Rules of Nouns for Common Errors – Read Practice Sets

Common Errors is the integral part of Competitive English. There are four or five questions of Common Errors in almost all the exams pertaining to Recruitment and Admission. And in common Errors, use of Noun is one of the many topics such as Articles, Pronouns, Adjectives, Adverbs, Verbs, Narration etc. In this article we are covering the use of Nouns and common errors related with Nouns.

Definition of Noun –

Name of anything else. Name of a person, thing, place, thing, quality etc.

Use of Nouns

1. The nouns such as Poetry, Scenery, Advice, Bread, Luggage, Stationery, Cutlery, Furniture, Baggage, etc are always used in singular form and take singular verbs –

e.g. The Furniture of the house is beautiful.

The Poetry of Keats is sensual.

2. The following nouns look plural due to their structure, but in reality they are singular and take singular verbs with them –

The nouns are – News, Politics, Physics, Statistics, Ethics, Economics etc.

e.g. This news is not good.

Note – But if we use the or Possessive Adjectives ( My, Your, Our etc ) before them, they are used as plural and take plural likewise.

e.g. My mathematics are very good.

Here mathematics is not a subject but the power of calculation.

3. The Nouns such as Sheep, Deer, Cattle, Gentry, Poultry, Folk, People, Cavalry, Police, Infantry etc are used only as plural nouns and carry plural verbs with them.

e.g The Cattle are grazing in the field.

The Police have arrested the thief.

4. The nouns such as Committee, Jury, Council, Team, Opposition, Club, Choir, Orchestra etc are used as singular if taken as Collective Nouns. But if the same nouns are used as Nouns of Multitude they are considered plural and take plural verbs.

e.g. The team has given a very good performance. ( Unity )

The team are fighting like street boys

 Common Errors – Rules of Nouns

5. If the structure – Any Singular Noun + Preposition + Same Noun is given, it is followed by singular verb –

e.g. Man after man is being killed.

In this structure only Singular nouns shall be used at both the positions.

6. The nouns such as Wood, Brick, Stone, Glass etc are generally used as uncountable nouns –

e.g. This house is made of brick.

7. When stone is used for weight, it remains same. But when it comes for other meaning, it can  have its plural.

For Example –

Diamond and Emerald are precious stones.

He weighs only 10 stone.

8. Use of Yoke –

Yoke means A piece of wood placed on the necks of oxen. It  remains unchanged as plural or singular. But it can take a, one, two, three etc before it.

A yoke, Two yoke etc.

9. Use of Brother –

It has two plurals. Brothers and Brethren.  When there is the blood relationship, it is brothers and when it is used in the general sense, it is brothers. e.g.

Ram and Shyam are brothers.

All Indians are brethren.

Check your knowledge of Nouns from Practice Set 1

Find out nouns and pronouns from the sentences

Learn Some more usage of Nouns –

Use of People –

People are not good here. ( Group of persons)

The French are an old people ( Tribe, Community)

Peoples of Europe and the USA are friends. ( People of two different places)

Use of Wood –

This table of made of wood. ( Material)

There is a woods near our village. ( Forest)

Common Errors regarding the Use of Nouns –

Use of Abuse –

He showered abuse on me. ( Called me names)

He showered abuses on me. ( Evils )

Social reformers tried to do away many abuses prevalent in society. ( Evils)

Use of Pain –

He has pain in his tooth.

He took pains to educate his children. ( make great efforts)

We will add some more rules of Nouns later. Therefore you are advised to keep visiting this page and also examweb.in