A noun is a part of speech that is used to name a person, place, animal, thing or idea. There are many different types of nouns, including singular and plural nouns, common and proper nouns, collective nouns, abstract nouns and so on. Learn more about singular nouns by going through the topics given below.
Table of Contents
Singular Noun Definition
Singular Noun Examples
Singular Noun Examples in Sentences
Singular Countable Noun
Singular Possessive Noun
Difference between Singular and Plural Noun
Frequently Asked Questions on Singular Nouns
Singular Noun Definition
The definition of a singular noun is similar to that of a noun in general. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, a singular noun is ‘a word that refers to a person, place, thing, event, substance, or quality.’ ‘A noun is a word such as ‘ car’, ‘ love’, or ‘ Anne’ which is used to refer to a person or thing,’ according to the Collins Dictionary.
Singular Noun Examples
Have a look at the examples of singular nouns given below.
Singular Nouns Referring to Human Beings
Boy
Girl
Child
Man
Woman
Lad
Individual
Chap
Lass
Male
Female
Citizen
Tom
Anna
Harry
Singular Nouns Referring to Animals
Cheetah
Deer
Fish
Pelican
Ostrich
Dinosaur
Monkey
Grasshopper
Rhinoceros
Zebra
Owl
Singular Nouns Referring to Places
Cairo
School
Hospital
College
Paris
Coimbatore
Bangalore
St. John’s Medical College
Hill Crest Hospital
Twin Towers
Bus stand
Railway station
Singular Nouns Referring to Things/Objects
Table
Chair
Blackboard
Bike
Aeroplane
Pencil
Elastic
Chalk
Dress
Pin
Needle
Tomato
Apple
Singular Nouns Referring to Ideas
Invention
Description
Conviction
Honesty
Grace
Pride
Destruction
Competition
Idea
Ideology
Biology
Evolution
Singular Noun Examples in Sentences
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.
Singular Countable Noun
Here are a few examples of singular countable nouns:
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
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 inflexion. 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
I found a dog on the street.
I found dogs on the street.
The childwas playing.
The childrenwere playing.
Their sonis coming home this month.
Their sonsare coming home this month.
The boy has an orange for breakfast every day.
The boys haveoranges for breakfast every day.
Noah used his sister’s paintbrush to finish his painting.
Noah used his sister’s paintbrushes to finish his painting.
I am going to buy a dress.
I am going to buy some dresses.
They rescued the wounded elephant.
They rescued the wounded elephants.
The game went on as planned.
The games went on as planned.
Denny gave his mom a bangle.
Denny gave his mom some bangles.
Did you choose the outfit for your cousin’s wedding?
Did you choose the outfits for your cousin’s wedding?
Frequently Asked Questions on Singular Nouns
Q1
What is a singular noun?
A singular noun refers to a part of speech that is used to name a person, place, animal, thing or idea. For example, fish, school, Leena, Ravi, courage, etc.
Q2
What are examples of singular nouns?
Some examples of singular nouns are pen, slate, chalk, bottle, tub, soap, window, phone, cycle, pigeon, chair, game, meal and so on.
A singular noun is a noun that refers to only one person, place, thing, or idea. It's contrasted with plural noun
plural noun
A plurale tantum (Latin for 'plural only'; pl. pluralia tantum) is a noun that appears only in the plural form and does not have a singular variant for referring to a single object.
s, which refer to more than one person, place, thing, or idea. An example of a singular noun is cat, which represents one cat; an example of a plural noun is cats, which represents two or more cats.
The easiest way to tell if a noun is a singular noun or a plural noun is to look at how much of something it is referring to. If it is only referring to one person or thing, it is a singular noun. If it is referring to more than one person or thing, it is a plural noun.
Some nouns—especially those ending in -s —although plural in form, are singular in number and in meaning: news, measles, mumps, calculus, rickets, billiards, molasses, dizziness, and other –ness ending nouns. These nouns require singular verb forms.
The correct sentence would be: “Bread and butter was his only food.” One might think that 'bread and butter' are two different entities so a plural verb should be used, but the interesting part is that it is considered as a single entity. So, a singular verb would be used with it.
When to use woman or women. The word woman is a singular noun that refers to one female adult person, as in I gave my papers to the woman behind the counter. The plural of woman is women, as in Three women were waiting at the bus stop.
In English grammar, if you are describing a single person, place, thing, or idea, you use the singular form of the noun. If you are describing more than one of these, you use the plural form of the noun. Singular nouns are simple enough because, unlike with plural nouns, you don't have to add anything to them.
A singular noun names only one person, place, thing, or idea. A noun that names two or more people, places, things, or ideas is a plural noun. How do you make a singular noun plural? Most of the time making a singular noun plural is as simple as adding an s to the end of the word.
These are nominative (I, you, he, she, it, we, they), objective (me, you, him, her, it, them), and possessive (my, mine, our(s), his, her(s), their(s), its, your(s)). What are the 12 personal pronouns? There are 12 singular personal pronouns that can be used to represent a singular person.
Some nouns—especially those ending in -s —although plural in form, are singular in number and in meaning: news, measles, mumps, calculus, rickets, billiards, molasses, dizziness, and other –ness ending nouns. These nouns require singular verb forms.
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