Pronouns are words that are used in place of nouns. Pronouns agree with the nouns they replace in number and gender.

Types of Pronouns

Pronouns can be categorized into the following types.

1. Personal pronouns 4. Emphatic pronouns 7. Demonstrative pronouns
2. Possessive pronouns 5. Interrogative pronouns 8. Distributive pronouns
3. Reflexive pronouns 6. Relative pronouns 9. Indefinite pronouns

Personal Pronouns

Personal pronouns are used in place of the names of people and things. If the personal pronoun is the doer of the action, i.e. the subject of the sentence, it is called a subject pronoun. If the pronoun receives the action done by the subject, it is called the object pronoun.

Examples: They liked her very much. (They – subject pronoun; her – object pronoun)
She gave the book to him. (She – subject pronoun; him – object pronoun)

This table lists the personal pronouns.

Person	Subject Pronouns	Object Pronouns
	Singular	Plural
First person (speaker)	I	we
Second person (person spoken to)	you
Third person (person spoken about)	he, she, it	they

Fill in the blanks with the correct personal pronouns.

1. _____ are good friends from now on. (You and I/Me and you/I and you/You and me)
   Correct answer: You and I
2. My mother has made chicken stew and appams for _____. (my friends and me/I and my friends/me and my friends/my friends and I)
   Correct answer: my friends and me
3. The teacher is very angry with _____. (us/we/they/he)
   Correct answer: us
4. _____ are going to start a business soon. (Lina and I/I and Lina/Me and Lina/Lina and me)
   Correct answer: Lina and I
5. The workers have put in long hours. The employers have promised _____ a holiday next week. (them/we/you/I)
   Correct answer: them
6. Her dog loves _____. (me and her/I and her/us/we)
   Correct answer: us
7. _____ won the musical contest. (Mohan and I/Mohan and me/Me and Mohan/I and Mohan)
   Correct answer: Mohan and I
8. _____ are going on a trip to Sri Lanka. (She and I/She and me/I and she/Me and she)
   Correct answer: She and I

Watch Out!

I always comes last when a set of pronouns and nouns are used together.
She and I [✔]
Tina, Ramesh and I [✔]
I, Tina and Ramesh [X]

Do not use me in place of , when  is part of the subject of the sentence.
Anish and I are siblings. [✔]
Anish and me are siblings. [X]

Possessive Pronouns

Possessive pronouns show ownership. They tell us who or what something belongs to.

Examples: We bought two hats. The blue one is Meena’s and the pink one is mine.
Suresh and Rina have two cars. The jeep is his and the sedan is hers.

Look at this list of possessive pronouns.

Person	Possessive pronouns
	Singular
First person	mine
Second person	yours
Third person	his, hers

Watch Out!

• Its is not a possessive pronoun.
• Do not add apostrophe before s in ours, yours, theirs, and hers.

Reflexive Pronouns

Reflexive pronouns are used when we want to refer back to the subject of the sentence. In some cases, they can act as the object of the sentence if the subject and the object are the same.

The reflexive pronouns are myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, and themselves.

Examples:

• I looked at myself in the mirror.
• Please help yourself; there’s plenty of ice cream. (direct object)
• The students solved the problems themselves.

Emphatic Pronouns

Emphatic pronouns are used to emphasize the action of the subject. They have the same forms as reflexive pronouns.

Examples:

• I myself agreed to organize the picnic.
• The children themselves joined their parents in helping out their aged neighbors.
• She herself admitted her mistake.

Grammar Bytes

• If the gender of an animal is known, usually she or he is used instead of it.
• We often use possessive pronouns after the preposition of.

Example:

• Rehan is one of my favorite cousins.
  • Rehan is a favorite cousin of mine.

Fill in the blanks with suitable pronouns.

1. I can only help you so much. You have to do the rest _____.
   Correct answer: yourself
2. Tony was ashamed of _____ because he had lied to his parents.
   Correct answer: himself
3. People who take care of _____ have a better chance of staying healthy.
   Correct answer: themselves
4. All of you have done a very good job. You should be proud of _____.
   Correct answer: yourselves
5. Aryan did his homework by _____.
   Correct answer: himself
6. Anish exclaimed, ‘The tyres of our car are punctured! Where shall we go to get _____ repaired?’
   Correct answer: them
7. ‘Don’t _____ worry, sir! I can do _____ it’s a really easy job for _____,’ replied the watchman.
   Correct answers: you, it, me
8. She said, ‘If _____ are ready, _____ can all start.’
   Correct answers: you, we
9. ‘_____ have lost a lot of weight. Look at _____,’ my mother said to me.
   Correct answers: You, yourself
10. We, along with our neighbors, had bought two LCD TVs last month from the same shop. My neighbors say that _____ is working fine, but _____ often has problems.
    Correct answers: theirs, ours

Interrogative Pronouns

Interrogative pronouns are used to ask questions. The five interrogative pronouns are who, what, which, whom and whose.

