English

• Noun


  A part of speech that can function in 8 different ways
• Functions of nouns


  • Subject
  • Direct Object
  • Indirect Object
  • Predicate Nominative (Predicate Noun)
  • Object of a Preposition
  • Appositive
  • Objective Complement
  • Retained Object
  • Noun of direct address
• Subject


  • Usually does the action
  • Can sometimes receive the action (passive voice)
• Subject


  • John ran away from the monster
  • Five days a week my mother dusts
  • Nearing the yellow light, the driver sped up
  • "It's not fair!" shouted John
• Direct Object


  Follows the verb and receives its action, answers "what" or "whom"
• Direct Object


  • John threw the ball
  • Tomorrow morning Elisa will meet your sister
  • We helped him with his homework
  • He doesn't understand anything about what he just read
  • While hiking, Alicia found a silver bracelet
• Indirect Object


  Follows the verb and answers "to/for whom", often a pronoun
• Indirect Object


  • John gave me the money
  • Elisa sent John a letter
  • Addison bought Alex a car
• Predicate Nominative (Predicate Noun)


  Follows the verb and renames the subject
• Predicate Nominative


  • John is a student
  • A Christmas Carol is a good book
  • Elisa became a lawyer
  • Addison will be an excellent surgeon
  • Emory is a private university
• Object of a Preposition


  The object of a preposition, can be a noun or pronoun
• Object of a Preposition


  • He left after class
  • I work with your friend
  • My best friend lives across the street
  • Over the river & through the woods to Grandmother's house we go
• Appositive


  Follows a noun and renames it
• Appositive


  • My sister Rita lives in Virginia
  • The book I'm reading, The Scarlet Letter, is set in the U.S.
  • I met my friend Helene last year
• Objective Complement


  Renames the direct object, can be distinguished from an appositive by whether "to be" can be inserted before it
• Objective Complement


  • We elected Obama (to be) president
  • I consider him (to be) my brother
• Retained Object


  Follows a passive voice verb (is/are/was/were/be + past participle)
• Retained Object


  • He was fed spinach
  • They were given a new kitten
  • He was elected president
• Noun of direct address


  Used when talking to someone
• Noun of direct address

  • Juan, when are you going to leave?
  • Mr. Smith, I haven't finished the list
  • Professor Gellar, I need to turn in my paper late
• Traditionally, nouns used as adjectives are not considered functions of a noun, but they are nouns functioning as adjectives
• Nouns used as adjectives

  • I need a paint bucket
  • Give him that water glass
• Possessive nouns


  Nouns made possessive to function as adjectives
• Possessive nouns


  • I met your mother's friend
  • We saw the clown's face