Chapter: The Noun
📚 Vocabulary
English Grammar and Composition Classes Nine and Ten
⭐ Most Important Exam Words
nouncommon nounproper nounconcrete nounabstract nouncollective nounmaterial nouncountable noununcountable nounsingular numberplural numberregular pluralirregular pluralmasculine genderfeminine gendercommon genderneuter gendercasenominative caseobjective casepossessive casevocative casesubjectobjectappositioncompound nounprefixsuffixnominalizationarticledeterminersubject-verb agreementapostrophecountableuncountableexception
📃 Word Formation Rules
► Add -s to most regular nouns to form the plural: book-books, pen-pens.
► Add -es to nouns ending in s, sh, ch, x, or z: bus-buses, box-boxes.
► For a consonant followed by y, change y to ies: city-cities, baby-babies.
► For a vowel followed by y, add s: boy-boys, toy-toys.
► Some nouns ending in f or fe change to ves: leaf-leaves, wife-wives; learn exceptions such as roof-roofs.
► Some nouns form plurals by changing their internal vowel: man-men, foot-feet, mouse-mice.
► Some nouns form plurals with -en: child-children, ox-oxen.
► Some nouns have the same singular and plural form: sheep-sheep, deer-deer, and species-species.
► Add apostrophe s to a singular noun to show possession: the girl's bag.
► Add only an apostrophe to a regular plural noun ending in s: the girls' school.
► Use -ness to form nouns from adjectives: kind-kindness, dark-darkness.
► Use -tion or -sion to form nouns from verbs: educate-education, decide-decision.
► Use -ment to form nouns from verbs: develop-development, govern-government.
► Use -ity to form nouns from adjectives: active-activity, honest-honesty.
► Use -er, -or, or -ist to form nouns referring to people: teach-teacher, act-actor, art-artist.
► Use -ship, -hood, and -dom to form abstract nouns: friend-friendship, child-childhood, king-kingdom.
1. Basic Concepts of Nouns (8 words)
noun[/naʊn/]nouneasy
Meaning: বিশেষ্য; a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea
Alt: নামবাচক পদ
Example: A noun names a person, place, thing, or idea.
Syn: name wordAnt: pronoun
💡 Exam tip: In a sentence, identify the word that names someone or something as a noun.
name[/neɪm/]nouneasy
Meaning: নাম; a word by which a person or thing is known
Alt: পরিচয় বা উপাধি
Example: Rina is the name of my younger sister.
Syn: title, designationAnt: anonymity
💡 Exam tip: A proper name usually begins with a capital letter.
person[/ˈpɜːrsən/]nouneasy
Meaning: ব্যক্তি; a human being
Alt: মানুষ
Example: A kind person helps others in danger.
Syn: human, individualAnt: animal
💡 Exam tip: Person is a common noun; Rahim is a proper noun.
place[/pleɪs/]nouneasy
Meaning: স্থান; a particular area or location
Alt: জায়গা বা অবস্থান
Example: Dhaka is a busy place.
Syn: location, siteAnt: nowhere
💡 Exam tip: Names of particular places, such as Bangladesh and London, are proper nouns.
thing[/θɪŋ/]nouneasy
Meaning: বস্তু; an object or item
Alt: কোনো বিষয় বা ঘটনা
Example: This book is the most useful thing in my bag.
Syn: object, itemAnt: person
💡 Exam tip: A thing may be concrete, such as a pen, or abstract, such as an idea.
idea[/aɪˈdɪə/]nounmedium
Meaning: ধারণা; a thought or plan
Alt: মত বা কল্পনা
Example: She gave me a good idea for the project.
Syn: thought, notionAnt: reality
💡 Exam tip: Idea is an abstract noun because it cannot be touched or seen physically.
quality[/ˈkwɒləti/]nounmedium
Meaning: গুণ; a characteristic or feature
Alt: উৎকর্ষের মান
Example: Honesty is a valuable quality.
Syn: attribute, characteristicAnt: defect
💡 Exam tip: Many nouns naming qualities are abstract nouns.
substance[/ˈsʌbstəns/]nounmedium
Meaning: পদার্থ; a particular kind of matter
Alt: মূল বিষয় বা সারবস্তু
Example: Water is a useful substance.