Examples:

• Who went to pick up grandpa?
• What are you searching for?
• Which of these books are you going to buy?
• Whom do you want to meet?
• Whose is this car?

Fill in the blanks with suitable interrogative pronouns.

1. ___ will come with me to the ___ market?
   Correct answers: Who, new
2. ___ are these books?
   Correct answer: Whose
3. ___ of these shirts do you like?
   Correct answer: Which
4. ___ will pay the bill?
   Correct answer: Who
5. ___ do you want?
   Correct answer: What
6. ___ is this purse?
   Correct answer: Whose
7. ___ is the matter with you?
   Correct answer: What
8. ___ is the road to the metro station?
   Correct answer: Which

Relative Pronouns

Relative pronouns are used to refer to nouns mentioned earlier in the sentence. They also help us join two sentences. The relative pronouns are who, whom, whose, that and which.

Look at the way the different relative pronouns are used.

Relative pronoun	Used for	Examples
who	people	The passenger who sat next to the old lady helped her unbuckle the seat belt.
whose	possession	The man whose house you are buying is my neighbour.
whom	object (people)	The guests whom you met at the party are from Malaysia.
which	animals and things	The snake which bit the boy has been caught.
		The car which they bought is expensive.
that	both people and things	The people that I met on the way were very friendly.
		The problem that you are talking about can be easily solved.

We also use what as a relative pronoun in the sense of ‘that which’ or ‘the thing which’.

Examples:

• What you want cannot be given to you. (that which)
• You got what you deserved. (the thing which)

Whose is used as a relative pronoun for inanimate objects too.

Examples:

• The bottle whose cap is broken is leaking.
• The house whose roof is broken was abandoned several years ago.
• The blanket, whose edges are embroidered with lace, belongs to me.

Watch Out!

We often incorrectly use who in place of whom. Remember that who functions as a subject and whom functions as an object in a sentence.

• Doctors who care for their patients are respected.
  (The relative pronoun is a subject, so we use who.)
• Patients want doctors whom they can trust.
  (The relative pronoun is an object, so we use whom.)

Fill in the blanks with suitable relative pronouns.

1. The director ___ made this film passed away two years ago.
   Correct answer: who
2. She won the finals of the tough competition, ___ no one had expected her to.
   Correct answer: which
3. Tell me ___ your friends are and I will tell you what kind of a person you are.
   Correct answer: who
4. The swimmer ___ won the gold medal trained for many years.
   Correct answer: who
5. The sweater ___ I bought yesterday shrank after a wash.
   Correct answer: that/which
6. The names of the eleven players ___ made it to the national team will be announced tomorrow.
   Correct answer: who
7. Roti, ___ we eat for dinner, is part of our staple diet.
   Correct answer: which
8. Where did you buy the earrings ___ you gave Minu?
   Correct answer: that/which
9. Salman Rushdie’s latest book, ___ was published last year, was an instant bestseller.
   Correct answer: which
10. The tea shop ___ we used to visit often has closed down suddenly.
    Correct answer: that/which

Omission of Relative Pronouns

The relative pronoun is omitted if it acts as the object. In such cases, we change the position of the preposition in the sentence.

Examples:

• The boy to whom you gifted the books did very well in the exams.
  The boy you gifted the books to did very well in the exams. (The position of the preposition to changes.)
• These are the colours with which he painted the walls.
  These are the colours he painted the walls with. (The position of the preposition with changes.)

Rewrite the following sentences omitting the relative pronouns. Change the position of the prepositions.

