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Singular Noun: A singular noun is a word that represents one person, place, thing, or idea. It refers to a single item rather than multiple items. Here are some examples of Singular Nouns.
- Person: man, woman, teacher
- Place: city, park, school
- Thing: car, book, apple
- Idea: love, happiness, freedom
Singular Noun Definition
A singular noun has the same definition as a noun in general. A noun is a word that is used to refer to a person or object, as defined by the Cambridge Dictionary as “a term that refers to a person, place, thing, event, substance, or quality.” According to the Collins Dictionary, “a noun is a word such as “car,” “love,” or “Anne.”
What is a Singular Noun?
In English Grammar, a singular noun is a word that refers to a single person, place, thing, or idea. It represents one item or individual. Singular nouns are used when we are talking about one specific thing or when we are referring to something in a general sense. They are the opposite of plural nouns, which represent more than one item.
Singular Noun Rules
All the important rules for Singular Noun are discussed here.
1.If the subject of the sentence is singular then the verb must be singular.
Example: Cow chews, Boy goes.
2. The plural form of large numbers, such as hundred, thousand, million, and billion, is used when they are specific.
Example: eight hundred, hundreds of students
3. Mass nouns are always singular.
Example: Snow falls
4. When referring to one group, collective nouns are single; however, when discussing many groups, they are plural.
Example: Our team wins the match
5. Amounts or quantities taken collectively function as singular.
Example: The first two kilometers is the hardest part.
Singular Nouns Examples
Have a look at the following table consisting of examples of singular nouns.
People | Places | Animals | Things | Ideas |
Boy | Cairo | Cheetah | Table | Invention |
Girl | School | Deer | Chair | Description |
Child | Hospital | Fish | Blackboard | Conviction |
Man | College | Pelican | Bike | Honesty |
Woman | Paris | Ostrich | Aeroplane | Grace |
Lad | Coimbatore | Dinosaur | Pencil | Pride |
Individual | Bangalore | Monkey | Elastic | Destruction |
Chap | St. John’s Medical College | Grasshopper | Chalk | Competition |
Lass | HillCrest Hospital | Rhinoceros | Dress | Idea |
Male | Twin Towers | Zebra | Pin | Ideology |
Female | Bus stand | Owl | Needle | Biology |
Citizen | Railway station | Bear | Tomato | Evolution |
Singular Countable Noun
Here are a few examples of singular countable nouns:
- Book
- Pencil
- Table
- Phone
- Boy
- Child
- Bird
- Snake
- Door
- Cycle
Singular Possessive Noun
Check out the singular possessive nouns given below.
- Tom’s bike
- Bird’s toy
- Dog’s tail
- Sandra’s mom
- Peter’s cat
- Bike’s handle
- Mr. Shaw’s house
- Deborah’s flower shop
- Pigeon’s Wings
- My sister’s paintbrush
List of Singular Nouns
Many other noun categories also permit singular nouns. Let’s explore some examples of various noun categories being used as singular nouns.
- Common nouns: boy, girl, lion, baseball
- Proper nouns: John, Texas, Abraham Lincoln, America
- Concrete nouns: desk, house, dirt, cake
- Abstract nouns: war, poverty, happiness, unemployment
- Countable nouns: book, toy, table, chair
- Uncountable nouns: rice, water, sugar, flour
Singular Noun Usage
Here are some examples of singular nouns used in sentences.
- Sita bought a pencil yesterday.
- Dan and Sid gave me chocolate.
- Did he get the dress for his sister?
- I saw a baby monkey on the way to school today.
- When will you reach home?
- Jared killed a spider.
- I won the game.
- The Sun rises in the east and sets in the west.
- His honesty was appreciated by everyone in the area.
- The judge accepted his plea.
Difference between Singular Noun and Plural Noun
A singular noun refers to only one person, place, animal, thing etc., and a plural noun refers to more than one person, place, animal, thing etc. Singular nouns are nouns in the original form, without any inflection. Plural nouns are formed with the addition of ‘s’, ‘es’, ‘ies’, ‘oes’, ‘ves’ or by adding a suffix. The verbs change according to the singular or plural form of the noun used.
Singular | Plural |
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Singular Noun Worksheet
Write the correct singular and plural forms of the given words –
- roses →
- Mango →
- boys →
- Glass →
- families →
- potatoes →
- Knife →
- wives →
- feet →
- photos →
- children →
- Goose →
- sandwiches →
- fish →
Answers –
- rose
- Mangoes
- boy
- Glasses
- family
- potato
- Knives
- wife
- foot
- photo
- child
- Geese
- sandwich
- fish
Find the Singular Forms of the given plural words –
Plural Noun | Your Answers |
syllabi/syllabuses
|
? |
spies | ? |
babies | ? |
cities | ? |
women | ? |
halves | ? |
houses | ? |
people | |
cats | ? |
men | |
nuclei | ? |
wishes | |
pitches | ? |
loaves | |
theses | ? |
ANSWERS –
Singular Noun
- syllabus
- spy
- baby
- City
- woman
- half
- house
- person
- cat
- man
- nucleus
- wish
- pitch
- loaf
- thesis
Rewrite the sentences with the correct form of singular or plural Nouns-
- There are a few coackroach in the kitchen.
- There are many buffalo in the field.
- There are many foot prints on the path.
- We have two antenna on our roof.
- She has three child at home.
- I need to buy a new camera.
Answers –
- There are a few cockroaches in the kitchen.
- There are many buffalo in the field.
- There are numerous Footprints along the path.
- We have a pair of Antennas on our roof.
- She has three children at home.
- I want to buy a new camera.
Write Correct Singular Forms –
Related Articles | |
Common Nouns | Proper Nouns |
Collective Nouns | Abstract Nouns |
Possessive Nouns | Compound Nouns |