Syn: matter, materialAnt: appearance
💡 Exam tip: Names of materials such as gold, milk, and iron are generally material nouns.
2. Kinds of Nouns (8 words)
common[/ˈkɒmən/]adjeasy
Meaning: সাধারণ; shared by many people or things
Alt: সাধারণ নামবাচক
Example: Book is a common noun.
Syn: general, ordinaryAnt: proper, special
💡 Exam tip: A common noun does not usually begin with a capital letter unless it starts a sentence.
proper[/ˈprɒpər/]adjeasy
Meaning: নামবাচক বিশেষ; relating to a particular person, place, or thing
Alt: নির্দিষ্ট বা যথাযথ
Example: Bangladesh is a proper noun.
Syn: particular, specificAnt: common, general
💡 Exam tip: Proper nouns always begin with capital letters: Monday, Asia, and Karim.
concrete[/ˈkɒŋkriːt/]adjmedium
Meaning: মূর্ত; able to be seen, heard, touched, tasted, or smelled
Alt: বাস্তব বা ইন্দ্রিয়গ্রাহ্য
Example: Table is a concrete noun.
Syn: tangible, physicalAnt: abstract
💡 Exam tip: A concrete noun refers to something perceived by one or more senses.
abstract[/ˈæbstrækt/]adjmedium
Meaning: ভাববাচক; existing as an idea or quality rather than a physical object
Alt: ইন্দ্রিয়ের মাধ্যমে সরাসরি উপলব্ধ নয় এমন
Example: Freedom is an abstract noun.
Syn: theoretical, conceptualAnt: concrete, material
💡 Exam tip: Nouns such as honesty, beauty, and freedom are abstract nouns.
collective[/kəˈlektɪv/]adjmedium
Meaning: সমষ্টিবাচক; relating to a group as a whole
Alt: সমষ্টিগত
Example: A team is a collective noun.
Syn: group, combinedAnt: individual, separate
💡 Exam tip: A collective noun names a group of people, animals, or things.
material[/məˈtɪəriəl/]nounmedium
Meaning: বস্তুবাচক; a substance from which things are made
Alt: উপাদান বা কাঁচামাল
Example: Gold is a material noun.
Syn: substance, matterAnt: idea, spirit
💡 Exam tip: Material nouns are usually uncountable and do not take a plural form.
countable[/ˈkaʊntəbəl/]adjeasy
Meaning: গণনীয়; able to be counted individually
Alt: যার একবচন ও বহুবচন হয়
Example: Apple is a countable noun.
Syn: numerable, countedAnt: uncountable
💡 Exam tip: Countable nouns can take a, an, many, few, and definite plural forms.
uncountable[/ʌnˈkaʊntəbəl/]adjmedium
Meaning: অগণনীয়; not normally counted separately
Alt: যার সাধারণত বহুবচন হয় না
Example: Advice is an uncountable noun.
Syn: mass, non-countAnt: countable
💡 Exam tip: Do not write advices, informations, or furnitures in standard English.
3. Number and Plural Formation (8 words)
singular[/ˈsɪŋɡjələr/]adjeasy
Meaning: একবচন; referring to one person or thing
Alt: একটি মাত্র বোঝায় এমন
Example: Child is the singular form of children.
Syn: one, singleAnt: plural
💡 Exam tip: Use a singular verb with a singular noun in most cases.
plural[/ˈplʊərəl/]adjeasy
Meaning: বহুবচন; referring to more than one
Alt: একাধিক বোঝায় এমন
Example: Books is the plural form of book.
Syn: multiple, manyAnt: singular
💡 Exam tip: Most regular plurals are formed by adding s or es.
suffix[/ˈsʌfɪks/]nounmedium
Meaning: প্রত্যয়; a letter or group of letters added to the end of a word
Alt: শব্দের শেষে যুক্ত অংশ
Example: The suffix es forms the plural of box.
Syn: ending, terminalAnt: prefix
💡 Exam tip: Use es after s, sh, ch, x, and z in many regular plural forms.
irregular[/ɪˈreɡjələr/]adjmedium
Meaning: অনিয়মিত; not following the usual rule
Alt: ব্যতিক্রমী
Example: The plural of man is an irregular form, men.