1. This is a house in which you can maintain a big lawn.
   Correct answer: This is a house you can maintain a big lawn in.
2. The person about whom you are asking is known to our family.
   Correct answer: The person you are asking about is known to our family.
3. This is the road beside which the Ganga flows.
   Correct answer: This is the road the Ganga flows beside.
4. Zootopia is the animated film about which I was telling my brother.
   Correct answer: Zootopia is the animated film I was telling my brother about.
5. Cynthia is the girl with whom I shared a room during our school trip.
   Correct answer: Cynthia is the girl I shared a room with during our school trip.
6. This is the organization in which my brother works.
   Correct answer: This is the organization my brother works in.
7. The professor with whom we requested a meeting has not arrived yet.
   Correct answer: The professor we requested a meeting with has not arrived yet.
8. This is the museum beside which the restaurant is located.
   Correct answer: This is the museum the restaurant is located beside.
9. Who is the person with whom you discuss your troubles?
   Correct answer: Who is the person you discuss your troubles with?
10. The hill on top of which the monastery is situated is very high.
    Correct answer: The hill the monastery is situated on top of is very high.

Demonstrative Pronouns

Demonstrative pronouns point to specific people and things. These are this, that, these and those.

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Examples:

• This is the boy who is a member of the music group.
• That is the lake where we can go rowing.
• These cookies are tastier than those in the jar.

Distributive Pronouns

Distributive pronouns are used to talk about people or things as individual members of a pair or of a group. A distributive pronoun is always singular and is therefore followed by a singular verb.

Some of the common distributive pronouns are each, either and neither.

• Each is used to denote every one of a number of persons or things taken singly.
• We use either and neither to refer to individuals in a pair.
• When used as a distributive pronoun, each, either and neither are followed by plural nouns and singular verbs. Note that when they are used as distributive pronouns, they are used by themselves, without a noun after them.

Examples:

• Of the ten students shortlisted, each received an award.
• Two buses stop near my house. Either can take you to the railway station, but neither goes to the airport.
• Each of the pastries has a unique flavour.
• Either of the books is a good choice for a gift.
• Neither of the two speakers was knowledgeable about the subject.

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Indefinite Pronouns

Indefinite pronouns are used to talk about people or things in general. They do not refer to specific things.

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They include:

• anyone, anybody, anything
  someone, somebody, something
  no one, nobody, nothing
• everyone, everybody, everything
  one, all, some, few, many, none

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Examples:

• Anyone can apply for the course.
• Anything can happen.
• Something is wrong.
• No one knows what happened.
• Nothing is more important than peace of mind.

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Fill in the blanks with the correct pronouns.

1. We were all so tired that ______ wanted to have dinner.
   Correct answer: nobody
2. ______ is at the door. Go and open it.
   Correct answer: Somebody
3. I cannot buy ______ of these shirts. Both are costly.
   Correct answer: either
4. ______ are the changes you have to make.
   Correct answer: These
5. ______ of you who have finished the work may leave.
   Correct answer: Those
6. Do you see the boy sitting in the last row? ______ is the student we met at the science fair.
   Correct answer: That
7. The plot of the book ______ I took from you is fast-paced.
   Correct answer: which
8. The dentist ______ pulled out my tooth was an expert.
   Correct answer: who
9. The boy ______ pen you borrowed has left the exam hall.
   Correct answer: whose
10. ______ are you angry with?
    Correct answer: Whom
11. ______ are you thinking about?
    Correct answer: What
12. Of these two sizes, ______ fits you better?
    Correct answer: which
13. Don’t blame me; you did it ______.
    Correct answer: yourself
14. ______ of them is interested in going for the picnic.
    Correct answer: Neither
15. Are you still writing the essay? I finished ______ long ago.
    Correct answer: mine
16. The book ______ you had ordered has arrived.
    Correct answer: that
17. The man ______ met with the accident has been taken to hospital.
    Correct answer: who
18. The woman ______ purse was stolen is arguing with the police officer.
    Correct answer: whose

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Let Us Write

Complete the dialogue between Nitin and his mother using suitable pronouns.

Mother: Nitin! Where are ______?
Correct answer: you

Nitin: ______ am here, Mother. Do ______ need something?
Correct answers: I, you

Mother: ______ am looking for your sister’s shirt. ______ asked ______ to iron ______.
Correct answers: I, She, me, it

Nitin: ______ don’t know where ______ is. Why don’t ______ ask ______?
Correct answers: I, it, you, her

Mother: ______ has gone for her dance class. Afterwards, ______ is going out with some friends of ______ will all be coming back to the house for dinner at 8 p.m.
Correct answers: She, she, hers

Nitin: Did ______ try messaging ______?
Correct answers: you, her

Mother: No, ______ did not. ______ will do it now.
Correct answers: I, I

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An adjective describes, identifies or quantifies a noun or a pronoun. Adjectives describe nouns or pronouns by giving some information about a person’s or an object’s size, shape, age, colour, origin or material.
Examples:
If fan is a hardworking student. It’s a windy day. That is an old table. He wanted to sit on the wooden chair.
Grammar Bytes
Adjectives can come after the noun they describe.

