer, salmon, trout, grouse, mackerel, aircraft, Chinese, Japanese, Swiss, etc 1. 2. This sheep has grown fatter. There are three sheep in the field. He is a Japanese. Japanese are hardworking people.

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There are some nouns for which only a singular form is used because they refer to certain things in the world that are unique. These nouns are referred to as singular nouns. Examples: Moon, sun, atmosphere, air, etc. 1. 2. The moon is so beautiful tonight. The sun was shining brightly.

Activity 1.6
Check how your dictionary indicates the types of nouns mentioned above.

1.1.3

Collective Nouns

Collective nouns refer to groups of people, animals, or things. They can be common nouns (e.g. army, audience, bunch, committee, family, team, etc.) or proper nouns (e.g. the BBC, the Senate, the UN, etc). When a collective noun is singular in form, you can use it in the singular or plural, depending on the meaning you wish to convey. Examples: 1. 2. My family is small. Family is used in the singular because it is considered a single unit. My family are cleaning the house. Family is used in the plural because it is thought of as a number of individuals, i.e. the family members.

A collective noun can have both singular and plural forms (e.g. family families), but some collective nouns do not have plural forms. Nevertheless, you can still use them in the singular or plural. Examples: 1. 2. The public is supportive of the new action plan. (Singular) The public are divided in their opinion. (Plural)

Activity 1.7
Can you identify the words which can be used as collective nouns? Find out how your dictionary indicates this type of noun.

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staff week crew instrument board

vehicle enemy furniture jury money herd

1.2

PRONOUNS

Read the two texts below and decide which text is better. Provide a rationale for your choice.

Text A When Mr. Low got a job in the factory, Mr. Low was afraid of losing his limbs in the machines. So, Mr. Low was always very careful when Mr. Low worked. However, one day, Mr. Low slipped and his left leg got caught in a machine. Mr. Low was afraid Mr. Low might lose his left leg. His fear was confirmed when Mr. Low was admitted into the hospital. A doctor told Mr. Low that his injured leg had to be amputated. Text B When Mr. Low got a job in the factory, he was afraid of losing his limbs in the machines. So, he was always very careful when he worked. However, one day, he slipped and his left leg got caught in a machine. Mr. Low was afraid he might lose his left leg. His fear was confirmed when he was admitted into the hospital. A doctor told him that his injured leg had to be amputated. You will see that Text B is more cohesive because the word he has been used to replace Mr. Low in the text to avoid unnecessary repetition of the proper noun. The word is a personal pronoun. It is a type of pronoun.

Activity 1.8
Can you provide other examples of personal pronouns? How many other types of pronouns do you know? Make a list of them. For each type, provide as many examples as possible in the form of sentences. Compare what you have got with the notes provided. Find out how much grammatical information you can get from your dictionary.

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Read through the notes below and compare them with your answers to Activity 1.8. For more detailed information, refer to Collins Cobuild English Grammar, p.28-42. 1. Personal Pronouns
Subject Pronouns Singular Plural 1st Person 2nd Person 3rd Person he she it I dont know what to do. Would you come along? She was a pretty woman. It is a very long novel. They have decided to go. I you they him her it we Object Pronouns Singular Plural me you them us

Examples:

He told me the news. John likes you very much. We were with her last night. My bother has read it. I gave them a warning.

You use personal pronouns to refer to yourself (e.g. I), the people you are talking to (e.g. You), or the people or things you are talking about (e.g. he, they). There are two sets of personal pronouns: subject pronouns and object pronouns.

2.

Possessive Pronouns
Singular 1st Person 2nd Person 3rd Person Examples: his hers 1. This book is mine. 2. Is that coffee yours or his ? 3. It was her fault, not theirs. 4. He is an old friend of ours. Mine yours theirs Plural ours

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You use possessive pronouns to show possession. Examples: The book is Ahmads. It is his. These cats are our pets. They are ours.

3.

Reflexive Pronouns
Singular myself yourself himself herself itself 1. He killed himself. 2. 3. She stared at herself in the mirror. We introduced ourselves to the VIP. Plural ourselves yourselves themselves

1st Person 2nd Person 3rd Person

Examples:

4. You should buy yourself a new watch. 5. You need to ask yourselves questions.

Reflexive pronouns refer back to the subject in a sentence. Example: She hurt herself. (subject)

You can use a reflexive pronoun for emphasis. You can leave out the reflexive pronoun without changing the meaning of the sentence. Compare: 1. 2. The town itself is very crowded. / The town is very crowded. She made the card herself. / She made the card.

