You already know a noun names a person, place, animal or thing. Now let's go deeper — nouns actually come in four different kinds, and IEO loves testing whether you can tell them apart.
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A common noun names any one of a group — "a river". A proper noun names one particular, special one — "the Ganga" — and always starts with a capital letter.
| Common noun | Proper noun |
|---|---|
| a river | the Ganga |
| a mountain | Mount Everest |
| a festival | Diwali |
| a language | Hindi |
| a country | India |
| a month | October |
IEO tip: proper nouns also cover nationalities (Indian), languages (Hindi), days (Monday), and named buildings (the Taj Mahal) — not just people and places.
A collective noun names a whole GROUP as a single word — one word standing for many members.
a flock
of sheep or birds
a herd
of cattle or elephants
a pack
of wolves
a swarm
of bees
a pride
of lions
a school
of fish
A material noun names the SUBSTANCE something is made of — you cannot count it one by one, only measure or weigh it.
gold · silver · iron · wood · cotton · water · milk · sugar · rice · paper
Example: "This ring is made of gold." You cannot say "one gold, two golds" — gold is a material, not a countable thing.
Four kinds so far, one more to know: there is also a fifth kind called an abstract noun — a noun for something you cannot touch, like honesty, joy or freedom. Keep an eye out for it in a later chapter!
12 IEO-style questions on the four kinds of nouns. 🍀