Kinds of Adjectives

Adjectives can be of different types depending on the type of information they give about a noun or a pronoun.

Adjectives of Quality

Adjectives of quality describe the quality of a noun, its shape, size, colour, state or condition. They answer the question what kind of.

Examples:
Neeta does not like the smell of ripe jackfruit.
The boy wearing a blue jacket is my brother.
Draw a big circle.
The cookies are in the round box, not the square one.

Adjectives of Quantity

Adjectives of quantity specify the quantity of the noun being talked about. They answer the question how many in the case of countable nouns and how much in the case of uncountable nouns.

Examples:
I have many friends.
There is enough food for everyone.
There are several students waiting to meet the principal.
She has little money to support herself.

Demonstrative Adjectives

Demonstrative adjectives are used to point out a specific noun or pronoun. The four demonstrative adjectives are this, that, these, and those.
Examples:
Those bananas are ripe, while these ones are raw.
That question has a simple answer.
This argument is convincing.

Grammar Byte:

This and that are used with singular nouns.
These and those are used with plural nouns.

Interrogative Adjectives

Interrogative adjectives are used to ask questions and are always followed by a noun.
Examples:
Which topic are you going to talk about?
Whose papers are you checking?
What problems are you facing?

Possessive Adjectives

Possessive adjectives indicate ownership or possession and always come before the noun. They answer the question whose.
Examples:
Their children live in the USA.
Her son is studying in Chennai.
My parents are arriving today.

Adjectives of Number

Adjectives of number indicate the number of the noun. They are of four types: indefinite, distributive, cardinals, and ordinals.

Indefinite Adjectives

Indefinite adjectives don’t specify a particular number.
Examples:
Some people like red more than black.
Give me any pen.

Distributive Adjectives

Distributive adjectives are used to refer to a person or thing separately.
Examples:
Each student was given a kit.
Neither boy was invited to the party.
Every boy in the room wanted to have ice cream.

Cardinal Numbers

Cardinal numbers mention the exact number of the noun.
Examples:
I called you three times.
Do you have twenty rupees?

Ordinal Numbers

Ordinal numbers mention rank, position, or order of a noun in a series.
Examples:
Rahul is the first boy to reach school.
This is the third time I am calling you.

Proper Adjectives

Proper adjectives are formed from proper nouns.
Examples:
I love Shakespearean dramas.
There are many Indian restaurants in Manchester.
My uncle married an Irish woman.
Watch Out!
Always use a capital letter for a proper adjective.
Examples:
Indian students
African forests
British merchants
American youth

Emphasizing Adjectives

Emphasizing adjectives are used to lay stress on a noun.
Examples:
You are the very person I am looking for.
Mind your own business!
Is that your actual name?

Exercise 1: Underline the adjectives and mention their types

My niece is a jovial person; everyone likes her.
My (Possessive), jovial (Quality)
We have five pens; we need to buy three more.
five, three (Cardinal Numbers)
Indian films are loved all over the world.
Indian (Proper)
Many people know that she is the daughter of a famous film star.
Many (Quantity), famous (Quality)
Which shirt do you like more, this one or that one?
Which (Interrogative), this, that (Demonstrative)
The audience was spellbound by the tricks of the skilful magician.
skilful (Quality)
I have photocopied those documents.
those (Demonstrative)
If you go to the market, buy some sugar and a dozen eggs.
some (Quantity), dozen (Cardinal Number)
Our luggage is packed; we are ready.
Our (Possessive)
I had a busy day in office today; there were several meetings.
busy (Quality), several (Quantity)

Exercise 2: Fill in the blanks with appropriate adjectives

Sit in your own chair.
The Japanese tea ceremony is a beautiful cultural activity.
There are six options available.
What a pretty flower!
Some of the women were upset.
She looks European.
I bought nine mangoes from the seller.
The fourth house from the left is Mr Mukherjee’s.


