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PART II

PARTS OF SPEECH

CHAPTER I

NOUNS

66. Kinds of Nouns. -We have learned (13) that a noun is the name of anything, whether person, place, or thing.

Nouns are divided into two main classes - proper nouns and common nouns.

There are two special classes of common nouns collective nouns and abstract nouns.

We shall now examine into these different classes.

67. Proper Nouns. - Such nouns as James, Mary, Evangeline, Pike's Peak, Richmond, Monday, August, are names not common to a class, but belonging to a particular person, place, or thing. The name of a particular person, place, or thing is called a proper noun, the term proper meaning " belonging to one.'

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A proper noun is the name of a particular person, place, or thing.

In writing we always capitalize a proper noun, as in the foregoing examples.

68. Common Nouns. -Such nouns as boy, girl, dog, cat, robin, rose, lily, oak, river, are names not belonging

to a particular person, place, or thing, but applying in common to any member of a class. A name applying in common to any member of a class is called a

common noun.

A common noun is a name applying in common to any member of a class.

In writing, we begin common nouns with a small letter, as in the foregoing examples.

EXERCISE 54

(1) Point out the common and proper nouns in the first twenty sentences of Exercise 52.

(2) With the aid of your history and geography make out a list of twenty proper nouns.

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69. Common Nouns Used as Proper Nouns. Common nouns sometimes have the force of proper nouns, and, accordingly, are capitalized. Note the following kinds :

(1) Common nouns denoting well-known persons or things; thus,

Have you seen the President?
Who is Speaker of the House?
He is a member of Congress.

The Court has ordered this.

Such words, however, are often begun with small letters; thus,

Here comes the mayor of the city.

The governor is now at the capitol.

(2) The words north, south, east, and west when they name parts of the country; thus,

He moved from the North to the South.

If these words denote direction or the points of the compass, they are not capitalized; thus,

The line runs north seventy rods.

The earth turns from west to east.

(3) Nouns denoting kinship, as father, mother, brother, sister, uncle, aunt, cousin, when used with a proper name or without a possessive modifier; thus,

Have you seen Uncle William?

Here come Father and Sister.

If these words are used without a proper name and with a possessive modifier, they are not capitalized; thus,

Here come my father and my sister.

EXERCISE 55

(1) Explain why the italicized nouns are capitalized or are not capitalized:

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(2) Tell which of the foregoing nouns may be begun with a small letter.

(3) Compose sentences illustrating the use of mother, brother, and cousin, first as proper nouns, then as com

mon.

(4) Compose sentences illustrating the use of east and south, first as proper nouns, then as common.

(5) Write to your town or county paper an imaginary account of a trip across the continent by automobile or airplane. Get any needed help from your geography and be sure to capitalize all proper names.

70. Collective Nouns. Note these examples

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He joined his company in France.

We saw a large flock of wild geese.

The jury has not yet rendered its verdict.

Each of the italicized nouns is the name of a collection of persons or things. A noun of this kind never applies to a single person or thing. The name of a collection of persons or things rather than of a single person or thing is called a collective noun.

A collective noun is the name of a collection of persons or things rather than of a single person or thing.

In using a collective noun, we may speak of the collection as a whole, as a jury, this people; or we may speak of the individuals making up the collection, as ten people (ten persons).

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The italicized nouns are names not of objects, but of certain attributes of objects. For instance, honor is the

a condition, skating of an Each of these attributes apart from the object to

name of a quality, sleep of action, height of a relation. is spoken of as if it existed which it belongs. The name of a quality, condition, action, or relation is called an abstract noun, the term abstract meaning " taken, or considered, apart from."

An abstract noun is the name of a quality, condition, action, or relation.

EXERCISE 56

(1) Pick out the collective nouns and the abstract nouns from the following list of common nouns :

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(2) Tell a quality, condition, action, or relation suggested by each object named below:

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72. Compound Nouns. The noun sewing-machine is formed by combining the two words sewing and machine. Many nouns are formed by combining two or more words. A noun formed by combining two or more words is called a compound noun.

Sometimes the different words of a compound noun are connected by the hyphen (-); as, man-of-war, Stratford-on-Avon.

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