Exercise 1

Write each common noun under the correct heading.

theater lion father brother
doctor restaurant builder stove
elephant kangaroo museum library

things animals places people

Exercise 2
Underline the common nouns and circle the proper nouns in these sentences.

1. I told Uncle John about my accident.

2. Kim and Stephanie wore masks on Halloween.
3. The lawnmower is broken.
4. We’re going to the movies tomorrow.
5. The lion is playing with one of its cubs.
6. My sister’s favorite soccer player is David Beckham.
7. I’m watching a videotape about the Sahara Desert.
8. The tourists visited Rome and saw the Colosseum.
9. Does this bus go to the stadium?
10. We’re reading a story about a boy called Harry Potter.

Exercise 3
Read the following passage containing common nouns and proper nouns. Put a C in
the box after a common noun and a P in the box after a proper noun.

Mr. Peters lives in Maine in a big house by the sea . He has three cats
and a dog . He likes to travel to different countries . Last Christmas , he went
to Paris and saw the Eiffel Tower . He enjoyed eating French food in nice
restaurants .

10
 Nouns: Plural Nouns

◗ Some nouns are always plural.

N o t e s
trousers glasses
You can use a pair of with these
shorts spectacles plural nouns. For example:
jeans goggles a pair of trousers
pants scissors a pair of pants
tights binoculars a pair of glasses
pajamas pliers a pair of scissors
a pair of chopsticks
Some nouns are usually plural. a pair of sandals
a pair of gloves
shoes chopsticks
sandals gloves
slippers clogs
boots socks

Exercise 4
Underline all the nouns in the following sentences. Are they common or proper nouns?
Put a checkmark ✓ in the correct box.

common nouns proper nouns

1. Do you like cheese?

2. They stood next to the Niagara Falls.

3. May I borrow your umbrella?

4. The ambulance was driving very fast.

5. Carl did not agree with them.

6. She loves to visit Disneyland.

7. Would you like some more water?

8. The fog was very thick.

9. May I invite Tom to join us?

10. My car is very old.

15
 Exercise 5

Read the following passage. Write S in the box after each singular noun and P in the
box after each plural noun.

Our teacher is a very nice lady . She’s very kind to all the children in the

class and she tells us very funny stories . Yesterday, she told a story about

the animals on a farm . They all had a race . The pigs and sheep ran

faster than the ducks and cows , but the heroes of the story were the

mice . They were faster than all the other animals , even though they had the

shortest legs !

Exercise 6

Read the following passage. Notice that the plural nouns are missing. Write the correct
plural form of the singular nouns in parentheses. The first one has been done for you.

Three ladies (lady) in pink (dress) took their (baby)

for a walk in the zoo. They saw four (giraffe), three (hippo),

two (kangaroo) and an elephant. They walked for so long that their

(foot) became sore, so they sat down on a bench for a rest near some

(monkey). The (monkey) were playing with cardboard

(box) and throwing (stick) at each other. After a while, the

(lady) looked at their (watch) and decided it was time to go

home.

16
Nouns: Collective Nouns

◗ Some groups of things also have their own special collective nouns.

a bunch of bananas a deck of cards

a cluster of grapes a flight of steps
a bunch of flowers a suite of rooms
a bouquet of flowers a suite of furniture
a range of mountains a set of tools
a fleet of ships a string of beads
a fleet of vehicles a grove of trees

◗ Some nouns name the amount or form of something.

a loaf of bread a bar of soap

a ball of string a bar of chocolate

◗ The words a piece of mean a single serving or part of something.

a slice/piece of bread a slice/piece of cheese

a piece/square of chocolate a slice/piece of cake
a sheet/piece of paper a piece of chalk
a piece of information a piece of advice

Exercise 7

Read the following passage. Write the missing collective nouns in the blank spaces.
Remember that sometimes there are two words you can use.

Mom took Kate, Rudy and Derrick to the zoo. The zoo was very busy. A
of people had gathered round the monkeys. One of the monkeys had a
of bananas. Watching the monkey eat made the children feel hungry. Mom took a
of bread and some of cheese out of the picnic hamper
and everyone made sandwiches. After eating the sandwiches, the children had two
of chocolate each. Rudy wanted to give one piece to a monkey, but the
zookeeper gave Rudy a very useful of advice. “Monkeys may look friendly,

but sometimes they are very fierce,” he said.

18
 Exercise 8
Read the sentences. Does the collective noun indicate a group acting together as a
single unit? If so, circle the singular verb. Does the collective noun indicate a group in
which each member acts individually? Circle the plural noun.

1. The jury (were/was) arguing about the importance of evidence.

2. A whole company of soldiers (is/are) marching in the parade.

3. A gaggle of geese (is/are) running every which way in the barnyard.

4. Those people (live/lives) in North America.

5. The police (has/have) arrested the suspect.

6. That troupe of actors always (stay/stays) at the Grand Hotel.

7. The committee (is/are) handing in their ballots.

8. Our school band (play/plays) many lively marches.

9. A big colony of ants (lives/live) under the front porch.

10. The government (are/is) entitled to collect taxes.

Exercise 9
Complete each phrase with a noun from the box that names a part or an amount of
something.

bushel scoop ream pair

drop grain pinch galaxy

1. a of stars 5. a of potatoes

2. a of sand 6. a of bookends

3. a of paper 7. a of ice cream

4. a of salt 8. a of rain

19