8 Nouns for Class 7 Definitions Examples Exercises Chapter 4

Nouns are a fundamental part of language, serving as the building blocks of communication. In Chapter 4 of the Class 7 curriculum, students delve into the intricacies of nouns, exploring various types and their respective definitions, examples, and exercises.

Understanding Nouns

a. Definition of Nouns?

Nouns are words that denote a person, place, thing, or idea. They form the backbone of sentences, providing essential information about subjects and objects.

b. Types of Nouns

Nouns can be categorized into different types based on their functions and characteristics. Understanding these types is crucial for mastering grammar and communication skills.

1. Proper Nouns

A proper noun refers to the name of a specific person or thing that is unique and distinct from others.

A. Characteristics:

a. Capitalization:

• The first letter of a proper noun always begins with a capital letter.
• Example: Dog, Tree, House

b. Specificity:

• The term “proper” denotes specificity. A proper noun represents a specific name.
• Examples: John, Paris, Monday

c. Article Usage:

• There is typically no article like “A,” “An,” or “The” before a proper noun.
• Exception: Sometimes “The” is used before certain proper nouns.
• Example: The United States, The Eiffel Tower

B. Proper Noun Uses and Examples:

a. Particular Person:

• Gavaskar
• Kapil
• Sourav
• Sanchita
• Bikash
• Krishanu

b. Particular Place, Building, Famous Thing:

• Delhi
• The Victoria Memorial Hall
• Diamond

c. Particular Day, Month, Festival:

• Friday
• March
• Durgapuja
• X-mas

d. Particular Book:

• The Geeta
• The Ramayana
• The Mahabharata
• The Koran

e. Particular River, Sea:

• The Ganga
• The Jamuna
• The Pacific Ocean
• The Bay of Bengal

f. Particular Mountain:

• The Himalayas
• The Alps
• The Andes

g. Particular Continent, Country:

• India
• Asia
• Japan
• Europe
• America
• China

h. Particular Road, Street:

• G T. Road
• B.T. Road
• Diamond Harbour Road
• College Street

i. Particular Language:

• Bengali
• English
• Hindi

j. Particular Newspaper:

• The Telegraph
• The Statesman
• The Ananda Bazar Patrika

k. Particular Disease:

• Diarrhea
• Fever
• Cold and Cough
• Cancer
• Typhoid

l. Particular Temple, Mosque:

• Kali Temple
• Golden Temple
• Jumma Masjid

Proper nouns denote specific entities and are essential for precise communication in English.

2. Common Nouns

Consider the following sentences:

• Man is mortal.
• My uncle has a dog.
• I’m reading a book.
• We’re drinking the water of the river.

These words are not specific names of any particular person, animal, object, or place.

A. Analysis:

• Man: Refers to all human beings collectively. It is a common name for humanity.
• Uncle: Commonly refers to a male relative who is an uncle.
• Dog: A common name for a domestic animal.
• Book: A common term for a written or printed work consisting of pages bound together.
• River: Generally denotes any flowing body of water.

B. Characteristics of Common Nouns:

• Common nouns apply to a class of entities rather than specific individuals.
• They are usually preceded by articles like “a,” “an,” or “the.”
• Examples: The sun and the moon are common nouns, not proper nouns.

Common nouns encompass general categories and are essential for everyday communication in English.

Difference between Proper Nouns and Common Nouns

3. Material Noun or Mass Noun

Definition:

A material noun is the name of the material required to make something. It refers to substances or things whose elements cannot be counted by numbers, only measured or weighed.

Examples:

• Soil
• Rice
• Water
• Gold
• Silver
• Milk
• Oil

A. Characteristics:

1. Types of Substances:

• Metals (e.g., Gold, Silver, Iron)
• Powders (e.g., Flour, Sugar)
• Liquids (e.g., Water, Oil, Milk)
• Gases (e.g., Oxygen, Hydrogen)

2. Main Crop Example:

• Paddy is the main crop of Bengal.

3.  Usage in Sentences:

• The hammer is made of iron.

B. Usage of Material Nouns:

1. Quantity, Not Count:

• Material nouns cannot be counted individually, only by quantity.
• Examples: Gold, Silver, Paddy, Water, and Wood.

2. No Articles:

Material nouns do not take articles (a, an, the) unless specifying a particular type or instance.

