Learn English Language: Lesson 6 - 10

Lesson 6: Names for Things Thought of in Mass

The definition given for common nouns applies more strictly to class nouns. It may, however, be correctly used for another group of nouns detailed below; for they are common nouns in the sense that the names apply to every particle of similar substance, instead of to each individual or separate object.

They are called MATERIAL NOUNS. Such are glass, iron, clay, frost, rain, snow, wheat, wine, tea, sugar, etc.

They may be placed in groups as follows:

(1) The metals: iron, gold, platinum, etc.

(2) Products spoken of in bulk: tea, sugar, rice, wheat, etc.

(3) Geological bodies: mud, sand, granite, rock, stone, etc.

(4) Natural phenomena: rain, dew, cloud, frost, mist, etc.

(5) Various manufactures: cloth (and the different kinds of cloth), potash, soap, rubber, paint, celluloid,etc.

Lesson 7: Words Naturally of Limited Application Not Proper

There are some nouns, such as sun, moon, earth,which seem to be the names of particular individual objects, but which are not called proper names.

The reason is, that in proper names the intention is to exclude all other individuals of the same class, and fasten a special name to the object considered, as in calling a city Cincinnati; but in the words sun, earth, etc., there is no such intention. If several bodies like the center of our solar system are known, they also are called suns by a natural extension of the term: so with the words earth,world, etc. They remain common class names.

Lesson 8: Names of Ideas, Not Things

Abstract nouns are names of qualities, conditions, or actions, considered abstractly, or apart from their natural connection.

When we speak of a wise man, we recognize in him an attribute or quality. If we wish to think simply of that quality without describing the person, we speak of the wisdom of the man. The quality is still there as much as before, but it is taken merely as a name. So povertywould express the condition of a poor person; proof means the act of proving, or that which shows a thing has been proved; and so on.

Again, we may say, "Painting is a fine art," "Learning is hard to acquire," "a man of understanding."

Lesson 9

There are two chief divisions of abstract nouns:

(1) ATTRIBUTE NOUNS, expressing attributes or qualities.

(2) VERBAL NOUNS, expressing state, condition, or action.

Lesson 10: Attribute Abstract Nouns

The ATTRIBUTE ABSTRACT NOUNS are derived from adjectives and from common nouns. Thus, (1) prudence from prudent, height from high, redness from red, stupidity from stupid, etc.; (2) peerage from peer, childhood from child, mastery from master, kingship from king, etc.

-=-=-==-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
** Attn Ezine editors / Site owners **
Feel free to reprint this article in its entirety in your ezine, blog, autoresponder, or on your site so long as you put a link back to this original post, leave all links in place, and do not modify the content in anyway.
-=-=-==-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-