GMAT Grammar Book: Nouns

Question

NOUNS   yellow/96223 
This post is a part of  GMAT GRAMMAR BOOK ]

created by:   bb 
 edited by:   dzyubam

A noun can be a person, place, or thing. Nouns can be the actor of a sentence (as the subject), a receiver of the action (as the object/complement), or contained in a prepositional phrase to add more information to the idea of the sentence.

The Noun Phrase 
A noun phrase is a group of words that ends with a noun and can contain determiners (a, an, the, these, etc), adjectives and adverbs. Both subjects and complements often consist of noun phrases. A prepositional phrase is NOT considered a noun phrase.

Count and Non-Count Nouns 
A noun that can be counted is called a count noun.
 chair  – one chair, two chairs, three chairs...
 boy  – one boy, two boys, three boys...
 dog  – one dog, two dogs, three dogs...

A noun that cannot be counted is called a non-count noun.
 coffee  – you cannot say: one coffee, two coffees, etc.

However, you can make some non-count nouns countable by placing them into a countable container.
 Can of coffee  – one can of coffee, two cans of coffee...

The following chart gives some common non-count nouns and their groupings.

1.  WHOLE GROUPS CONSISTING OF SIMILAR ITEMS : jewelry, traffic, clothing, furniture, luggage, scenery, mail, makeup, money, cash, food, fruit, equipment, etc.
2.  FLUIDS : water, blood, oil, tea, milk, gasoline, soup, etc
3.  SOLIDS : wood, meat, bread, butter, ice, gold, silver, glass, wool, paper, iron, etc.
4.  GASES : air, smoke, pollution, nitrogen, oxygen, steam, etc.
5.  PARTICLES : sand, salt, sugar, flour, dust, corn, wheat, grass, hair, chalk, dirt, etc.
6.  ABSTRACTIONS : advice, beauty, courage, education, energy, fun, grammar, health, help, homework, information, intelligence, knowledge, luck, music, news, peace, progress, slang, sleep, space, time, truth, vocabulary, wealth, work, etc.
7.  LANGUAGES : Chinese, English, German, Spanish, etc.
8.  FIELDS OF STUDY : chemistry, history, literature, mathematics, etc.
9.  RECREATIONAL SPORTS : baseball, chess, football, poker, soccer, tennis, etc.

Some common irregular count nouns are listed below.

child = children
man = men
person = people
woman = women
foot = feet
mouse = mice
tooth = teeth

Exercise 2: Identifying Count and Non-Count Nouns 
Identify the following nouns as countable or non-countable by placing a “C” after countable nouns and a “N” after non-countable nouns.

Examples: 
radio C
algebra N

minute
clothing
canyon
gas
smoke
food
eye
bus
spoon
advice
milk
math

Articles 
  A  And  An

A  or  an  only precede singular count nouns and refer to one thing. Either is used for a general statement, or to introduce a new subject that has not been mentioned before.

A  leopard has spots. (in general – speaking of all leopards)
I talked to  a  girl today. (We are introducing this subject. We don’t know which girl.)

A  is used with words that begin with a consonant sound.  An  is used with words that begin with a vowel sound.

A  car
 an  elephant

Some words can be confusing because the pronunciation is different from the spelling. Listening to the sound will help determine which article is used.

Words such as  union ,  uniform ,  university  and  European ,  eucalyptus ,  eulogy  have a long “u” sound which is the same sound as  y  in  yellow  or  yard . Therefore, they are considered to have a consonant sound and  a  is used before these words.

A  yellow dog ran past us.  A  uniform is required for school.
 A  yard consists of three feet. I went to school with  a  European.

Some words have a silent first letter, so the correct article depends on the heard sound. Words such as  hot ,  home  and  head  have a pronounced “h” consonant sound and, thus, begin with  a . However, words such as  honor ,  hour  and  herb  have a silent “h” and are considered to have a vowel sound.

It is  a  hot day. It was  an  honor to meet the president.

The 
Use  the  when you know, or assume, that the listener is familiar with the same person, place, or thing that you are talking about.

The  earth is a beautiful planet. (There is only one earth.)
 The  teacher asked me a question. (It is assumed the listener knows your teacher.)

Use  the  with non-count nouns only when you are speaking specifically. If you are speaking in general, no article is used.

Water is wet. (general)
 The  water in the stream is cold. (specific water located in the stream)

The same rule applies for plural count nouns. Specific plural count nouns use  the , while general plural count nouns do not.

