McGraw hills essential ESL grammar a handbook for intermediate and advanced ESL students

PA RT I Noun Phrases 1 Copyright © 2008 by Mark Lester. Click here for terms of use. This page intentionally left blank 1 Nouns This chapter is divided into three sections. The first two sections describe in detail the two basic types of nouns: proper nouns and common nouns. Proper nouns are the names of specific individuals; common nouns are the names of categories. The third section describes how we form possessive nouns. Proper Nouns Here are some examples of proper nouns: Specific persons: Dorothy, Miss Marple, Senator Smith, Uncle Fred Specific places: Chicago, Jordan, Red Sea, Mount Olympus Specific things: New York Times, Microsoft Corporation Capitalization of Proper Nouns The most obvious feature of proper nouns is that they are capitalized. However, the conventions of capitalization are anything but simple. Here are some of the more important capitalization rules for persons, places, and things: Capitalization of Persons. Capitalize all parts of the name, including Jr. and Sr.: Fred Smith Sr. Martin Luther King Jr. 3 Copyright © 2008 by Mark Lester. Click here for terms of use. 4 Noun Phrases When civil, military, religious, and professional titles precede a name and are used as part of the name, they are capitalized: General Patton Pope Benedict XVI President Bush However, if the title follows the name or is used to talk about a person, then the title is considered a common noun and is not capitalized. For example, compare the following: Proper noun: Governor Schwarzenegger was reelected. Common: Arnold Schwarzenegger, the governor of California, was an actor. Common: Arnold Schwarzenegger is the governor of California. The names of groups of people (linguistic, religious, racial) are normally capitalized. For example: Catholics Chinese Latinos Capitalization of Places. Geographical terms (for example, street, river, ocean) that are part of a name are also capitalized. For example: Atlantic Ocean Great Barrier Reef Deep Creek Lake Erie Elm Street Mississippi River Empire State Building Rocky Mountains The names of distinct regions are usually capitalized. For example: Mid Atlantic the South the Midwest Southeast Asia Nouns 5 Popular names of places are usually capitalized (and not enclosed in quotation marks). For example: Badlands (South Dakota) Eastern Shore (Chesapeake Bay) Bay Area (California) Fertile Crescent Strangely enough, words derived from geographical names are generally not capitalized. For example: china (dishes) plaster of paris french fries venetian blinds Capitalization of Things. The complete names of private and public organizations of all kinds are capitalized. For example: Cheney High School Peace Corps Green Bay Packers (football team) Xerox Corporation New York Philharmonic The names of historical, political, and economic events are generally capitalized. For example: Boston Tea Party New Deal Great Depression The names of acts, treaties, laws, and government programs are generally capitalized. For example: Declaration of Independence Marshall Plan Federal Housing Act Monroe Doctrine The names of months and the days of the week are capitalized, but not the names of the seasons. For example: fall summer February Wednesday spring winter 6 Noun Phrases Plural Forms of Proper Nouns Plural proper nouns are uncommon, not because there is any grammatical restriction on them, but because we rarely need to use them. Here are some examples of plural proper nouns: We have had three hot Julys in a row. The Smiths went to the beach this weekend. There are two New Yorks, one for the rich and another for the rest of us. Do not use an apostrophe for the plural of proper nouns. For example: X We have known the Johnson’s for a long time. For the use of definite articles with plural proper nouns, see Chapter 3. Common Nouns Common nouns refer to persons, places, things, and ideas (abstractions). Here are some examples: Persons: Places: Things: Ideas: student, women, reporter, father, employee city, river, mountains, forest, sidewalk computer, book, water, elephant justice, love, friendship, honesty, respect Common nouns are divided into two main categories: noncount and count. Noncount nouns are nouns that cannot be used in the plural. The term noncount refers to the fact that these nouns are literally not countable; that is, they cannot be used with number words. Most common nouns are count nouns; they can be counted and used in the plural. The distinction between noncount and count nouns is of particular importance in determining which article to use. This topic is covered in detail in Chapter 3.