Nouns — Important Questions

honesty

Step 1: An abstract noun names a feeling, quality, state, or idea that we can only think of or feel – we cannot see or touch it. Step 2: 'Honesty' is a quality. You cannot see or touch honesty; you can only feel or observe it in someone's behaviour. Step 3: 'Table' and 'garden' are things we can see and touch – they are concrete nouns. Step 4: 'Teacher' is a person we can see – also a concrete noun. Step 5: Therefore, 'honesty' is the abstract noun.

army

Step 1: A collective noun names a group or collection of persons or things spoken of as one whole. Step 2: 'Army' is the name for a whole collection of soldiers. It refers to the entire group together. Step 3: 'Soldier' is a common noun – it names just one person. Step 4: 'Courage' is an abstract noun – it is a quality you cannot see or touch. Step 5: 'Delhi' is a proper noun – it is the name of a specific city. So 'army' is the collective noun.

A shoal of fish

Step 1: Different groups of animals have specific collective nouns. It is important to learn the correct one for each. Step 2: A group of fish is called a 'shoal' (or school) of fish. Step 3: A 'flock' is used for birds or sheep. A 'herd' is used for cows, deer, or elephants. A 'pack' is used for wolves, dogs, or cards. Step 4: So the correct answer is 'a shoal of fish'.

capital letter

Step 1: This is an important rule about proper nouns in English grammar. Step 2: Proper nouns always begin with a capital letter, no matter where they appear in a sentence. Step 3: For example: Sachin, Jaipur, Hindustan Times, Ganga – all start with capital letters. Step 4: Common nouns, abstract nouns, and collective nouns do not need to begin with capital letters unless they start a sentence. Step 5: So the answer is 'capital letter'.