UNIT 2
1.We use nouns to refer to .......
We use nouns to refer to people, animals, things and places and how we
perceive/experience them.
2. Give examples of types of nouns.
3. Define and give 3 examples of common nouns.
Common nouns are words that refer to entities that are not unique. Ex: dog, folder, pencil.
4. What can proper nouns refer to? List three possible classes and give examples.
Proper nouns are words that refer to entities that are unique.
5. What is the difference between common and proper nouns?
The difference is that whereas common nouns refer to things that are not unique, proper
nouns does.
6. What is the difference between mass/countable and count nouns? List 2 examples
of each.
Mass nouns: Refers to groups of people viewed as a single entities: police, family
Count nouns: denotes entities perceived as separate units : cat, Jack
7. Give three examples of the different types/groups of uncountable nouns.
Uncountable nouns convey entities that cannot be counted; hence, they show no contrast
between singular and plural. These entities consist of solids (gold), liquids (water), gases
(hydrogen), diseases (malaria), emotional and other states of mind (happiness,
receivership), qualities (importance), topics (politics), and processes (fertilization) for the
most part. Also, abstract concepts (feedback, news, theory, time (Carter and McCarthy,
2006: 338f; Biber et al., 1999: 2000) along with some others (e.g. furniture). The majority
of mass nouns are singular, but some are plural.
8.Define plural uncountable/non-count nouns. What is their main syntactic
characteristic? Give 3 examples.
Plural uncountable nouns: are nouns that cannot combine with numerals, therefore they
cannot be counted. Example: clothes, trousers, scissors (Basically, all end in 's')
9. Define collective nouns and give three examples.
Collective nouns: are names for a collection or a number of people or things. Words like
group, herd, and array are collective noun examples.