1. Formation of Adjectives
Some adjectives are formed from nouns and others are formed from verbs. Look at these examples.
From nouns: anger (noun) → angry (adjective)
danger (noun) → dangerous (adjective)
From verbs: accept (verb) → acceptable (adjective)
create (verb) → creative (adjective)

2. Fill in the Blanks with Adjectives Formed from Given Words
The teacher often scolds Reba because she is talkative (talk).
My uncle was a bookish (book) child. He would always be found in the school library.
Pam always looked cheerful (cheer). No one knew that she had a tragic (tragedy) history.
Though his relatives denied it, Shamik was the lawful (law) owner of the property.
His masterful (master) decision cost him the respect of his loved (love) ones.

3. Compound Adjectives
A compound adjective is formed when two or more words are joined together to modify the same noun. The words are usually separated with a hyphen.
Examples:
He submitted a ten-page assignment.
Don’t give me half-baked ideas!
They have a two-year-old daughter.
Watch Out!
If the first part of the compound adjective ends in -ly, then there is no hyphen in between the words.
Example: I had to eat from a badly cleaned plate.

4. Fill in the Blanks with Given Compound Adjectives
(state-of-the-art, mouth-watering, weak-kneed, man-eating, long-lasting, strong-willed)
We have state-of-the-art laboratories in our school.
Martin Luther King Jr’s speech had a long-lasting impact on humanity.
My aunt is a strong-willed woman; she is not easily influenced by external pressure.
Among the many attractions of old Delhi is its mouth-watering street food.
The man-eating tiger entered the village silently.
The weak-kneed does not have the courage to speak up for the interests of his men in front of the king.

5. Order of Adjectives
When more than one adjective is used to describe a noun, it usually follows a particular order.
Order
Type
Example
1
Quantity
four
2
General opinion
lovely
3
Specific opinion
magnificent
4
Size
big
5
Shape
square
6
Age
two-year-old
7
Color
red
8
Nationality
Spanish
9
Material
wooden
Examples:
They have a ferocious, big, two-year-old, black dog.
She bought a lovely, spacious, four-bedroom flat.
She stores her jewelry in a tiny, square, red, Spanish box.
She bought four expensive, square, wooden tables for her office room.
They are selling their magnificent ten-year-old, Italian rosewood rocking chair.
Exercise: Choose the Correct Order
I am going to wear my ______ shirt for my cousin’s wedding. a. new, silk, purple
b. new, purple, silk
c. silk, purple, new
d. purple, new, silk
Answer: b. new, purple, silk
We need to recycle the ______ cans. a. six, plastic, round
b. round, plastic, six
c. six, round, plastic
d. plastic, six, round
Answer: c. six, round, plastic
Raman is a ______ man. a. tall, generous, thin
b. thin, tall, generous
c. generous, tall, thin
d. generous, thin, tall
Answer: c. generous, tall, thin
I am going to drink tea from a ______ cup. a. small, English, china
b. English, small, china
c. small, china, English
d. china, small, English
Answer: a. small, English, china
The teacher spoke for hours. a. interesting, German, old
b. interesting old, German
c. old, interesting, German
d. German, interesting, old
Answer: a. interesting, German, old

6. Degrees of Comparison
Adjectives have three degrees of comparison: positive, comparative and superlative.
Examples:
Positive: hot, quiet
Comparative: hotter, quieter
Superlative: hottest, quietest
Positive Degree:
Our house is large.
Delhi is an expensive city.
For negative comparisons: These flowers are not as fresh as those flowers.
Comparative Degree:
This room is brighter than that room.
I am more surprised than you are.
Superlative Degree:
The Nile is the longest river in Africa.
Sumit is the shortest boy in our class.
Grace is the most trustworthy friend that I have.
Irregular Forms:
Positive
Comparative
Superlative
good
better
best
bad
worse
worst
little
less
least
many
more
most
Watch Out!
Avoid double comparatives:
He is more better than you are. [✗]
She is more cleverer than I am. [✗]
Use many for countable nouns and much for uncountable nouns:
I have much problems. [✗]
I have many problems. [✔]
There is not many sugar in the jar. [✗]
There is not much sugar in the jar. [✔]
Last means ‘the previous one’; latest means ‘the most recent one’:
Give me the last novel. [✗]
Give me the latest novel. [✔]
Words like senior, junior, inferior, superior use to not than:
No one is superior to others here.
After is senior to me by four years.
Some adjectives cannot be compared:
unique, perfect, infinite, impossible
This is a more universal problem. [✗]
This is a universal problem. [✔]

