Classification of Words / 405-^ Some nouns have unique plural forms.
woman, women; mouse, mice
-^ Nouns can show ownership, so they have possessive endings. An apostrophe
and –s or apostrophe only shows possession. Note, however, that when a noun
is possessive, it functions as an adjective.
woodpecker, woodpecker’s den; fledglings, fledglings’ parents
Nouns are characterized by noun markers, certain words that often appear in front
of nouns:
-^ First, the articles^ a, an, and the serve as noun markers.
the woodpecker; an adult; a child
-^ Second, adjectives serve as noun markers. Adjectives are words that describe
the shape, size, appearance, or number of a noun.
round cavity nest (describe size and shape of noun nest)
three immature mottled birds (describe number, kind, and appearance of
the noun birds)
These characteristics serve as a test to decide whether a word is a noun. If words can
be made plural (that is, you can count them), show ownership, or have a, an, or the
in front, you can bet they are nouns.
VERbS
A verb shows action or state of being, a clear indication that there are two kinds of
verbs, each with its own function.
Some verbs show action.
Speeders cause accidents.
(Cause shows action that the speeders are doing.)Some verbs show state of being and link the subject to a predicate word.
Some speeders are drunk.
(Are is a linking verb that links speeders to drunk. Because drunk describes
speeders, it is called a predicate adjective.)