I like apples. (all apples)
 The  apples on the tree are not ripe. (specific apples on the tree)

USE  The  WITH  DON’T USE  The  WITH     oceans, seas, rivers, gulfs, plural lakes:  the Pacific Ocean, the Caspian Sea, the Mississippi River, the Gulf of Mexico, the Finger Lakes   singular lakes: Lake Titicaca, Lake Michigan     mountains:  the Smoky Mountains, the Andes   mounts:  Mount Rushmore, Mount St. Helens     sun, moon, earth:  the sun, the moon, the earth   planets, constellations:  Mercury, Saturn, Gemini, Leo     schools, colleges, universities (when the phrase begins with one of these words):  the School of Fine Arts, the University of Southern California   schools, colleges, universities (when the phrase begins with a proper noun):  Arizona University, Bardstown Community College     ordinal numbers before nouns:  the First Amendment, the third floor   cardinal numbers after nouns:  Apollo One, floor three     wars (except world wars):  the Vietnam War, the War of 1812  World War One, World War Two     certain countries or groups of countries with more than one word (except Great Britain):  the United States, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates   countries preceded by New or an adjective such as a direction:  New Zealand, South Africa, North Korea
 one word countries:  China, Australia, Germany, Italy
 continents:  Asia, North America, South America
 states:  Kentucky, Alabama, Utah, California     historical documents:  the Constitution, the Bill of Rights         sports:  baseball, volleyball, football, soccer
 abstract nouns:  intelligence, beauty, happiness
 general areas of subject matter:  science, algebra, social studies
 holidays:  New Year, Christmas, Thanksgiving

Exercise 3: Using Articles 
Fill in the blanks of the following sentences using   a  ,   an  ,   the  , or   Ø   (if no article is needed).

1. John is wearing _______ baseball cap today.
2. _______ chair is _______ useful piece of furniture.
3. _______ chairs in _______ living room are antiques.
4. She cried when she peeled _______ onion.
5. _______ women like to wear _______ jewelry.
6. _______ jewelry that my sister wears is made of _______ gold.
7. When you look at _______ moon, you can see _______ face.
8. _______ hour ago I saw _______ eagle flying overhead.
9. _______ life can be fun, but sometimes there are _______ problems.
10. _______ last time I saw ________ bear, I was travelling in _______ Europe.

Other 
Often, correctly using the word  other  can be confusing. The word  another  and  other  are not specific, while  the other  is specific. If the subject is understood then  other  can be used as a pronoun. If the understood noun is a plural count noun then  other  becomes  others . (Note:  other  CANNOT be plural if followed by a noun.) Look at the following examples.

This knife is dull. Please give me  another . 
(  an   +   other   + singular noun = any other knife – not specific)

This knife is dull. Please give me  the other .
(  the other   + singular noun = the only other option – specific)

This cake is delicious.  Other  cakes are delicious also. 
 OR  This cake is delicious.  Others  are delicious also.
(  other   + plural noun = other cakes: not specific) Since the subject is understood from the first sentence, you can omit the plural noun “cakes” in the second sentence and pluralize  other  to  others .

These apples are bad. I want  the other  apples.
 OR  These apples are bad. I want  the others .
(  the other   + plural noun = other apples: specific) Since the subject is understood from the first sentence, you can omit the plural noun “apples” in the second sentence and pluralize  the other  to  the others .

You can also substitute  other  +  one  (for a singular noun) and  other  +  ones  (for a plural noun.)

This knife is dull. Please give me  another one . (not specific)

This knife is dull. Please give me the  other one . (specific)

This cake is delicious.  Other ones  are delicious also. (not specific)

These apples are bad. I want  the other ones . (specific)

Exercise 4: Using  Other  
Fill in the blanks of the following sentences with the correct form of  other .
1. I received two gifts for my birthday. One was from my parents. _______________ one was from my brother. 
2. This pie is fantastic! Can I have __________________ piece?
3. These pants don’t fit well. Let me try ____________________ ones.
4. I have a large stamp collection. The stamps in this section are from the United States. __________________ are from ________________ places in the world.
5. Joshua likes to wear Nike shoes. He won’t wear any ________________ brand.
6. I’m almost finished with my homework. I just need ________________ ten minutes.
7. John, Melissa and I are going to the movies. ___________________ are going to the Craft Fair.
8. This house is brand new. _____________________ house is really old.
9. We like to swim. _________________ like to surf, and still ________________ like to ski.
10. You can buy this shirt and ___________________ one. Which ________________ would you like?

Determiners of Quantity 
Words that determine quantity are used to show how much of something to which you are referring. Some expressions of quantity are only used with count nouns, some are only used 
with non count nouns and others are used with both. Study the chart below.