Syn: unusual, exceptionalAnt: regular, usual
💡 Exam tip: Memorize irregular plurals such as man-men, child-children, and mouse-mice.
compound[/ˈkɒmpaʊnd/]adjmedium
Meaning: যৌগিক; made of two or more words
Alt: দুই বা ততোধিক শব্দের সমন্বয়ে গঠিত
Example: Toothbrush is a compound noun.
Syn: combined, compositeAnt: simple, single
💡 Exam tip: Compound nouns may be written as one word, two words, or hyphenated words.
formation[/fɔːrˈmeɪʃən/]nounmedium
Meaning: গঠন; the process of making or developing something
Alt: সৃষ্টির পদ্ধতি
Example: The formation of a plural noun follows several rules.
Syn: creation, developmentAnt: destruction
💡 Exam tip: Check spelling changes when forming plurals, especially consonant plus y.
ending[/ˈendɪŋ/]nouneasy
Meaning: শেষাংশ; the final part of a word
Alt: সমাপ্তি
Example: The ending of city changes from y to ies in the plural.
Syn: termination, conclusionAnt: beginning, opening
💡 Exam tip: For consonant plus y, change y to ies: city-cities; for vowel plus y, add s: boy-boys.
exception[/ɪkˈsepʃən/]nounmedium
Meaning: ব্যতিক্রম; a case that does not follow a rule
Alt: সাধারণ নিয়মের বাইরে থাকা বিষয়
Example: Child is an exception to the usual plural rule.
Syn: irregularity, anomalyAnt: rule, standard
💡 Exam tip: Learn common exceptions instead of applying regular plural rules mechanically.
4. Gender of Nouns (8 words)
gender[/ˈdʒendər/]nouneasy
Meaning: লিঙ্গ; a grammatical classification of nouns
Alt: পুরুষ, স্ত্রী, উভয় বা জড় বোঝানোর শ্রেণি
Example: Gender is one classification of nouns.
Syn: classification, sexAnt: neutrality
💡 Exam tip: Traditional grammar recognizes masculine, feminine, common, and neuter gender.
masculine[/ˈmæskjəlɪn/]adjeasy
Meaning: পুংলিঙ্গ; relating to a male person or animal
Alt: পুরুষবাচক
Example: Brother is a masculine noun.
Syn: male, manlyAnt: feminine
💡 Exam tip: King, father, uncle, and bull are examples of masculine nouns.
feminine[/ˈfemənɪn/]adjeasy
Meaning: স্ত্রীলিঙ্গ; relating to a female person or animal
Alt: স্ত্রীবাচক
Example: Sister is a feminine noun.
Syn: female, womanlyAnt: masculine
💡 Exam tip: Queen, mother, aunt, and mare are examples of feminine nouns.
common-gender[/ˌkɒmən ˈdʒendər/]nounmedium
Meaning: উভয়লিঙ্গ; a noun that may refer to either a male or a female
Alt: পুরুষ বা নারী উভয়কেই বোঝায় এমন বিশেষ্য
Example: Teacher is a common-gender noun.
Syn: dual-gender, gender-neutral nounAnt: gender-specific noun
💡 Exam tip: Student, child, friend, and parent can refer to either sex.
neuter[/ˈnjuːtər/]adjmedium
Meaning: ক্লীবলিঙ্গ; neither masculine nor feminine
Alt: জড়বাচক
Example: Table is a neuter noun.
Syn: non-gendered, inanimateAnt: masculine, feminine
💡 Exam tip: Names of lifeless objects are generally treated as neuter nouns.
counterpart[/ˈkaʊntərpɑːrt/]nounmedium
Meaning: সমতুল্য লিঙ্গরূপ; a person or thing corresponding to another
Alt: সমতুল্য বা বিপরীত লিঙ্গের রূপ
Example: The feminine counterpart of king is queen.
