Of course, many of us already know that nouns are nouns, if they are interpreted according to their short vocabulary. But if explained, then a noun is a word that has a function to express places, objects, animals, and also people. These nouns are one of the eight parts of speech which are important for us to learn. Almost everyone knows that there are many students who experience difficulties in learning English, one of which is the problem of recognizing whether a vocab in English is a noun. For example, color types are included in nouns. No wonder there are many of us who are still confused about this difference.
Therefore, by studying this discussion more optimally, it is hoped that it will make it easier for us to understand what a noun is. If it is not well recognized, then of course it will be difficult to change it into other forms such as noun phrases or others.
What are Nouns?
In English, nouns are parts of speech that are quite important to learn. Because, noun itself is used to name all objects and also concepts that exist in this world, be it physical things or abstract things. In addition, nouns can also be interpreted as words that are used to name and refer to people, things, places, and ideas. In other words, this one word refers to physical objects and abstract concepts. Nouns can be interpreted for example with words like those below.
– Physical objects: pool, house, glass, floor, cup, table
– Abstract concepts: idea, time, age, difficulty, opinion
From the examples mentioned above, we can conclude that nouns do not only refer to physical objects, but also abstract concepts that exist in this world.
Functions of Nouns in Sentences
In one sentence, there are many noun functions that we should understand. Because, when you continue learning English, of course you will experience confusion. So, to prevent this, you can work around this by knowing the further discussion of the material, so it’s not just nouns.
The function of the first noun in a sentence can be the subject of a verb which means the subject of the verb. For example, “Justin has studied Economics for more than 10 years, meaning that “Justin has studied Economics for more than 10 years”. Then for the second function is as a subject or object complement. For the example itself, namely “I am an Engineer, She is a Doctor, He is a Broker” in which the words are positioned as subject complements. Meanwhile for complement objects, for example, “I call him the best daddy, He called me little princess, She called me Prince, and so on.
Nouns are not just nouns, because nouns themselves also function as direct and indirect objects. An example of a direct object is like I can hold all my feelings, which means I can hold all my feelings. Meanwhile, for the indirect object example, My mom teaches me how to cook well. That is, my mother taught me how to cook well.
Various Nouns
In order to be more fluent in understanding noun material, it would be better if we also have to know what are the divisions of the noun itself. The following is a division of noun types that you need to understand, starting from common nouns, abstract, proper nouns, collective nouns, and concrete nouns. The following is a full explanation:
1. Countable and Uncountable Nouns
When interpreted, countable is something that we can count, while uncountable is something that cannot be counted. For countable nouns and also uncountable nouns, both have a discussion of regular and irregular. To understand this division, you are required to memorize. Why? This is because there are several types of nouns that fall into the irregular category, which are the same as in the discussion of irregular verbs. You can’t just add “s” to the noun vocabulary in question. However, there are also some nouns that must be added “es” and adapted to the basic form of Vocab.
For further discussion, here are some examples:
“How many shoes does your sister have right now?” That is, how many shoes does your sister have now? Here, the form of the noun being described is an irregular countable noun.
2. Proper and Common Nouns
Proper is the classification of nouns that are discussed specifically. Where the noun used usually uses a capital letter at the beginning of the word. For example, for nouns Zara, Gucci, Vincci, and so on. Meanwhile, common nouns are nouns that are discussed in general, such as cities, shops, and so on.
3. Abstract and Concrete Nouns
For discussion concrete nouns are nouns that cannot be observed by sensing such as feeling, love, thought, and so on. The opposite of this, for concrete nouns is something that can be seen physically with flour, book, pencil, and so on.
4. Collective Nouns
For discussions such as collective noun which is a name of a group or group.
Noun Phrases and Compound Nouns
Apparently, nouns can form other phrases known as noun phrases. This phrase is the result of a combination of nouns with modifier forms such as determiners and so on. The form of this determiner modifier is for example (a, an, this, that, her, such, each, every, and so on). Meanwhile, there are also combinations of nouns with adverbs (too, very, so, and so on). Then lastly, noun phrases also have combinations of nouns and adjectives such as intelligent, lovely, stubborn, and so on.
