Nouns
Beyond A "Person, Place, Or Thing"
Nouns are often defined as a “person, place, or thing.” While this definition provides a nice starting point, it's actually pretty limited. After all, what counts as a “thing?”
And how does a noun function within a sentence?
This section tries to move beyond this basic definition and gets into the nitty-gritty of nouns.
Concrete Vs. Abstract
The definition "person, place, or thing" brings to mind concrete objects- things that we can see and touch. However, many nouns are abstract, and refer to entities or concepts that we can't understand materially. For instance, "truth" is an abstract noun. For this reason, the common saying that a noun is a "person, place, or thing" is not always helpful.
Subject
When a noun performs an action, we call it the "subject."
In the sentence "The cat ran," "cat" is the subject.
In some grammar books, especially ones describing other languages, the subject is referred to as the "nominative."
Direct Object
A “direct object” is a noun that is the direct recipient of an action. This is sometimes referred to as an “accusative.”
For example, in the sentence “The cat chased a mouse,” “mouse” is the direct object.
OR in the sentence, “Courtney gave a book to Nicole,” “book” is the direct object.
Indirect Object
An "indirect object" (sometimes called the "dative") is a noun that is indirectly tied to the verb. It typically follows a preposition. For instance, in "the cat sat in a box," "box" is the object of the preposition "in," so we know that it is an indirect object. Similarly, in "Courtney gave a book to Nicole," "Nicole" is the indirect object.
Possessive
A "possessive" (sometimes called "genitive") most often signals that the the noun possesses or is in close relation to another in the sentence. The possessive is signaled either by an "'s" or "of." For instance, "Nicole's house" or "the house of Nicole" in both case, "Nicole" is the possessive (or genitive).
Beyond A "Person, Place, Or Thing"
Nouns are often defined as a “person, place, or thing.” While this definition provides a nice starting point, it's actually pretty limited. After all, what counts as a “thing?”
And how does a noun function within a sentence?
This section tries to move beyond this basic definition and gets into the nitty-gritty of nouns.
Concrete Vs. Abstract
The definition "person, place, or thing" brings to mind concrete objects- things that we can see and touch. However, many nouns are abstract, and refer to entities or concepts that we can't understand materially. For instance, "truth" is an abstract noun. For this reason, the common saying that a noun is a "person, place, or thing" is not always helpful.
Subject
When a noun performs an action, we call it the "subject."
In the sentence "The cat ran," "cat" is the subject.
In some grammar books, especially ones describing other languages, the subject is referred to as the "nominative."
Direct Object
A “direct object” is a noun that is the direct recipient of an action. This is sometimes referred to as an “accusative.”
For example, in the sentence “The cat chased a mouse,” “mouse” is the direct object.
OR in the sentence, “Courtney gave a book to Nicole,” “book” is the direct object.
Indirect Object
An "indirect object" (sometimes called the "dative") is a noun that is indirectly tied to the verb. It typically follows a preposition. For instance, in "the cat sat in a box," "box" is the object of the preposition "in," so we know that it is an indirect object. Similarly, in "Courtney gave a book to Nicole," "Nicole" is the indirect object.
Possessive
A "possessive" (sometimes called "genitive") most often signals that the the noun possesses or is in close relation to another in the sentence. The possessive is signaled either by an "'s" or "of." For instance, "Nicole's house" or "the house of Nicole" in both case, "Nicole" is the possessive (or genitive).