What is a Noun?
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Nouns are very important parts of every sentence. They answer who or what. Suppose someone came up to you and said, "Ran to the store." You'd be pretty confused. Who ran to the store? That sentence needed another noun!
Nouns can be people, places, things or ideas. Let's look at some nouns.
Here are some nouns that tell us who the people in our sentences are:
girl, boy, mother, father, teacher, gardener, Mrs. Callahan, Dora the Explorer, astronaut
Now you think of some. Be sure to put your own name on your list. Can you think of ten person nouns?
Nouns can also name a place. Here are some place nouns:
New York, Disneyland, Broadway, Main Street, California, France
Your turn. List ten place nouns. Be sure to name where you live!
Thing nouns give us names for all the things in our world. Big or small, ugly or beautiful, they're all nouns. Here are some thing nouns:
computer, banana, horses, books, cars, caterpillars, germs, mountain, dishwasher
Now you try. List ten thing nouns.
The last kind of noun is pretty hard. These nouns are ideas. You can't see them or touch them, but you can feel them or believe in them or not believe in them.
Here are some idea nouns:
peace, love, happiness, sadness, freedom.
Can you think of any other idea nouns? Check the dictionary to see if you were right. These are very hard to understand!
Next: Turn over this paper. Draw a picture filled with nouns. Then list them on the side or on another piece of paper. How many nouns can you fit into one drawing?