Nouns&pronouns

Identify the compound noun

The farmer put a scarecrow in the northwest corner of the orchard.

• scarecrow

• northwest

• orchard

Answer explanation

Scarecrow names a thing, so it is a noun, and it is made up of two words, scare and crow, acting as a single unit

Identify the compound noun

The senators accompanied the commander-in-chief to several Midwestern states.

• senators

• commander-in-chief 

• Midwestern

Answer explanation

Commander-in-chief names a person, so it is a noun, and it is made up of three words—commander, in, and chief—acting as a single unit

Identify the Compound Noun

Several fourteen-year-old students went on a field trip last week.

• fourteen-year-old

• field trip

• last week

Answer explanation

Field trip is made up of two words, field and trip, acting as a single unit to name a thing—the activity in which the students engaged

Identify the collective noun

Two more students became members of the choir. 

• students

• members

• choir

Answer explanation

Choir names a group of people.

Identify the collective noun

The new managers met the staff in the conference room.

• managers

• staff

• conference room

Answer explanation

Staff names a group of people.

Identify the collective noun

Sheepdogs help supervise a flock of sheep. 

• sheepdogs

• flock

• sheep

Answer explanation

Flock names a group of things—in this case, animals.

Determine whether the underlined word is a singular collective noun, a plural collective noun, or not a collective noun.

The band practices every Tuesday after school.

• plural collective noun

• not a collective noun

• singular collective noun

Answer explanation

Band names a group of people and refers to them as a whole.

The curtains in the living room are very dusty.

• singular collective noun

• plural collective noun

• not a collective noun

Answer explanation

Curtains is not a collective noun, since it does not name a group of people or things. It is simply a plural noun.

The audience was spellbound by the fine performances.

• singular collective noun

• plural collective noun

Answer explanation

Identify the common nouns and proper nouns in each sentence.

Edison patented over one thousand inventions.

Where did the busy inventor work in America?

The laboratory was in New Jersey.

His phonograph was famous in Europe.

Thomas Edison helped to invent movies.

• Edison, America, New Jersey, Europe, Thomas Edison (proper nouns)

• inventions, inventor , laboratory , phonograph , movies (common nouns)

• patented , work , helped , invent (proper nouns)

• thousand , busy ,famous (common nouns)

Answer explanation

      A common noun names any one of a class of people, places, things, or ideas.

 

A proper noun names a specific person, place, thing, or idea. A proper noun may be one word (e.g., Friday, Texas, Saturn, Logan) or more than one word (e.g., Ice Age, Uncle Matt, Ohio River, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory). Proper nouns begin with capital letters.