Name That Thing: The World of Nouns

Stop and look around the room you are sitting in right now. Can you name five things you can see? Maybe you spot a chair, a window, or a book. Now think about the place you are in — your bedroom, a classroom, a kitchen? And what about the people near you — a friend, a teacher, a parent? You just made three lists without knowing it. Every word on those lists is a special kind of word. Get ready to find out what it is called!

A noun is a naming word. Nouns are the words we use to name people, places, and things. Let's look at each group. **People** — A noun can name a person. Words like girl, doctor, uncle, and captain are all nouns. They name who someone is. **Places** — A noun can name a place. Words like park, school, ocean, and city are all nouns. They name where somewhere is. **Things** — A noun can name a thing. Things can be objects you can touch, like apple, bicycle, and cloud. Things can also be ideas you cannot touch, like happiness or friendship — these are still nouns! Here is a handy trick: if you can put the words 'a', 'an', or 'the' in front of a word and it makes sense, it is very likely a noun. Try it — 'a dog', 'the city', 'an idea' — yes, they all work! Nouns can be singular (just one) or plural (more than one). We usually add -s or -es to make a noun plural. One cat → two cats. One box → two boxes.