Identifying nouns Worksheet Practice Exercises with Answers

Nouns are commonly described as words that point to a person, place, thing, or idea.

How Can You Identify a Noun?

Quick Tip 1.1

If you can put the word the in front of a word and it sounds like a unit, the word is a noun. For example, the boy sounds like a unit, so boy is a noun. The chair sounds like a unit, so chair is a noun. Compare these nouns to *the very, *the walked, *the because. Very, walked, and because are not nouns. While you can easily put the and very together (for example, the very tall boy), the very, by itself, does not work as a unit while the chair does. So, chair is a noun; very is not. (There is one kind of noun that cannot always have the in front of it; see Lesson 6 later in this unit.)

Question 1. Is "tree" a noun?
Answer: Yes, "tree" is a noun. When you place the word "the" in front of it — "the tree" — it sounds like a complete unit.
In simple words: "Tree" is a noun because "the tree" works as a proper phrase.

Exam Tip: Use the "the ___" test to check if a word is a noun - this is the fastest and most reliable method.

Question 2. Is "when" a noun?
Answer: No, "when" is not a noun. When you try to put "the" in front of it - "the when" - it does not sound like a proper unit or phrase.
In simple words: "When" is not a noun because "the when" does not work as a natural phrase.

Exam Tip: Words that ask questions or show time (like "when," "where," "why") are usually not nouns - they belong to different word groups.

Question 3. Is "beds" a noun?
Answer: Yes, "beds" is a noun. When you place "the" in front of it - "the beds" - it forms a natural, complete unit.
In simple words: "Beds" is a noun because "the beds" sounds right and works as a phrase.

Exam Tip: Plural forms of nouns (like "beds," "chairs," "books") are also nouns - the plural form does not change this.

Question 4. Is "glass" a noun?
Answer: Yes, "glass" is a noun. When you say "the glass," it creates a natural unit that works as a proper phrase.
In simple words: "Glass" is a noun because "the glass" sounds like a complete phrase.

Exam Tip: Material words like "glass," "wood," "steel" are nouns when they name a thing you can identify with "the."

Question 5. Is "said" a noun?
Answer: No, "said" is not a noun. When you try to put "the" in front of it - "the said" - it does not sound like a proper phrase or unit.
In simple words: "Said" is not a noun because "the said" does not work as a natural phrase. "Said" is a verb (an action word).

Exam Tip: Action words in the past tense (like "said," "walked," "jumped") are verbs, not nouns - they show what someone does.

Question 6. Underline the nouns in this phrase: your red sweater.
Answer: The noun in this phrase is sweater. When you apply the "the" test - "the sweater" - it forms a complete unit. "Your" is a possessive word and "red" is an adjective that explains what the sweater is like.
In simple words: Only "sweater" is a noun in this phrase. The other words just describe or show whose sweater it is.

Exam Tip: In phrases with multiple words, test each word separately with "the" - this helps you spot the actual noun versus describing words.

Question 7. Underline the nouns in this phrase: those boxes.
Answer: The noun in this phrase is boxes. When you apply the "the" test - "the boxes" - it forms a proper unit. "Those" is a pointer word that shows which boxes you mean.
In simple words: "Boxes" is the noun because "the boxes" works as a phrase. "Those" just points to which ones.

Exam Tip: Words like "those," "these," "that," "this" are often placed before nouns - they help identify or point to the noun but are not nouns themselves.

Question 8. Underline the nouns in this phrase: a few men.
Answer: The noun in this phrase is men. When you apply the "the" test - "the men" - it forms a complete unit. "A" is an article and "few" is a word that tells you the quantity.
In simple words: "Men" is the noun. "A" and "few" are just helper words that tell you how many men.

Exam Tip: Small number words (like "few," "several," "many") come before nouns but are not themselves nouns - they show quantity.

Question 9. Underline the nouns in this phrase: many digital photos.
Answer: The noun in this phrase is photos. When you apply the "the" test - "the photos" - it forms a natural unit. "Many" tells you the quantity and "digital" explains what kind of photos they are.
In simple words: "Photos" is the noun. "Many" says how many and "digital" describes what they are like.

Exam Tip: Adjectives (describing words) and quantity words can appear near nouns - remove them and test only the main noun with "the."

Question 10. Underline the nouns in this phrase: his very interesting article.
Answer: The noun in this phrase is article. When you apply the "the" test - "the article" - it forms a complete unit. "His" shows who owns it, "very" adds emphasis, and "interesting" describes what kind of article it is.
In simple words: "Article" is the noun. The other words tell you whose it is and what it is like.

Exam Tip: In longer phrases with many describing words, focus on finding the main noun by using the "the" test - it will always point you to the correct word.

Question 11. Underline the nouns in this phrase: their carpets.
Answer: The noun in this phrase is carpets. When you apply the "the" test - "the carpets" - it forms a proper unit. "Their" is a possessive word that shows the carpets belong to someone.
In simple words: "Carpets" is the noun. "Their" just shows who owns them.

Exam Tip: Possessive words (like "their," "his," "her," "my," "our") often come before nouns but they are not nouns themselves.

Question 12. Underline the nouns in this phrase: a hand-painted plate.
Answer: The noun in this phrase is plate. When you apply the "the" test - "the plate" - it forms a complete unit. "A" is an article and "hand-painted" is a describing phrase that tells you what kind of plate it is.
In simple words: "Plate" is the noun. "A" is just an article and "hand-painted" explains how the plate was made.

Exam Tip: Compound describing words (like "hand-painted," "well-known," "newly-built") are placed before nouns but are not themselves nouns.

Question 13. Underline the nouns in this phrase: the court stenographer.
Answer: The noun in this phrase is stenographer. When you apply the "the" test - "the stenographer" - it forms a complete unit. "Court" is another noun used to describe what type of stenographer this person is.
In simple words: "Stenographer" is the main noun. "Court" is also a noun that tells you where this person works.

Exam Tip: Sometimes two nouns can appear together - the one being tested is the main noun, and the other is a describing noun that comes before it.

Question 14. Underline the nouns in this phrase: our psychology professor.
Answer: The noun in this phrase is professor. When you apply the "the" test - "the professor" - it forms a complete unit. "Our" shows who this professor belongs to, and "psychology" names the subject the professor teaches.
In simple words: "Professor" is the main noun. "Our" shows the professor belongs to someone, and "psychology" tells you what the professor teaches.

Exam Tip: Subject names (like "psychology," "biology," "history") placed before a job title are describing nouns that tell you the type of professional.

Question 15. Underline the nouns in this phrase: two interesting museums.
Answer: The noun in this phrase is museums. When you apply the "the" test - "the museums" - it forms a natural unit. "Two" tells you how many and "interesting" describes what kind of museums they are.
In simple words: "Museums" is the noun. "Two" tells you the number and "interesting" tells you what they are like.

Exam Tip: Numbers and adjectives that appear before a noun help identify it, but always apply the "the" test to the main word to confirm it is truly the noun.