Basic Grammar Rules in English – Nouns and Verbs

For our last article, we learnt about Sentences and its types and 5 types of Nouns namely, Common Noun, Proper Noun, Concrete Noun, Abstract Noun and Collective Noun.

Today, we’ll be learning more about the types of Nouns and Verbs.

There are in total, 8 types of Nouns. So, apart from the ones covered previously, the remaining include as follows:

• Countable Noun (கணக்கிடுப் பெயர்சொற்கள்) – refers to Nouns that have a singular and plural form and usually occurs after a/an or with a number.

E.g. Table, Pen, House, Cart

• Uncountable Noun (கணக்கிடமுடியாப் பெயர்சொற்கள்) – refers to substances, abstracts and liquids which can’t be counted. Often called as Mass Nouns.

E.g. Wood, Milk, Air, Joy.

• Compound Noun (கலவைப் பெயர்சொற்கள்) – refers to two or more words that create a Noun either jointly or separately.

E.g. Daughter-in-law, Milkmaid, Rainfall, Credit Card.

Now, advancing onto Verbs,

Verbs(வினைச்சொற்கள்) are simply action words that describe what the subject is doing. Verbs are crucial parts of a sentence without which, the meaning of the Sentence is lost. Even the simplest of the sentences contain a verb. E.g. She dances. Sometimes, a verb itself can be a sentence, with the subject ‘You’ implied. E.g. Sing! and Drive!

How to recognise verbs in a Sentence?

Normally, verbs are action words but there are also verbs that are non-action words which express a state of being, emotion, possession, sense or opinion. E.g. love, agree, am, have

Therefore, to recognise a verb in the sentence, there are three methods.

1. Find the location of the verb in the sentence, usually, it is next to the Subject.

E.g. We went to the Mall; You write neatly in your notebook.

Here, both ‘went’ and ‘write’ are located next to the subject ‘We’ and ‘You’ respectively.

2. If unsure whether a word is a verb ask, “Can I _____? And see if any of the part in the sentence completes that question

E.g.  Mary hears a ringing in her ear; Call me when you’re finished with the class.

Here, the word ‘hears’ as well as ‘call’ answers the question Can I hear? And Can I call?

3. Ask “What is Happening?” and the word answering that question in the sentence will be your verb.

E.g. Divya eats her dinner quickly; They thought of all the prizes.

Here, eating and thinking is happening. Hence, they are verbs.

Practice:

Find the Verb and the Appropriate Noun in the following Sentences:

1. She sells sea-shells on the sea-shore.
2. Pushpa felt the wind against her face.
3. Mina grasped a hot cup by its handle.
4. Virat drove a truckload of sand into the factory.
5. I feel a feel, a funny feel.

Answers to Previous

Types of Sentences:

1. Assertive Sentence.
2. Exclamatory Sentence.
3. Interrogative Sentence.
4. Imperative Sentence.
5. Exclamatory Sentence.

Types of Nouns:

1. Collective Noun.
2. Abstract Noun.
3. Concrete Noun.
4. Proper Noun.
5. Common Noun.

Next time with the answers and types of verbs.

Until then

– Aishwarya K