Nouns

Nouns

Nouns are words that give a name to people, places or things, though they can also refer to ideas and other abstract objects. 

Read clear grammar explanations and example sentences to help you understand how nouns are used. Then, put your grammar knowledge into practice by doing the exercises.  

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Average: 4 (111 votes)

Submitted by Nagie23 on Tue, 04/07/2023 - 01:01

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Hello, I would like to ask which of the following is correct
She got ill and she is at/in/ the hospital
Thank you in advance

Hello Nagie23,

When a person is a patient we generally do not use an article with 'hospital', so you could say 'she has gone to hospital' or 'she is in hospital' here.

Other institutions which follow this pattern include schools (when someone is a pupil), universities (a student), courts (the accused) and prison (a criminal).

 

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

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Submitted by Ahmed Imam on Sat, 01/07/2023 - 12:26

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Hello. Could you please help me? Which word is correct in the following sentence?
The police have closed the train station because there has been a/an (accident - incident) that led to severe injuries among the passengers.

I think both are correct, right? In a book called "600+Confusing-English-Words-Explained" I have read before that "All accidents can ALSO be described as incidents – but not all incidents are accidents."

Hello Ahmed Imam,

I agree with what your book says and so yes, both words are possible in that sentence. I think 'accident' is better, however, since there were severe injuries.

It's not impossible for an incident to involve injuries or even deaths, but when there clearly are some and the incident is indeed an accident, then I'd be more specific -- in other words, I'd use the word 'accident'.

All the best,
Kirk
LearnEnglish team

Submitted by Nagie23 on Sun, 28/05/2023 - 13:47

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Hello,
I would like to ask about the following
How can we ask what class is a student?
For example if he or she goes to a primary school?
What class/grade/level?
Thank you in advance

Hello Nagie23,

To some degree, that depends on the terminology used in the place the child is a student (i.e. if they say 'grade', 'class', etc.), but in general I think 'What grade is he/she in?' should be clear most anywhere.

All the best,
Kirk
LearnEnglish team

Submitted by Nagie23 on Mon, 22/05/2023 - 17:04

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Hello,
I would like to ask which of the following is correct
1.What sport do you like?
2.Which sport do you like?
Thank you in advance

Hello Nagie23,

Both are grammatically correct. Generally, we use 'what' when we have an open choice and 'which' when the choice is limited in some way. For example, 'What sport...?' would ask about any sport in the world - the person has a free choice. 'Which sport...?' would suggest there is a particular set to choose from, such as the sports being shown on TV at a given moment, or the sports available at a club, or else the sports taking place on a day of competition.

Note that the distinction is not a firm one but more a tendency.

 

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Submitted by Widescreen on Thu, 11/05/2023 - 12:54

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Hello, please could you clarify which is the correct answer for : ‘Do you like this new variety/ various/ variant/ variation of apple?’ Thank you

Submitted by Nagie23 on Sat, 01/04/2023 - 10:37

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Hello
I would like to ask which of the following is correct
In an exercise we have to choose which is false or true or which is
wrong or correct ?
Thank you in advance

Hi Nagie23,

If this is about the factual accuracy of the information, you can use all of these words.

If this is about accuracy of the language (e.g. correct grammar or grammatical errors), it should be "which is correct or incorrect" (not "true or false").

I hope that helps.

Jonathan

LearnEnglish team

Submitted by Nagie23 on Thu, 16/03/2023 - 12:00

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Hello,
I would like to ask which of the following is correct
An apple pie is a dessert? or pastries?
Thank you in advance

Hi Nagie23,

"An apple pie is a dessert" is correct. You can also say "An apple pie is a pastry", or "Apple pies are pastries."

I hope I've answered your question!

Jonathan

LearnEnglish team

Thank you for your reply.
I would like to ask if an apple pie is a dessert or pastry? In which group/type it belongs?
Thank you in advance

Hello Nagie23,

I'd call apple pie a dessert, though please don't quote me on that as it's not my field of expertise!

In British English, the bready part of an apple pie is called the 'pastry' (in American English it's called the 'crust'), but I don't think we'd say it's a pastry. If you follow the link and read definition 1, that's what it refers to.

The countable noun 'pastry' (definition 2) refers to a range of desserts or sweet cakes that are mostly that same kind of bread with some kind of filling.

Hope this helps, but please remember an expert might disagree with me!

All the best,
Kirk
LearnEnglish team

Submitted by Nagie23 on Tue, 28/02/2023 - 13:46

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Hello,
I would like to ask which of the following is correct
- Panos in nominative is Panos with s at the end
- This is Pano(s) desk without /no s at the end
1. with/ without is correct?
2. At the end is correct?(I mean the last letter of the word)
Thank you in advance

Hello Nagie23,

The first one is correct, though I'd put the letter s in italics (s) or inverted commas ('s'). If it were me writing that, I'd probably slightly reword it: 'The nominative form of 'Panos' ends in 's'.

I'm honestly not sure what to say about the second because it seems to be using Greek declensions (it's Greek, right?) in English; if I understand correctly, there's no 's' in Greek, but in English it's needed to indicate the genitive. And if we're saying this is English, shouldn't it be in English? 'This is Panos's desk' (or 'Panos' desk').

