Grammer for Kids-Nouns

At age of 5 to 7 years old, children are moving from speaking in phrases to forming clear, complete sentences. Here’s a practical, fun and parent-friendly guide on how to teach them Grammer.

Nouns are words that name persons, animals, places, or things.

It answers “Who?” or “What?”

Examples:

• Person: teacher, girl, doctor
• Place: school, park, London
• Animal: cat, elephant, bird
• Thing: pen, apple, chair

3.1) Common Nouns

Common nouns are everyday names for things. They don’t need a special name.

Examples:

• boy, girl, dog, cat, school
• Show pictures of a dog and say: “This is a dog. Dog is a common noun because lots of dogs have this name.”

3.2) Proper Nouns

Proper nouns are special names for people, places, or things. They always start with a capital letter.

Examples:

• Person → Emma, Tom
• Place → London, Disneyland
• Thing → Coca-Cola, Mickey Mouse

Compare the following sentences:

1. We are approaching a lake.

2. We are approaching Lake Michigan.

In sentence 1, we call lake a common noun. In sentence 2, we call Lake Michigan a proper noun.

Worksheets for Kids:

Worksheet 1: Circle the Nouns

Worksheet 2: Common or Proper Noun?

Worksheet 3: Fill in the Blanks

Forms of Nouns

1. Singular form — The singular is the form that means only one:

boy, girl, soda, hamburger, etc.

2. Plural form — The plural is the form that means more than one:

boys, girls, sodas, hamburgers, etc.

Rule 1. For most nouns: Add s to the singular to form the plural.

Rule 2. For nouns ending in s, sh, ch, or x: Add es to form the plural.

Exceptions: The following nouns add neither s nor es, but form their plurals in an irregular way:

man- men

woman- women

child- children

foot- feet

tooth- teeth

louse- lice

mouse- mice

goose- geese

Rule 3. For most nouns ending in f: Add s to form the plural.

Rule 4. For three nouns ending in fe — knife, life, and wife: Change f to v and add s to form the plural.

knife- knives

life- lives

wife- wives

Rule 5. If the letter before y is a vowel, add s to form the plural.

Rule 6. If the letter before y is a consonant, change the y to i and add es.

Rule 7. If a noun ends in a vowel plus o, add s to form the plural.

Rule 8. If a noun ends in a consonant plus o, add s in most cases.

Possessive Nouns

A possessive noun is a noun that shows possession or ownership. A possessive noun always contains an apostrophe [ ’ ].

Question: Why does the apostrophe come before the s in examples 1 and 3,

above, but after the s in example 2?

Answer: Over the centuries, English has developed three rules for using the

apostrophe to show possession.

Rule 1. If the possessor is a SINGULAR NOUN, add an APOSTROPHE AND s.

Rule 2. If the possessor is a plural noun ending in s, add only an apostrophe.

Rule 3. If the possessor is a plural noun not ending in s, first write the plural; then add an apostrophe and s.