GERUND~

GERUND

A gerund (often known as an -ing word) is a noun formed from a verb by adding -ing. It can follow a preposition, adjective and most often another verb.

For example:

• I enjoy running.
• Eating brings happiness.

Proper NOUNS~

Proper nouns ( also called proper names) are the words which name specific people, organizations or places.

Proper nouns always start with a capital letter.

These are the examples:-

Each part of a person's name is a proper noun:-

Brad Pitt - Siti Nurhaliza ...

The names of companies, organizations or trade marks:-

 Sendayu Tinggi - Perodua - PERMATA - WWW

Given or pet names of animals:-

Tompok, Chris

The names of cities and countries and words derived from those proper nouns:-

Selangor - Bukit Tinggi - New York - Brazil - English

Geographical and Celestial Names:-

the Bermuda Triangle - Alpha Centauri - Venus

Monuments, buildings, meeting rooms:-

The Taj Mahal - The Petronas Twin Tower - Room 101

Historical events, documents, laws, and periods:-

the Civil War - the Industrial Revolution - World War I

Months, days of the week, holidays:-

Sunday - Christmas - February

Religions, deities, scriptures:-

God - Christ - Christianity - Islam - the Bible - al-Quran

Awards, vehicles, vehicle models and names, brand names:-

the Nobel Peace Prize - Perodua Myvi - Ford Focus - Toyota Avanza - Kleenex - Colgate

Collective NOUNS~

A collective noun is a noun that is singular in form but refers to a group of people or things.

Sometimes they refer to a group of specific things:-

These are the examples:-

Desks, chairs, cupboards etc. are grouped under the collective noun furniture. 
Plates, spoons, cups and bowls are grouped under the collective noun crockery.

These collective nouns are often uncountable.

Sometimes they are more general:-

These are the examples:-

Groups of people - soldier, viewer, band, choir, class, committee, crew, family, gang, jury, orchestra, police, staff, team, trio

Groups of animals - colony, flock, herd, pack, pod, school, swarm

Groups of things - bunch, bundle, clump, pair, set, stack

When such a group is considered as a single unit, the collective noun is used with a singular verb and singular pronouns.

For example - The committee has reached its decision.

But when the focus is on the individual members of the group, British English uses a plural verb and plural pronouns.

For example - "The committee have been arguing all morning." This is the same as saying "The people in the committe have been ...."

More on COUNTABLE & UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS~

Making uncountable nouns countable

Most of the uncountable nouns can be changed to countable nouns by putting a countable expression in front of the noun.

For example:-

• A piece of information.
• Two glasses of drinking water.
• 10 litres of carbonated drinks.
• Three grains of sand.
• A piece of paper.

Sources of confusion with countable and uncountable nouns

There are times when the notion of countable and uncountable nouns brings confusion to the users.

Some nouns can be countable or uncountable depending on their meaning.

Usually a noun is uncountable when it is used in a general, abstract meaning (when you don't think of it as a separate object).

On the other hand, countable nouns are used in a particular meaning (when you can think of it as a separate object).

These are the examples:-

glass - A glass of water. (Countable) | A window made of glass. (Uncountable)

Some uncountable nouns can act like a countable noun if we put them as being in containers, or one of several types.

This is because 'containers' and 'types' can be counted.

These are the examples:-

Doctors recommend limiting consumption to two coffees a day. 

COUNTABLE vs UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS!!!!

Countable (use a/an or a number in front of countable nouns)	Uncountable (there is no a/an or number with uncountable nouns)
An Orange / One Orange	Rice
I eat an orange every day.	I eat rice every day. (not I eat a rice every day.)
Add (s) to make a countable noun plural	There is no plural form for an uncountable noun
Oranges	Rice
I eat an orange every day. Oranges are good for you.	I eat rice every day. Rice is good for you.
A bicycle= Bicycles are fun.	To make uncountable nouns countable add a counting word, such as a unit of measurement, or the general word piece. We use the form "a ....... of ......."
An elephant=Elephants are large.	Rice=a grain of rice
	Water=a glass of water
	Rain=a drop of rain
	Music=a piece of music
You can use some and any with countable nouns. Some snakes can be dangerous. I don't use any computers at work.	You can use some and any with uncountable nouns. I usually drink some plain water with my meal. I don't usually drink any water with my carbonated drink.
You only use many and few with plural countable nouns.  So many tigers have been hunted that they are an endangered species. There are few elephants in England.	You only use much and little with uncountable nouns. I don't usually drink much tea. Little coffee is undrinkable though.
You can use a lot of and no with plural countable nouns.  No cameras were bought last week. A lot of cameras were reported broken the week before.	You can use a lot of and no with uncountable nouns. A lot of water is drunk by the patient. No water is drunk by her during fasting period.

COUNTABLE & UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS~

COUNTABLE NOUNS

A noun can be countable or uncountable.

Countable nouns can be "counted".

Countable nouns have both singular and plural form.

These are the examples of countable nouns:

• A pencil, two pencils, three pencils .....
• An orange, two oranges, three oranges ....

UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS

• Uncountable nouns (also called mass nouns or non-count nouns) cannot be counted.
• Uncountable nouns cannot be counted because they are not separate objects.
• This means that you cannot make them plural by adding -s, because they only have a singular form.
• It also means that they do not take a/an or a number in front of them.
• These are the examples of uncountable nouns:

1. Water
2. Work
3. Information
4. Coffee
5. Sand

Common NOUNS

A common noun refers to a word that names people, places, things, or ideas. They are not the names of a single person, place or thing.

A common noun begins with a lowercase letter unless it is at the beginning of a sentence.

These are the examples of common nouns based on categories:-

People:-

·         woman, girl, clerk, mother, grandfather, child, person, teacher, student

Animals:-

·         chicken, dog, fish, tiger, elephant

Things:-

·         pencil, desk, fan, computer

Places:-

·         school, town, building, stall

Ideas:-

·         love, hate, idea, pride