Examples:

• Gold is a precious metal (Material Noun).
• The gold of Kolar is very famous (Common Noun).

3. Singular Form:

• A material noun is always in the singular form.

4. Uncountable Nature:

• Material nouns are always uncountable.

4. Collective Nouns or Group Nouns

A. Definition:

A collective noun refers to a group of people, animals, or objects. It denotes a collection of individuals considered as a whole.

Examples:

1. Class: Students who study together.

• Subrata reads in our class.

2. Row: A group of trees.

• There is a row of trees beside the river.

3. Flight: A group of birds.

• I see a flight of birds in the sky.

B. Characteristics:

1. Group Denotation:

• A collective noun is used to represent a group of individuals or items as a single entity.
• Examples: Class, row, flight.

2. Singular and Plural Usage:

• A collective noun is singular when referring to the group as a whole.
• Each member within the group is considered plural.
• Example: “The class is taking its exam” (singular), “The students in the class are taking their exams” (plural).

3. Articles:

• The article (a, an, the) precedes a collective noun.
• Example: “The class,” “a row,” “the flight.”

Examples of Collective Nouns

1. A group of boys 
2. A flock of sheep
3. A herd of elephants
4. A swarm of bees
5. A shoal of fish 
6. A herd of cows 
7. A troop of monkeys 
8. A flight of birds 
9. A bunch of grapes
10. A tuft of hair
11. A row of trees
12. A gang of robbers
13. A bunch of keys
14. A set of tools
15. A herd of buffaloes
16. A swarm of flies
17. A party of actors
18. A handful of rice
19. A crew of sailors
20. A regiment of soldiers
21. A range of hills
22. A range of mountains
23. A galaxy of stars 
24. A series of events
25. A bundle of sticks
26. A shower of rains 
27. A band of musicians
28. A cluster of stars
29. A group of islands

5. Abstract Nouns

A. Definition:

Abstract nouns represent qualities, concepts, or things that cannot be seen or touched but can only be felt or thought of.

B. Examples:

1. Qualities:

• Honesty
• Kindness
• Youth
• Courage
• Intelligence
• Cruelty
• Nobility
• Goodness
• Strength
• Relationship
• Freedom
• Friendship
• Beauty

2. Actions and States:

• Examination
• Knock
• Talk
• Advice
• Health
• Running
• Movement
• Childhood
• Youth
• Boyhood
• Infancy
• Poverty

C. Characteristics:

1. Nature:

• Abstract nouns are always nouns, not adjectives.

2. Formation:

• Abstract nouns are often formed from adjectives.

3. Common Noun Precedence:

• Sometimes, an abstract noun precedes a common noun.
• Examples: Examination, knock, talk, advice, health, running, movement, childhood, youth, boyhood, infancy, poverty.

4. Visibility:

• Abstract nouns are not visible or tangible.

5. Countability:

• Abstract nouns are always uncountable.

6. Number:

• Abstract nouns are singular in form.

7. Articles:

• Abstract nouns do not take articles (a, an, the).

Formation of Abstract Nouns with Different Suffixes

Abstract nouns can be formed using various suffixes. Here are ten examples for each type of suffix:

Suffix: -ness

Suffix: -ity

Suffix: -tion

Suffix: -ment

Suffix: -ship

Suffix: -ance / -ence

Suffix: -hood

Suffix: -cy

Suffix: -ism

Suffix: -al

Compound Nouns

A compound noun is a combination of two or more nouns that form a single entity. Compound nouns are formed by joining two or more nouns together to create a new word that represents a specific concept or object.

Examples:

• Dot-pen
• Cricket-match
• Toothbrush
• Firefighter
• Breakfast
• Classroom
• Airport
• Moonlight
• Raincoat
• Football

Count and Mass Nouns

Nouns can be categorized into two types based on their countability: countable nouns and uncountable nouns, also known as mass nouns.

1. Countable Nouns

Countable nouns are the names of persons, things, or animals that can be counted by numbers.

A. Types of Countable Nouns:

a. Proper Nouns:

• Swami Vivekananda
• India
• Australia
• Kolkata
• Sourav

b. Common Nouns:

• Cow
• Man
• Tree
• Book
• Market
• Pencil
• Page

c. Collective Nouns:

• Bundle
• Group
• Gang
• Team
• Bunch
• Class

B. Characteristics:

a. Countable nouns use the singular form with articles like “a,” “an,” or “the.”