7. Fill in the Blanks (Comparative Forms)
There is less (little) water in this bottle than in that one.
Baishali is a wiser (wise) woman today than she was five years ago.
Villages are usually less polluted (polluted) than cities.
He is in a better (good) state today than yesterday.
More often (many) than not, people make this mistake.
Children are usually more intelligent (intelligent) than we think they are.
The resort is at the farther/further (far) end of the street.
You have never met a more generous (generous) person than Stephen.
Rekha is the prettier (pretty) of the two sisters.
Of these two pairs of shoes, which one looks likely to be more long-lasting (long-lasting)?

8. Complete the Sentences (Degrees of Comparison)
She is smarter than her brother. (smart)
Ritu is the most soft-spoken student in class. (soft-spoken)
Arun’s handwriting is quite neat. (neat)
This dress is not really as pretty as that one. (pretty)
China is a large country. (large)
The Sign of Four, a Sherlock Holmes mystery, is the most thrilling book I have read. (thrilling)
Take the shorter of the two ropes. (short)
Mani Bakery sells the best muffins in town. (good)

Welcome, my dear word-wizards, to the wild world of NOUNS—the things, people, and abstract nonsense that make language actually work. Or not. Depends on how much coffee you’ve had.

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1. Let’s Get Started (Or Pretend We Did)

Look at this picture of a café. Write down all the nouns that you see and state whether they are countable or uncountable.

(Example answers: “Coffee” – uncountable (unless you spill it, then it’s countable in tears). “Chair” – countable (unless it’s IKEA furniture, then it’s uncountable despair).)

How many nouns did you find? Compare your list with that of your partner’s and check if you both noted down the same nouns.

*(If your partner wrote “ghost” and you didn’t, either they’re hallucinating, or your café has a *real* atmosphere problem.)*

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2. What Even Is a Noun? (The Bare Minimum)

A noun is a word that names:

• A person (Your weird uncle Steve)
• A place (The pub where Steve shouldn’t be)
• An animal (Steve’s emotional support llama)
• A thing (The restraining order against Steve)
• An idea (“Maybe Steve needs therapy”)

Proper Nouns vs. Common Nouns (AKA Fancy vs. Basic)

Type	Definition	Example
Proper Noun	Names specific people/places (always CAPITALIZED, like a dramatic Instagram post)	“The Mesopotamian civilization developed on the banks of the Tigris and the Euphrates.” (Try saying that after three drinks.)
Common Noun	Names general things (like your ex’s excuses)	“He owns a shop on the main street of the town.” (Probably a failing one, let’s be honest.)

Grammar Bytes (Snack-Sized Wisdom):

• Proper nouns = Names, days, months, countries (“Steve’s birthday is in January, but we pretend it’s not.”)
• NO articles before proper nouns (“The Steve” sounds like a bad horror movie.)

Watch Out!

• “The India” → Wrong. (“The mess Steve made in India” → Correct.)
• “The January” → Also wrong. (“The hangover from January” → Painfully accurate.)

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Exercise: Underline the Nouns & Label (P) or (C)

Passage:
“Many kings ruled ancient India over the ages. Among the greatest of them was Emperor Ashoka…”

(Answers: kings (C), India (P), ages (C), Emperor Ashoka (P), war (C), Kalinga (P), violence (C), Buddha (P), children (C), Sanghamitra (P), Mahindra (P), Sri Lanka (P), Buddhism (P), China (P), Japan (P), Cambodia (P), Laos (P), efforts (C).)

(If you missed any, don’t worry—Ashoka probably forgives you. Unlike Steve.)

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3. Countable vs. Uncountable Nouns (AKA “Can I Eat It?”)

Type	Definition	Example
Countable	Things you can count (and regret)	“20 boys, 12 girls, and 1 Steve in detention.”
Uncountable	Things you can’t count (but try anyway)	“Sugar, water, and Steve’s bad decisions.”

Singular vs. Plural:

• Singular = “One crisis” (lucky you!)
• Plural = “Multiple crises” (hello, adulthood!)

Grammar Bytes:

• Singular countable nouns NEED an article (“I have apple” → Wrong. “I have an apple and a restraining order” → Correct.)
• Uncountable nouns = Liquids (coffee), grains (rice), feelings (regret), abstract nonsense (“Steve’s life choices”).

