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What is a noun?

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Quick answer

A noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. Nouns are the building blocks of sentences — they're what we talk about. 'Teacher', 'London', 'apple', and 'freedom' are all nouns. A noun names something: a person (doctor), place (Paris), thing (chair), or idea (happiness).

Key things to understand

  1. A noun names something: a person (doctor), place (Paris), thing (chair), or idea (happiness).
  2. Common nouns name general things (city); proper nouns name specific ones and are capitalised (Mumbai).
  3. Nouns can be singular (dog) or plural (dogs).
  4. A noun can act as the subject (who does the action) or the object (who receives it) in a sentence.
  5. Abstract nouns name things you can't touch — love, courage, time.

People also ask

What is a noun, in simple terms?
A noun is a naming word — it names a person, place, thing, or idea, like 'sister', 'school', 'book', or 'kindness'.
What's the difference between a common and proper noun?
A common noun names a general thing (river, boy) and is lower-case; a proper noun names a specific one (the Ganges, Arjun) and is always capitalised.
Can an idea be a noun?
Yes. Abstract nouns name things you can't see or touch — like freedom, joy, or honesty. They're still nouns because they name something.