Noun: Eight uses of a Noun

Eight uses of a Noun

1.      Subject of the Sentence – The subject is the person, place, thing, or idea that the sentence is about.

• The book was heavy.

2.      Predicate Noun – A predicate noun comes after the verb to be or a linking verb that replaces or means the same thing as the subject of the sentence.

• My brother is the clown.

3.      Appositive – An appositive is a word or phrase that comes after another word.  It explains, identifies, or gives information about that word.  The appositive is set off from the sentence by one or two commas.

• Our teacher, Mr. Ford, taught us English.

4.      Direct Object of a verb – The direct object is the person, place, thing, or idea, that receives the action of the verb.

• Jack slammed the door.

5.      Indirect Object of a verb – The indirect object receives the action of the verb indirectly.

• Our teacher gave us a gift.

6.      Object of the Preposition – A preposition is a word that shows location, movement, or direction.  Common ones are in, on, with, under for, and by.  A preposition is always followed by a noun or pronoun that is called the object of the preposition.  Together, they form a prepositional phrase.

• over the house
• under the highway

7.      Object Complement – An object complement is a word that completes the meaning of a direct object.  It is used when the direct object would not make complete sense by itself.

• I named my cat Garfield.

8.      To show Possession – A possessive noun tells who or what owns something.

• Hawaii’s volcanoes are still active.

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Category: Communication Skills