NOUNS 1

NOUNS 1

A noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, state, or action. The following table gives examples of NOUNS.

Nouns                                                                           Function
1.  man, boy, Ali, John                                                    words that name people
2.  zoo, school, Singapore, London                              words that name places
3.  box, shoes, boxes                                                         words that name things
4.  happiness, freedom, beauty, certainty,                 words that refer to states
     kindness                   
5.  laughter, flight, persuasion, graduation               words that refer to actions

A noun may be used in the following ways in a sentence:

#  as a SUBJECT:  (1) John eats.  (2)  The man runs.

#  as a DIRECT OBJECT:   (1)  She loves John.  (2)  He writes books.

#  as an INDIRECT OBJECT:  (1)  He gave John a book.  (2)  She bought the man some food.

#  as the OBJECT OF A PREPOSITION (ie words such as to, of, on, in ...)
     (1)  According to John, you are wrong.  (2)  The details are given by the man.

#  as the SUBJECT COMPLEMENT (ie the word that is linked to the subject by a verb, such   as is, was, seen, become)
     (1)  This is John.  (2)  That seems to be the man.

#  as the OBJECT COMPLEMENT (ie the word that comes after the object and is directly related to it)
     (1)  She calls him an angel.  (2)  They appointed me Chairman.

#  as an APPOSITIVE (a word or phrase place next to another word or phrase to explain what the latter refers to)
    (1) John, the Chairman, gives us the instruction. (2) The hero, Tarzan, is a very brave man.

#  as a POSSESSIVE (ie a word that indicates ownership)
    (1)  John's project has been praised.  (2)  That man's work has been completed.

#  to MODIFY ANOTHER NOUN
     (1)  The bank manager is very efficient.  (2)  The shoe factory has a lady accountant.

source:  Longman Dictionary of Grammar and Usage