• Example: a pen, an elephant, the boy.

b. They also have a plural form.

• Example: pens, elephants, boys.

c. Countable nouns can be quantified with numbers.

• Example: one book, two books.

2. Uncountable Nouns

Uncountable nouns, also known as mass nouns, cannot be counted by numbers but only by measure.

A. Types of Uncountable Nouns:

a. Material Nouns:

• Milk
• Water
• Gold
• Honey
• Sugar
• Sand
• Ghee

b. Abstract Nouns:

• Peace
• Honesty
• Power
• Duty
• Death
• Truth
• Leisure

B. Characteristics:

• Uncountable nouns have a singular form.
• They do not have a plural form.
• Uncountable nouns are not preceded by articles like “a,” “an,” or “the.”
• They cannot be quantified with numbers.

Exercises

1. Fill in the blanks in the following sentences with Nouns :

(i) The student is going to …………. 

(iv) The baby is drinking …………. 

(ii) The Ganges is a sacred …………. 

(iii) New Delhi is the …………. of India.

(v) The farmer is cultivating the ………….  

(vi). ………….  is a useful metal.

(vii) The Telegraph is an English ………….

(viii) The Ganga is the longest river in ………….

2.  Make sentences with the following:

(a) Food and drink. 

(b) Father and mother. 

(c) Life and soul. 

(d) Flesh and blood. 

(e) Head and tail. 

(f) Weal and woe.

3. Fill in the blanks with a suitable Noun from the list given below:

(i) The farmer is working in the ……………. 

(ii) We cannot live without  …………….

(iii) The boy is famous for his  …………….

(iv) He has bought two kilos of  …………….

(v) ……………. is the only food of a baby. 

(vi) The police arrested a ……………. of robbers.

(vii) Do you know the   ……………. f Mount Everest? 

(viii) I don’t know   ……………. of the bridge.

(ix) He left the village in the   ……………. of night. 

(x) The girl was red with   …………….

[List of Nouns: height; air length; field; anger; bravery; gang; darkness; wheat; milk.]

4. Fill in the blanks in the following sentences with suitable Common Nouns :

(i) India is our   …………

(ii) New Delhi is the  …………….of India. 

(iii) The Gita is a holy  ……………. of the Hindus.

(iv) The Ganges is a sacred  …………….

(v) Mary was the …………….  of Jesus. 

(vi) This train will not stop at all  …………….

5. Put the following nouns in the right place in the table below.

6. Tick the appropriate name of the noun given in the bracket:

(i) Vivekananda was born in Calcutta. [Common, Proper, Collective] 

(ii) Honour gives pleasure. [Material, Proper, Abstract] 

(iii) We saw a flight of birds. [Collective, Proper, Common] 

(iv) Childhood is the best period of life. [Proper, Common, Material] 

(v) India got freedom through movement. [Abstract, Common, Proper] 

(vi) We saw the brightness of the sun. [Proper, Common, Material, Abstract] 

(vii) De Silva was a Sri Lankan player. [Common, Proper, Collective] 

(viii) My friend is coming on Sunday. [Proper, Common, Material]

7. Form abstract nouns from the following adjectives, verbs, and nouns :

(a) Strong (adjective)

(d) Punish (verb)

(b) Poor (adjective)

(e) King (noun)

(c) Know (verb)

(f) Friend (noun)

8. Fill up the blanks with a suitable Collective Noun:

(a) A …………. of robbers. [gang, fleet, crowd] 

(b) A  …………. of buildings. [flock, herd, cluster] 

(c) A ………….  of sailors. [crew, mob, shoal] 

(d) A  …………. of listeners. [host, bundle, team]

(e) A  …………. of cattle. [row, bunch, herd] 

In conclusion, mastering the concept of nouns is essential for developing strong language skills. By understanding the various types of nouns and practicing with examples and exercises, students can enhance their grammar proficiency and communication abilities.

FAQs

1. What is the difference between common and proper nouns?

2. How can I identify abstract nouns in a sentence?

3. Can you give more examples of collective nouns?

4. Why are uncountable nouns important in English grammar?

5. How do compound nouns contribute to language enrichment?