What is a Noun?

noun is a word used as a name.

It tells about what you are talking about.
Everything around us including me and you have a name. There are names for persons, places, things, animals, qualities, actions, and measures of time or quantity.

A noun is a word that names something.

Examples:

  • Persons:         student-friend-Neol-Phil-Englishman
  • Animals:        cat-dog-rat-rabbit-lion
  • Places:           England-home-office-hotel-camp
  • Things:          laptop-purse-table-pen-book
  • Substances:   wood-air-food-water-diamond
  • Qualities:       honesty-kindness-beauty-cleanliness-simplicity
  • Actions:         reading-singing-playing-cooking-climbing
  • Measures:      year-pound-second-inch-month

Underlined words in the sentences below are nouns.

  • Diamond is an expensive metal.  (Diamond is the name of a metal. Metal is the name of a substance)
  • The student is wearing his new uniform. (Student is the name given to the person who goes to school. Uniform is the name given to the clothes a student wears.)
  • Mango grows in India. (Mango is the name of a fruit. India is the name of a country located in Asia)
  • Honesty is the best policy. (Honesty is the name given to a quality. Policy is the guiding principle) Note: Honesty is not an adjective here.  
  • Swimming is a good exercise(Swimming is the name of an action considered as an exercise. Exercise is name of an activity that requires physical exertion) Note: Swimming is not a verb here

Noun is a word used as a name of a person, place, thing, idea, or action.