Forms of examples that can be given in the form of Noun Phrase are such as that man, this dog, beautiful woman, such a worse day, and so on. Nouns can also be combined with other parts of speech such as prepositional phrases or adjectives. The result of this combination can actually form a new meaning or what is usually known as a compound noun.
The example of a combination of nouns with nouns is toothpaste. Then the combination of noun and verb is like a rainbow. While the combination of nouns with prepositional phrases is like mother-in-law, sister-in-law, or brother-in-law. The last is a combination of adjectives and nouns, for example cupboard and blackboard.
Noun Substitute
The next discussion for nouns is related to gerunds, noun clauses, infinitives, and others. The following is a full explanation.
1. Gerunds
This form is a simple form of the verb added with the ending ing. However, you have to be careful with other types of verb ing which have other meanings as well. Examples of sentences for gerunds are, for example, I love talking, my brother loves swimming in the pool, my mom is scared of swimming, and finally my father hates reading so much.
2. Noun Clauses
Noun clause is a dependent clause that is used as a noun. For example, like I know what he meant, I wonder if he will be okay or not.
In explanations in English, whether it’s from vocabulary or communication in English, then you have to learn it from the basics. One of them is that you have to understand a word that is useful for declaring an object, place, and also a person.
Functions of English Nouns
Noun itself has several important functions. Where these functions include direct and indirect objects, subject of verbs, and so on. For more complete, below is the summary.
1. Direct and Indirect Objects
The direct object usually has the goal of answering a question, in the form of whom and what after the action verb in a transitive sentence. In contrast to the indirect object which functions to answer a question from the word for what or to whom. Therefore, it is important to understand that nouns that act as objects can be direct objects and indirect objects. When a noun becomes an object, it will generally be accompanied by pronouns such as determiners (a, an, the) and others.
Example of Direct Objects:
a. Marchell plays piano in his room. (Marchell plays the piano in his room.)
b. Velia married a Korean man. (Velia married a Korean man.)
Example of Indirect Objects:
a. Siti bought his dad a house. (Siti bought her father a house)
b. Nura cooks spaghetti for Bambang. (Nura cooks spaghetti for Bambang)
2. Subject of Verb
Most people think that nouns only function as objects. However, in reality, that’s not always the case. Where a noun can also function as a subject. In a sentence, a noun or noun will function as a subject when it is in front of the verb. Nouns that function as subjects can be accompanied by determiners (an, the), but they can also be accompanied by determiners. This depends on the subject used. Maybe this sounds a little confusing to you, but don’t worry, because below we will discuss an example.
Examples of Subject of Verbs
a. Riki is swimming. (Riki is swimming)
b. A car was stolen yesterday. (A car was stolen yesterday)
c. His restaurant serves tea. (The restaurant serves tea)
3. Subject and Object Complement
The next function of nouns in English is as subject and object complement. The subject complement is a complement that refers to the subject in a sentence. The complement will usually be in the form of a noun or noun that is placed in the word before the linking verb. Meanwhile, object complement is almost the same as subject complement. If the subject complement explains the subject, the object complement will function to explain the direct object. The direct object will usually be in the form of a noun or noun.
Examples of Subject Complements:
a. Damara became a pianist after his sister passed. (Damar became a pianist after his sister died)
b. Her uncle was a famous softball player. (His uncle was a famous softball player)
c. I am the director of this company. (I am the director of this company)
Example of an object complement:
a. Joko brought Kenanga a cake. (Joko brings Kenanga cake)
b. Jono cooks a noodle for Dani. (Jono cooks noodles for Dani)
c. Lala gives his son a car. (Lala gives her son a car)
4. Object of Preposition
One of the functions of a noun is to state a place. Generally, we need a preposition to describe a place. These prepositions are prepositions such as on, in, at. The following is an example of an object of preposition.
Examples of Object of Prepositions:
a. My dog loves to sleep in a large box. (My dog likes to sleep in big boxes)
b. I learned Korean proficiency. (I am learning Korean proficiently)
c. The library is on the three floors. (The library is on the third floor)
This is an explanation of what a noun is in English. Hopefully the explanation above can add to your insight about English material.