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# noun

noun (a noun, nouns)

«noun» in the English dictionary: everyday and in Jewish tradition — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. A noun is a word that names a person, place, thing or idea, like «girl», «London», «ball» or «happiness». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/noun/#m1)
2. A proper noun is the special name of one person, place or thing and starts with a capital letter, like «Emma» or «Canada». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/noun/#m2)
3. A common noun is a general name, like «dog» or «city», and has no capital unless it starts a sentence. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/noun/#m3)

### In the lessons

In English grammar lessons pupils sort nouns into common and proper, countable and uncountable, singular and plural, and concrete (you can touch them: «table») and abstract (ideas: «courage»). Phrases: «noun phrase» («the big red bus»), «collective noun» («a flock of sheep», «a team»), «proper noun», «compound noun» («football»). In stories nouns tell the reader who and what the story is about.

### Examples

- «Cat» is a noun because it names an animal. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/noun/#x1)
- «Paris» is a proper noun, so it needs a capital letter. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/noun/#x2)
- Find all the nouns in this sentence. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/noun/#x3)
- «Love» and «fear» are abstract nouns. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/noun/#x4)
- «Flock» is a collective noun for a group of birds or sheep. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/noun/#x5)
- Add «s» to most nouns to make the plural: «book, books». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/noun/#x6)
- In «The old man smiled», the noun is «man». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/noun/#x7)
- My teacher calls nouns «naming words». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/noun/#x8)

### Note

Countable: one noun, two nouns. Many words are a noun in one sentence and a verb in another: «a drink» (noun) and «to drink» (verb). Some nouns have odd plurals: «child – children», «mouse – mice», «sheep – sheep». Uncountable nouns like «water», «rice», «advice» usually have no plural and take «some», not «a». Pronouns («he», «it») stand in for nouns.

## In Jewish tradition

Interpretation: In the Sefaria notes it is used to talk about Hebrew grammar, such as the word sefirot meaning "countings." In the primary lessons: In English grammar lessons pupils sort nouns into common and proper, countable and uncountable, singular and plural, and concrete (you can touch them: «table») and abstract (ideas: «courage»). Phrases: «noun phrase» («the big red bus»), «collective noun» («a flock of sheep», «a team»), «proper noun», «compound noun» («football»). In stories nouns tell the reader who and what the story is about.

### Examples

- The word סָפַר safar is technically a finite verb, and not a noun as the syntax requires. (Sefer Yetzirah, Sefaria community translation) [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/N/noun/#x1)
- The word sefirot by itself is the plural action noun of סָפַר safar 'to count', thus meaning literally 'countings'. (Sefer Yetzirah, Sefaria community translation) [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/N/noun/#x2)
- If it is read as one word, it must be the action noun of בָּלַם balam 'to restrain, withhold, keep (from)'; see SY 1:8. (Sefer Yetzirah, Sefaria community translation) [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/N/noun/#x3)

### Note

Countable: one noun, two nouns. Many words are a noun in one sentence and a verb in another: «a drink» (noun) and «to drink» (verb). Some nouns have odd plurals: «child – children», «mouse – mice», «sheep – sheep». Uncountable nouns like «water», «rice», «advice» usually have no plural and take «some», not «a». Pronouns («he», «it») stand in for nouns.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «noun» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/noun/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«noun» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/noun.html) on Mova free.
- [Trees and pragmatics of «noun» in the Judaism dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/N/noun/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«noun» in the Judaism dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/judaism/w/noun.html) on Mova free.