If you're trying to explain the Greek form in English, then I might say something like: 'In the Greek genitive, there is no 's' after 'Pano', so you have to say the equivalent of 'This is Pano desk'.

Hope this helps. My apologies if my I've misunderstood Greek grammar.

All the best,
Kirk
LearnEnglish team

 

Submitted by Nagie23 on Fri, 10/02/2023 - 12:28

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Hello,
I have a question
The word O' clock means exactly or time?
Furthermore it a noun or adverb?
Thank you in advance

Hi Nagie23,

It means the exact hour, e.g. 12:00 is 12 o'clock. It is an adverb and is a shortened form of "of the clock" (which is no longer used).

Jonathan

LearnEnglish team

Submitted by Nagie23 on Wed, 07/12/2022 - 12:29

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Hello,
I would like to ask the following:
"I will send you the email in early November/December".
What does it mean? What is the exact period? From the 1st until the 10th of the month?
Is it the same if we say in the beginning of November/December? etc
Thank you in advance

Hi Nagie23,

"Early November" does not have a standardised definition. I think most people understand it as meaning the period that you said (1st to 10th), roughly. But it is not universally agreed. Some people might consider 10th November to be more "mid-November" than "early November", for instance. If you want to specify the time period more exactly, it would be better to use precise dates (e.g. "I will send you the email by 10 November").

To me, "the beginning of November" sounds much earlier than "early November". I would understand it to mean the first few days of November, or perhaps the first week of November. But this also does not have a precise definition, so understandings may vary.

I hope that helps.

Jonathan

The LearnEnglish Team

Submitted by Nagie23 on Fri, 02/12/2022 - 19:58

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Hello,
I would like to ask the following concerning apostrophe
Is it Andreas' progress or Adreas's progress.
When it comes to Ancient names of history such as Achilles or Ektoras,then it is Achilles's or Achilles ', and Ektoras ' or Ektoras's?
Thank you in advance

Hello Nagie23,

There is no agreement on this, and since there is no single authority recognised by all English speakers, you can find different forms.

I'd say adding 's to the end (Andreas's, Achilles's, Ektoras's -- though in English, we call the latter 'Hector') is what most people do, but many others will add an apostrophe ' without another (Andreas', Achilles', Ektoras').

All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team

Submitted by Nagie23 on Wed, 02/11/2022 - 12:22

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Hello,
If I am a history teacher and I want to inform the parent about his children progress is is correct to say
Hello,I would Iike to inform you about his progress in the lesson ?
Thank you in advance

Hello Nagie23,

As the comment is written, it seems to suggest progress in the course of a single lesson rather than over a longer period of time. I would suggest one of the following:

Hello. I would Iike to inform you/let you know/pass on a few comments about his progress to date/thus far/to this point in the semester/school year/course.

 

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Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Submitted by Nagie23 on Mon, 20/12/2021 - 23:28

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Hello,
Which one of the following is correct when writing a letter
1.This year I would like a present for people/children who are in need
2. The present that I would like for them are... Food, clothes etc
Thank you in advance

Hello Nagie23,

Both sentences are fine, apart from needing to say 'presents' (plural) in the second sentence.

Peter
The LearnEnglish Team

Submitted by Nagie23 on Sun, 19/12/2021 - 09:00

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Hello,
I wouldlike to ask the following :
If I have a flat for rent(I am the landlord), when I cancel or not do/make the procedure of renting, which of the following is correct
1.I couldn't make the reservation OR
2.I couldnt make a / the booking
Thank you in advance

Hello Nagie23,

Could you explain the situation a bit more? I have understood that you own a flat that you rent to other people, but do you rent it long-term (to people who live in it for at least a few months) or do you rent it short-term (for tourists who are there for days or a week or two)?

Also, who are you explaining this to and for what purpose? For example, are you explaining it to the town council? Or is it something you're putting on a website where people look for flats?

I'm sorry to ask all of this, but I need to understand the situation better to make a good recommendation.

All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team

Hello,
1.If I am the landlord and I rent the flat short term(1 to 3 months)and put it on a website or explain to a person who is interested in renting a flat the following :
Can I say: I had to cancel the booking or the reservation?
2. If I am the landlord and I rent the flat long term (1 year or more)
Can I say: I am sorry, I had to cancel the agreement /booking/or reservation?
3. Short term can be up to 3 months?
Thank you in advance

Hello Nagie23,

1) If you say 'I had to cancel the booking' (or 'reservation'), this suggests that there was already an agreement between you and a client for a specific stay. The flat being advertised on a website is not a booking.

If you had to remove your flat from the website -- for example, maybe you decided to live in the flat yourself -- then you could say 'I had to remove the flat from the website'.

2) The terms 'booking' or 'reservation' generally refer to shorter-term rentals. Often people speak about a 'lease', which is a formal written agreement between a landlord and tenant for living arrangements (as opposed to travel).

3) Whether we call something 'short' or 'long' term really depends on the context or situation. I'm not involved in either tourism or renting flats, but from my perspective, a three-month lease would be very short, but a three-month booking for a tourist flat would be very long.

Hope this helps!

All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team