Determiners of Quantity  With Count Nouns  With Non Count Nouns     one
 each 
 every    one  ball
  each  ball
  every  ball   Ø
 Ø
 Ø      two, three, etc.
 both
 a couple of
 a few
 several
 many
 a number of    two  balls
  both  balls
  a couple of  balls
  a few  balls
  several  balls
  many  balls
  a number of  balls   Ø
 Ø
 Ø
 Ø
 Ø
 Ø
 Ø      a little
 much
 a great deal of    Ø
 Ø
 Ø    a little  water
  much  water
  a great deal of  water     no
 some/any
 a lot of/lots of
 plenty of
 most
 all    no  balls
  some/any  balls
  a lot of/lots of  balls
  plenty of  balls
  most  balls
  all  balls   no  water
  some/any  water
  a lot of/lots of  water
  plenty of  water
  most  water
  all  water

Exercise 5: Determining Quantity 
Cross out the words that CANNOT be used to complete each sentence correctly. An example is given in sentence number two.
   1. Joan drank __________ sodas.
a. five
b. a few
c. hardly any
d. several
e. no
f. a lot of
g. a great deal of
h. too much
i. some
j. a number of
k. too many
l. a little  2. Randy drank _________ coffee.
a. five
b. a few
c. hardly any
d. several
e. no
f. a lot of
g. a great deal of
h. too much
i. some
j. a number of
k. too many
l. a little

Collective Nouns 
Some nouns reflect a group of people or animals and are usually singular. Following are examples of some common collective nouns.

army
audience
class 
club
Congress
crowd
family
flock
gang
government
group
majority
minority
organization
pack
public
staff
team

Our  class   is going  on a field trip today.
The  pack  of dogs  was chasing  the deer.
The  public   is against  the war.
Our  team   is playing  the champions next week.

Nouns That Are Always Plural 
Some nouns are always plural and cannot be singular, unless used in the phrase “a pair of _________”.

eyeglasses 
jeans
pants
pliers
scissors
shorts
slacks
trousers
tongs
tweezers

My favorite  jeans are  in the washer.
This  pair of jeans needs  to be washed.
My  eyeglasses are  new.
This  pair of eyeglasses is  new.

Nouns That Function As Adjectives 
Many nouns can function as adjectives when they are coupled with other nouns. The first noun acts to describe the second noun. Nouns which function as adjectives are always singular, even when they modify a plural noun.

The   car  doors  have all been replaced.
We hurried to get to the   train  station .
This   gold  coin  is worth a lot.

When number noun combinations are used, they are always hyphenated.

The  hike  was  eight hours  to the temple.  BUT  It was an   eight-hour  hike  to the temple.
These  tickets  cost  forty dollars .  BUT  These are   forty-dollar  tickets .

Think something is missing? Let us know - Help Improve GMAT Club's Grammar Book Project!   
  This post is a part of  GMAT GRAMMAR BOOK ]

cchilakapati · Answer

examples make it easy

Rax78 · Answer

thnks for creating this

aim730 · Answer

Grammar has always been my nemesis thanks for this post......

myside88 · Answer

Can I use "The" with a singular countable noun if the usage is specific in nature?

dzyubam · Answer

Welcome to the Club!

Can you give an example? I don't think I understand you question well. Sorry.

bb · Answer

I think so but agree with dzyubam, you really need an example.... We do have a post on articles coming.

myside88 · Answer

I must be sleeping when I first read your post.Its well written and my doubt should not have cropped up in the first place itself.

anyways;

Example:- "The apple I bought yesterday was actually shipped from New Zealand."

apple-singular countable noun.

You have already given a similar example.

neo123 · Answer

Where are the answers to the exercises? Please post them so that I can cross check.

dzyubam · Answer

Here's the link to the answers: gmat-grammar-book-answers-to-exercises-98365.html You can see all available sections of the grammar book in this thread: gmat-grammar-book-96532.html

neo123 · Answer

Thanks a lot for the answers.

utin · Answer

Hi,

Excersie 4 Queries: Why are we using "the" in both these answers?

3. These pants don’t fit well. Let me try ___the other___ ones.

7. John, Melissa and I are going to the movies. ___The others___ are going to the Craft Fair.

gmatdelhi · Answer

Thanks a lot for this chapter!

swathibhargav · Answer

Hi,
 I just wanted to know wat is the difference between a lot of water and lots of water?

jullysabat · Answer

Good explanation of basic concepts... thanks...

ravsg · Answer

Hello,

Can someone please explain usage of "The" in
2. _The__ chair is ___a____ useful piece of furniture.

