Types of Nouns
Think of something in the world, (literally, choose anything). I’ll wait.
…Have you thought of something yet? Whatever thing you’re thinking of, it’s most likely a noun.
What are nouns in grammar?
Nouns name people, places, things, and ideas. We classify the different types of nouns by the grammatical “intel” they give.
| Type of Noun | Sentence Example |
|---|---|
| Common or Proper | James Taylor is a preeminent songwriter from the 70s. |
|
Collective and Abstract |
Happiness means nothing without health. He handed me a bunch of grapes. |
| Countable and Uncountable |
I. Singular and plural nouns: The boxes are on the table. II. Irregular plurals: The course syllabi are uploaded online. |
| Possessives | This is James’s sweater. |
| Appositives | My best friend, a doctor, is coming to town. |
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Common nouns vs proper nouns
Common nouns name general categories, while proper nouns are specific, and reference one thing in particular. Proper nouns always start with a capital letter.
Common nouns do not use capitals, unless they appear at the start of a sentence, or form part of a proper noun (as in the title of something).
| Common Nouns | Proper Nouns |
|---|---|
| The king ruled wisely | Henry VIII was considered an accomplished king |
| She is a girl in school | Sally Jones is a specific person |
| The man is talented | Evan Peters is an actor |
| That city is beautiful | Paris is in Europe |
| Which country did you visit? | I want to visit France next year |
Collective and abstract nouns
Collective nouns refer to groups or collections taken as a whole. Think of an army, fleet, mob, or crowd. Each represents multiple individuals acting as one unit.
| Collective Nouns | Usage Examples |
|---|---|
| crowd | The police managed the unruly crowd at the parade |
| army | The Canadian army was defeated in battle |
| jury | The jury found the accused guilty of the crime |
Abstract nouns represent qualities, states, or actions that can’t be experienced through the five senses. These include concepts like honesty, childhood, and laughter.
| Type | Examples |
|---|---|
| Qualities/Traits | goodness, kindness, braveness, whiteness, darkness, hardness, brightness, honesty, wisdom, bravery |
| Actions | laughter, theft, movement, judgement, hatred |
| States | childhood, boyhood, youth, slavery, sleep, sickness, death, poverty |
For Nouns: Associate “Proper” with “Capital P” to remember Proper Nouns are capitalized; Common Nouns are not.
Countable and non-countable nouns
Most nouns can be counted numerically. A book, pen, chair, and dog are objects we can count.
Non-countable nouns like sand, milk, rice, and water exist in quantities that can’t be counted individually.
| Countable Nouns | Usage Examples |
|---|---|
| book | I read a fascinating book last night. |
| dog | The dogs barked loudly in the yard. |
| woman | Two women started a new business together. |
| pen | He bought three new pens for school. |
| chair | There are five chairs around the table. |
Learn more about nouns!
| Types of nouns | What’s the plural of …? |
| plural-only nouns | …moose? |
| mass nouns | …octopus? |
| collective nouns | …cactus? |
| abstract nouns vs. concrete nouns | …analysis? |
| possessive nouns | …curriculum? |
| regular and irregular nouns | …crisis? |
Worksheet: Types of nouns
Abstract nouns name:
“Wyoming” is an example of which type of noun:
“Library” is an example of what type of noun:
Proper nouns name:
“A committee” is which type of noun:
“Boxes” is an example of which type of noun:
She grabbed ___ book from the shelf.
“Jason’s sweater” is what type of noun:
“Government” is what type of noun:
“Safety first!” is which type of noun:
Yash, D. "How to Use Nouns in Grammar (Common, Proper, Abstract)." Grammarflex, Aug 14, 2025, https://grammarflex.com/nouns/.