Syn: equivalent, correspondentAnt: opposite
💡 Exam tip: Learn masculine-feminine pairs such as nephew-niece and husband-wife.
animate[/ˈænɪmət/]adjeasy
Meaning: সজীব; living or capable of movement
Alt: প্রাণী বা জীবিত সত্তাসংক্রান্ত
Example: Animal names are animate nouns.
Syn: living, aliveAnt: inanimate, dead
💡 Exam tip: Animate nouns may show masculine, feminine, or common gender.
inanimate[/ɪnˈænɪmət/]adjeasy
Meaning: জড়; not alive or not having life
Alt: প্রাণহীন
Example: Stone is an inanimate object.
Syn: lifeless, nonlivingAnt: animate, living
💡 Exam tip: Most inanimate nouns belong to the neuter gender.
5. Case and Functions of Nouns (8 words)
case[/keɪs/]nounmedium
Meaning: কারক; the grammatical role of a noun in a sentence
Alt: বাক্যে বিশেষ্যের অবস্থান বা সম্পর্ক
Example: Case shows the function of a noun in a sentence.
Syn: role, formAnt: irrelevance
💡 Exam tip: The main cases commonly taught are nominative, objective, and possessive.
subject[/ˈsʌbdʒɪkt/]nouneasy
Meaning: কর্তা; the person or thing that performs an action
Alt: বাক্যের কর্তা
Example: The boy opened the door.
Syn: doer, actorAnt: object
💡 Exam tip: Ask who or what performs the verb to find the subject.
object[/ˈɒbdʒɪkt/]nouneasy
Meaning: কর্ম; the person or thing affected by an action
Alt: ক্রিয়ার ওপর যার প্রভাব পড়ে
Example: The boy opened the door.
Syn: receiver, targetAnt: subject, agent
💡 Exam tip: Ask whom or what after the verb to identify the object.
possessive[/pəˈzesɪv/]adjmedium
Meaning: সম্বন্ধবাচক; showing ownership or relationship
Alt: অধিকার বা সম্পর্ক প্রকাশকারী
Example: Rahim's book is on the table.
Syn: owned, genitiveAnt: nonpossessive
💡 Exam tip: Use apostrophe s with most singular nouns to show possession.
nominative[/ˈnɒmɪnətɪv/]adjhard
Meaning: কর্তৃকারক; relating to the subject of a verb
Alt: কর্তা হিসেবে ব্যবহৃত
Example: In 'The girl sings', girl is in the nominative case.
Syn: subjective, subject-caseAnt: objective
💡 Exam tip: A noun functioning as the subject is in the nominative case.
objective[/əbˈdʒektɪv/]adjhard
Meaning: কর্মকারক; relating to the object of a verb or preposition
Alt: কর্ম বা অনুসর্গের পরে ব্যবহৃত
Example: In 'She reads a book', book is in the objective case.
Syn: accusative, object-caseAnt: nominative, subjective
💡 Exam tip: A noun after a transitive verb or preposition is often objective.
vocative[/ˈvɒkətɪv/]adjhard
Meaning: সম্বোধনসূচক; used to address someone directly
Alt: কাউকে সরাসরি ডাকার ক্ষেত্রে ব্যবহৃত
Example: Friends, listen to me carefully.
Syn: addressing, callingAnt: silent
💡 Exam tip: A vocative noun is often separated by a comma: Rahim, come here.
apposition[/ˌæpəˈzɪʃən/]nounhard
Meaning: সমাপিকা বিশেষ্য; a noun placed beside another noun to explain it
Alt: পাশাপাশি বসে ব্যাখ্যা করে এমন বিশেষ্য
Example: Mr Karim, our head teacher, addressed the students.
Syn: explanation, renamingAnt: separation
💡 Exam tip: An appositive is commonly enclosed by commas when it gives extra information.
6. Noun Formation and Usage (8 words)
derivation[/ˌderɪˈveɪʃən/]nounhard
Meaning: শব্দগঠন; the process of forming a word from another word
Alt: মূল শব্দ থেকে নতুন শব্দ তৈরি
Example: Derivation can change an adjective into a noun.
Syn: formation, developmentAnt: deletion
💡 Exam tip: Recognize noun-forming suffixes to answer word-formation questions.
suffix[/ˈsʌfɪks/]nouneasy
Meaning: প্রত্যয়; letters added to the end of a word
Alt: শব্দের শেষে যুক্ত অক্ষরসমষ্টি
Example: The suffix ness forms kindness from kind.
