Nouns and Verbs

Nouns and Verbs

By Nick Compton

• a phone (une portable)

• money (l'argent)

• food (la nourriture)

• the car (la voiture)

• air (l'air)

​Things

• friends (des ami/es)

• home (la maison)

• the beach (la plage)

• Australia (l'Australie)

• school (l'école)
  

​People, places

Nouns are people, places, and things

• un / une

• le / la / l' / les

• de la / du / de l' / des

French articles

• a / an

• the

• some

​English articles

Identifying nouns
Nouns are often preceded by an article

• nourishment (l'alimentation)

• assistance (l'aide)

• comfort (le confort)

• despair (le désespoir)

• fun (l'amusement)

​Abstract nouns

• concrete (le béton)

• trees (les arbres)

• furniture (meubles)

• sky (le ciel)

• food (la nourriture)

​Concrete nouns

'Things' can include concrete nouns (that we can see/feel) or abstract nouns (things we can't see/feel)

• _ment (eg comportement)

• _tion / _sion (imitation)

• _é (modernité)

• _age (tournage)

• _eur / _euse (le bonheur)

​French endings

• _ment (eg contentment)

• _tion (imagination)

• _ity (modernity)

• _ness (happiness)

• _ship (friendship)

English endings

Abstract nouns are concepts, or ideas. They often have the following endings:

Categorize

Options (12)

excitement

simplicity

table

pencil

mother

oven

happiness

ability

anger

apartment

city

misfortune

Categorise each noun as either concrete or abstract:

Abstract noun

Concrete noun

• needing

• being

• having

• existing

• wanting

Not obvious action

• flying

• eating

• kicking

• yelling

• running

​Obvious action

Verbs are, technically, actions. But not all verbs are obviously actions.

• sport (le sport)

• football (le foot)

• car (voiture)

• song (chanson)

• art (l'art)

Not a verb

• have (avoir)

• be (être)

• play (jouer)

• make (faire)

• sing (chanter)

Verb

How to identify a verb.
If it makes sense to put the word in the phrase 'I can ____', it can be a verb.

• I water the plants.

• We plant a seed

• They book a table for two.

• I love you

• I action the request.

Verb

• Plants need water

• I read a book

• Love is all around

• Verbs are actions

​Noun

Word versatility
Many words can be nouns or verbs

Categorize

Options (12)

sing

fly

verb

noun

strike

think

see

song

snack

gather

match

country

Organize these options into the right categories

Verbs only

Nouns only

Verbs or nouns