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Exercise: Is It Countable (C) or Uncountable (U)?

1. How much cheese do you need? (U – unless it’s cheeseburgers, then C.)
2. Meenu has friends all over the neighbourhood. (C – unlike Steve.)
3. I like strawberry milkshake. (U – unless it’s in separate cups, then C.)
4. They needed gallons of water to put out the fire. (Both U – unless counting fire trucks, then C.)
5. Abbas always has orange juice in the morning. (U – unless it’s juice boxes, then C.)
6. Dogs are faithful animals. (C – unless they’re Steve’s dogs, then U for untrainable.)
7. Neelam eats brown rice three times a week. (Rice: U / Week: C – time is countable, unlike Steve’s patience.)
8. Delete all the old messages on your mobile phone. (C – unlike Steve’s voicemails, which are uncountable and terrifying.)

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4. Concrete vs. Abstract Nouns (Stuff You Can Touch vs. Stuff You Can’t)

Type	Definition	Example
Concrete	Things you can touch/see (or trip over)	“Table, coffee, Steve’s questionable fashion choices.”
Abstract	Things you feel (or pretend not to)	“Love, hate, Steve’s lack of self-awareness.”

*(Bonus: If you can *smell* it, it’s probably concrete. Unless it’s Steve’s cologne. Then it’s abstract pain.)*

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5. Collective Nouns (Groups of Things, Usually Chaos)

These describe groups:

• “A committee of idiots.”
• “An audience of people judging Steve’s karaoke.”
• “A class of students pretending to listen.”

Exercise: Fill in the Blanks (With Chaos)

1. A gang of thieves (or Steve’s friends.)
2. A gaggle of geese (or Steve’s exes.)
3. A bunch of grapes (or Steve’s excuses.)
4. A swarm of locusts (or Steve’s unpaid bills.)
5. A bouquet of flowers (or Steve’s failed apologies.)
6. A crowd of people (or Steve’s court hearings.)

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6. Material Nouns (Stuff Things Are Made Of)

Examples:

• “Gold” (shiny)
• “Plastic” (like Steve’s personality)
• “Clay” (like Steve’s excuses)

Exercise: Underline the Material Nouns

1. Gold is a good conductor of heat. (Unlike Steve, who’s a bad conductor of common sense.)
2. Jute is one of the cheapest natural fibres. (Like Steve’s haircut.)
3. The child is sailing a boat made of paper. (Steve’s boat is made of bad decisions.)

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7. Compound Nouns (When Two Words Have a Baby)

Examples:

• tooth + brush = toothbrush (Steve’s is unused.)
• hair + cut = haircut (Steve’s is a crime.)

Exercise: Write the Plural Forms

1. passer-by → passers-by (Not “passer-bys” – that’s Steve’s grammar.)
2. daughter-in-law → daughters-in-law (Steve has none because no one stays.)

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Final Boss Round: Correct the Mistakes!

1. They are buying furniture (not furnitures – Steve’s buying regrets).
2. This railway track is used for goods trains (not good – Steve’s never been on one).
3. I have no further information (not informations – Steve’s full of those).

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Extra Practice (Because Steve Needs It)

Q1: Is “advice” countable or uncountable? (U – Steve never takes it.)
Q2: What’s the plural of “toothbrush”? (Toothbrushes – Steve’s is still missing.)
Q3: Is “laughter” concrete or abstract? (Abstract – unless it’s at Steve.)

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Let’s Write a Story (Starring Steve)

Nouns to use: cart, goods, heap, brass, aluminium, seller, eatables, crowd, unwillingness, help, gratitude, peanuts.

“Harish and Himadri were best friends. One day, as the two boys were walking past the post office, they heard a loud noise. A crowd had gathered around a cart selling eatables—mostly peanuts and regret. The seller, a man with a heap of aluminium cans, had the unwillingness of a sloth on sedatives. ‘I need help!’ he cried, holding a brass bell. Harish felt gratitude that it wasn’t Steve.”

(Now YOU try! Use the nouns and make it even worse.)

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Final Wisdom (From Me to You)

• Nouns are everywhere (like Steve’s bad decisions).
• Learn them well (unlike Steve).
• And for heaven’s sake, don’t be a Steve.

Now go forth and noun responsibly! 🚀