Syn: ending, word endingAnt: prefix
💡 Exam tip: Common noun-forming suffixes include ness, tion, ment, ity, er, and ist.
prefix[/ˈpriːfɪks/]nounmedium
Meaning: উপসর্গ; letters added to the beginning of a word
Alt: শব্দের শুরুতে যুক্ত অক্ষরসমষ্টি
Example: The prefix un changes happy into unhappy.
Syn: initial element, beginningAnt: suffix
💡 Exam tip: A prefix usually changes the meaning, while a suffix may change the word class.
nominalization[/ˌnɒmɪnəlaɪˈzeɪʃən/]nounhard
Meaning: বিশেষ্যীকরণ; changing another word class into a noun
Alt: ক্রিয়া বা বিশেষণকে বিশেষ্যে রূপান্তর
Example: Nominalization changes decide into decision.
Syn: noun formation, conversionAnt: verbalization
💡 Exam tip: Examples include develop-development, honest-honesty, and educate-education.
abstractness[/ˈæbstræktnəs/]nounhard
Meaning: ভাববাচকতা; the quality of being abstract
Alt: ধারণা বা গুণ হিসেবে থাকার অবস্থা
Example: The abstractness of wisdom makes it uncountable.
Syn: intangibility, conceptualityAnt: concreteness, tangibility
💡 Exam tip: Abstract nouns often name feelings, qualities, states, or actions.
article[/ˈɑːrtɪkəl/]nouneasy
Meaning: পদনির্দেশক; a, an, or the used before a noun
Alt: বিশেষ্যের আগে ব্যবহৃত নির্ধারক
Example: An article comes before a noun in many sentences.
Syn: determiner, specifierAnt: omission
💡 Exam tip: Use a before a consonant sound and an before a vowel sound.
determiner[/dɪˈtɜːrmɪnər/]nounmedium
Meaning: নির্ধারক; a word that limits or identifies a noun
Alt: বিশেষ্যের সংখ্যা বা নির্দিষ্টতা বোঝায় এমন শব্দ
Example: These is a determiner in 'These books are new.'
Syn: specifier, modifierAnt: indefinite word
💡 Exam tip: This, that, these, those, some, and many can function as determiners.
agreement[/əˈɡriːmənt/]nounmedium
Meaning: সামঞ্জস্য; grammatical matching between words
Alt: কর্তা ও ক্রিয়ার মিল
Example: Subject-verb agreement is necessary in a correct sentence.
Syn: concord, harmonyAnt: disagreement, mismatch
💡 Exam tip: A singular subject generally takes a singular verb, and a plural subject takes a plural verb.
💡 Exam Tips
• First identify whether the noun names a person, place, thing, material, group, quality, or idea.
• Remember that proper nouns begin with capital letters: Bangladesh, Friday, Padma, and English.
• Distinguish countable nouns from uncountable nouns before choosing much, many, few, or little.
• Do not use a or an before uncountable nouns such as advice, information, furniture, luggage, and news.
• Use a singular verb with a singular noun and a plural verb with a plural noun in subject-verb agreement questions.
• Memorize common irregular plurals, including man-men, woman-women, child-children, tooth-teeth, foot-feet, and mouse-mice.
• When a collective noun acts as one unit, it usually takes a singular verb: The team is ready.
• Use an before a vowel sound, not merely a vowel letter: an hour but a university.
• In a compound noun, identify the principal word to form the plural correctly: mothers-in-law, not mother-in-laws.
• Use an apostrophe carefully: the boy's book means one boy, while the boys' books means several boys.
• A noun after a preposition is generally in the objective case: in the room, beside the river.
• A noun used to call someone directly is vocative and is usually separated by a comma: Karim, open the door.
• In a sentence-completion question, check whether the blank requires a noun, adjective, verb, or adverb.
• For word formation, study common noun suffixes such as -ness, -tion, -ment, -ity, -er, and -ist.
• Revise noun functions in examples because the same word may be a subject, object, complement, or possessive noun.