4.

Demonstrative Pronouns Singular this that Plural these those

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This/These refers to something that is close to you, or that you consider to be close to you. That/Thoserefers to something that is not close to you,or that you do not consider to be close to you. Examples: 1. 2. 3. 4. This is a list of reference books That was difficult for me. I bought you these. What are those?

5.

Indefinite Pronouns anybody anyone anything everybody everyone everything nobody no one nothing somebody someone something

You use indefinite pronouns to refer to people or things but you do not know exactly who or what they are, or their identity is not important. Examples: 1. 2. 3. 4. Ask anyone. They/he will tell you. She could wear anything she liked. They/It looked pretty on her. Everyone is ready. They/he can leave anytime. Everybody is enjoying themselves/himself at the party.

Indefinite pronouns are singular, but if you want to use a pronoun to refer back to an indefinite pronoun, you can either use a singular or plural pronoun. The use of plural pronouns are more common in formal English.

6.

Reciprocal Pronouns each other one another

You use reciprocal pronouns to indicate that people do the same thing, feel the same way, or share the same relationship. Examples: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. John and Sam shouted at one another. (John shouted at Sam. Sam shouted at John.) The two lights moved towards one another. Ali and Asiah love each other. We helped each other a lot.

Both each other and one another can refer to two or more people or things.

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7.

Relative Pronouns Who Whom Whose that which

Like other pronouns, relative pronouns refer to somebody or something you have mentioned earlier. At the same time, they join clauses together. The clause introduced by a relative pronoun is the relative clause. You will learn more about relative clauses in Topic 8. (clause) (clause) I talked to the salesman. He came yesterday. I talked to the salesman who came yesterday. Relative Clause

You use who and whom to refer to people. Examples 1. 2. 3. That is the man who/whom I met yesterday. Boys who keep long hair will be punished. (Whom is not possible) The old lady to whom you gave the money was my neighbour. (After preposition, who is not possible.)

You use whose to show who or what something belongs to. Examples: 1. 2. 3. Children whose parents are educated tend to be more intelligent. The police recovered the car whose owner went missing last week. He is the one from whose house the stolen goods were found.

You use which to refer to things. Examples 1. The road which leads to my college is muddy. 2. The hunters found footprints which belonged to the elephant. 3. The shop from which I bought the book is in the next block.

You use that to refer to people or things. Examples 1. 2. 3. The clothes that were on display were imported from Italy. He is the man that came just now. I like the idea that you have suggested.

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8.

Interrogative Pronouns who whom whose which what

You use interrogative pronouns to ask direct or indirect questions.

Examples: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. What is that? Who was at the door just now? For whom do you buy the food? Who/Whom did you talk to? Whose is this? Which do you like? I asked him who he was talking to. He wondered what Sally would do now.

Quantifying Pronouns all another any both each either enough few fewer less little many more most much neither several some One*

Quantifying pronouns are quantifiers, which indicate number or amount. You can also use quantifiers as determiners. Many were offered scholarships. (Pronoun) Many students were offered scholarships (Determiner) You will learn about determiners in Topic 5.

Most quantifying pronouns are followed by of as in some of the fund...., several of my friends...., none of them..., etc. One can be a personal pronoun as in One should wok hard to succeed. Examples: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. All must come for the meeting. Give him some money, if you have any. I saw one girl whispering to another. I have two interesting novels. You can borrow both. There are twenty prizes. Each of them is worth RM200.00. Would you like to have some steak?

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SUMMARY
This module provides grammatical information about nouns and pronouns. Nouns may be classified as proper or common nouns. A common noun can be countable, uncountable or both. In terms of number, nouns can be singular or plural in form. Some nouns, when singular in form, may be used in the singular or plural. Likewise, when they are plural in form, they may be used in the singular or plural. A collective noun which is singular in form may be used in the singular or plural. Pronouns are words that can replace expressions functioning as nouns. The nine types of pronouns covered in this module are personal, possesive, demonstrative, reflexive, indefinite, reciprocal, relative, interrogative and quantifying pronouns.