Also, why is this incorrect?
Chair is __a__ useful piece of furniture.

ravsg · Answer

Two questions on Exercise 4

4. I have a large stamp collection. The stamps in this section are from the United States.
___Others___ are from ___other___ places in the world.

Why not "The Others" instead of "Others"?
 "The Others are from other places in the world"

10. You can buy this shirt and ___another____ one. Which ___other____ would you like?

Has it been just the first part, would usage of "the other" also be correct? as
You can buy this shirt and ___the other____ one. 
You can buy this shirt and ___another____ one.

ravsg · Answer

Exercise 5:
Any can be used as singular as well as plural.

Can someone please explain why "hardly any" is incorrect? 
1. Joan drank __________ sodas.

Thanks in advance!

ravsg · Answer

Last set of questions in this section.

When number noun combinations are used, they are always hyphenated.
The hike was eight hours to the temple.
Question - If "eight hours" is an object with eight being an adjective and hours being a noun, why isn't there a hyphen in "eight hours" i.e. "eight-hours"?

These tickets cost forty dollars.
Same question as the previous sentence.

It was an eight-hour hike to the temple.
Question - Here, is "eight-hour" an adjective to the noun hike?

Is it correct to put a hyphen in below as -
The hike was twenty-eight hours to the temple.

These are forty-dollar tickets.
Same question as the previous sentence.

Thanks in advance!!!

nageswara · Answer

Following are some of the clarifications that I can think of

1) (clarification) The chair is a useful article.

Here Chair represents all the chairs in the world so its a singular noun meant to represent a whole class so 'The' makes sense.

Similar examples may be 
The donkey is a hard working animal
The rose is a beautiful flower

2) As for the question from rasvg --

" 4. I have a large stamp collection. The stamps in this section are from the United States.
___Others___ are from ___other___ places in the world.

Why not "The Others" instead of "Others"?
"The Others are from other places in the world"
"
Here is my understanding. 
In the context of the sentence, we are talking about a section of stamps vis-a-vis the stamps in other sections.

So "Others" will imply all the stamp other than those belonging to this section, where as "The others" may imply stamps belonging to another specific section. (Not sure if my understanding is correct !!! )
 
Can some one correct me if I am wrong ??

Here is my doubt 
(Exercise 5)
Not sure why 'Hardly any' is wrong usage where as 'a great deal of' is correct usage, in the following sentence

Joan drank ____ sodas

GMAT Grammar Book: Nouns

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USE The WITH	DON’T USE The WITH
oceans, seas, rivers, gulfs, plural lakes: the Pacific Ocean, the Caspian Sea, the Mississippi River, the Gulf of Mexico, the Finger Lakes	singular lakes:Lake Titicaca, Lake Michigan
mountains: the Smoky Mountains, the Andes	mounts: Mount Rushmore, Mount St. Helens
sun, moon, earth: the sun, the moon, the earth	planets, constellations: Mercury, Saturn, Gemini, Leo
schools, colleges, universities (when the phrase begins with one of these words): the School of Fine Arts, the University of Southern California	schools, colleges, universities (when the phrase begins with a proper noun): Arizona University, Bardstown Community College
ordinal numbers before nouns: the First Amendment, the third floor	cardinal numbers after nouns: Apollo One, floor three
wars (except world wars): the Vietnam War, the War of 1812	World War One, World War Two
certain countries or groups of countries with more than one word (except Great Britain): the United States, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates	countries preceded by New or an adjective such as a direction: New Zealand, South Africa, North Korea one word countries: China, Australia, Germany, Italy continents: Asia, North America, South America states: Kentucky, Alabama, Utah, California
historical documents: the Constitution, the Bill of Rights
	sports: baseball, volleyball, football, soccer abstract nouns: intelligence, beauty, happiness general areas of subject matter: science, algebra, social studies holidays: New Year, Christmas, Thanksgiving

Determiners of Quantity	With Count Nouns	With Non Count Nouns
one each every	one ball each ball every ball	Ø Ø Ø
two, three, etc. both a couple of a few several many a number of	two balls both balls a couple of balls a few balls several balls many balls a number of balls	Ø Ø Ø Ø Ø Ø Ø
a little much a great deal of	Ø Ø Ø	a little water much water a great deal of water
no some/any a lot of/lots of plenty of most all	no balls some/any balls a lot of/lots of balls plenty of balls most balls all balls	no water some/any water a lot of/lots of water plenty of water most water all water