GLOSSARY
Proper noun Common noun Countable noun Uncountable noun Plural noun Singular noun Collective noun Pronoun a noun that refers to the specific name of a person, thing or place, and is spelt with a capital letter. a noun that refers to the general name of a person, thing or place. All nouns that are not proper nouns are common nouns. a noun that refers to entities that can be counted (also called count noun). a noun that refers to entities that cannot be counted (also called uncount noun). a noun for which only a plural form is used. a noun for which only a singular form is used because it refers to certain things that are unique in the world. a noun that refers to a group (also called group noun). a function word that typically fills the position of an entire noun phrase, e.g. it for the book, she for the beautiful lady, etc.

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TEST 1
(a) Identify the types of nouns underlined in the following sentences. Leave the box empty if it is not relevant.
No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10. 11. 12. Sentence The Prime Minister will announce the 9th Malaysia Plan. How much time did you spend on the work? This is not my first time here. The refugees are well taken care of. You should say nothing but the truth. I need some writing paper to write the report. My Fair Lady is a good play. We will send the equipment later. Two more new quarters are being built for teachers. Teaching is a noble profession. I enjoying learning statistics. MAS has reduced the number of aircraft to cut cost. Common/ Proper Countable/ Uncountable Singular/ Plural

(b)

Replace the underlined words with suitable collective nouns. Example: The group of players lifted their coach in jubilation. (team) 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. A lot of people gathered at the accident scene but none helped the victim. Mr. Tan took his wife and children for holiday at the Cameron Highlands. The audience gave the group of performers a standing ovation. The dog helped the shepherd to guide his group of sheep. The general reminded his group of soldiers to be alert at all times. They presented Puan Aini a collection of flowers during the Teachers Day. The group of sailors were busy preparing their gears before they set sail. The principal thanked his group of teachers for the hardwork and dedication.

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TEST 2
Complete each sentence with an appropriate pronoun. Label the type of pronoun you have used. No. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14 15 16 17 18 19 20. Sentence Theres some money on the table. __________ is it? You _____________ saw what happened. It was not my fault. Cars ____________ have air-conditioner are more comfortable. Everyone who meets my brother likes _____________. The man ___________ you spoke to is my teacher. So you have a new baby! Is _________ a boy or a girl? That is not Hassans car. Im sure it isnt ___________. ________ is that man standing at the door? We promise to get in touch with _____________. I see that you have cut __________ again. What a careless boy! __________ has taken my pen. Do you know who? I wondered to __________ we must report the matter. __________ are not the answers. You should try harder. They have cancelled the meeting __________is scheduled at 9 a.m. _________ can attend the talk as long as they are above 21. All the apples are bad. You can eat __________ of them. Which shirt do you prefer, this or __________? The prices of cars have dropped but I still cant afford _______. ________ should constantly ask oneself questions during reading. Kenneth has been a family friend of _________ for many years. We really treasure our friendship. Type of Pronoun

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ANSWER KEYS
Test 1 (a) (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) (11) (12) (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) proper common, uncountable, singular common, countable, singular common, countable, plural common, countable, singular common, uncountable, singular proper common, uncountable, singular common, countable, plural common, countable, singular common, uncountable, singular common, countable, plural crowd family cast flock army bouquet crew staff

(b)

Test 2 (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) (11) (12) (13) (14) (15) (16) (17) (18) (19) whose (interrogative) yourself (reflexive) which/that (relative) him (personal) whom/who/that (relative) it (personal) his (possessive) who (interrogative) each other/one another (reciprocal) yourself (reflexive) Someone/Somebody (Indefinite) whom (interrogative) Those (demonstrative) which/that (relative) Anyone (indefinite) neither/none (quantifying) that (demonstrative) one (quantifying) one (personal)

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REFERENCES:
Alexander, L.G. (1988). Longman English Grammar. New York: Longman Biber, D., Conrad, S. & Leech, G. (2002). Longman Student Grammar of Spoken and written English. England: Pearson Education Limited. Quirk, R. & Greenbaum, S. (1990). A Students Grammar of the English Language. England: Longman Sinclair, J. (ed.) (1991). Collins Cobuild Students Grammar. London: HarperCollins. Sinclair, J. (ed.) (1993). Collins Cobuild English Grammar. London: HarperCollins.

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