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Study GuideEnglish–Noun: Person, Place, Thing, Idea, or Activity1.Proper NounsLet’s start withproper nouns.Aproper nounis a noun that names aspecific person, place, event, or group. Because it refers tosomething unique, it isalways capitalized.Here are a few examples of proper nouns:•Eleanor Roosevelt(a specific person)•Niagara Falls(a specific place)•Dracula(a specific character)•the Federal Bureau of Investigation(a specific organization)•the Great Depression(a specific historical event)1.1Avoid Overusing Capital LettersSometimes, writers use capital letters too often, even when they are not needed. This can makewriting look confusing or unpolished.For example:•The Manhattan Projectshould be capitalized because it was aspecific historical project—the World War II effort to develop the first nuclear weapons.•However, the wordprojectshouldnotbe capitalized when it is used in a general way, suchasa student projectora club’s project to clean the campus. In these cases,projectis acommon noun, not a proper noun.1.2A Closer Look at Historical TermsThe same rule applies to historical events:

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Study Guide•The Great Depressionis capitalized because it names aspecific period of economichardshipthat began with the stock market crash in 1929.•But when the worddepressionis used to talk about economic hardship in general, it isnotcapitalized, because it is no longer referring to that specific historical event.1.3When Capitalization Can VaryIn some situations, capitalization can be flexible.For example, certain companies or organizations follow their own style rules. A company mightchoose to capitalize job titles likeManagerorDirectorin official documents.However, outside of these special cases, unnecessary capitalization is often used just to make a wordseem more important. This is something you should try to avoid in your own writing.2. Quiz: Proper NounsQuestion 1Complete this sentence:A proper noun names ________.Answer Choices• an important person at a special event• a specific person, place, event, or group• a famous person as the subject of a sentenceCorrect Answera specific person, place, event, or groupWhy This Is Correct• Proper nouns namespecificthings, not general ones.• Examples includeIndia, Mount Everest, World War II,andAmazon.

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Study GuideQuestion 2Which of the following shows a group of ONLY proper nouns?Answer Choices• Chicago, Grand Canyon, Mayor Jansen• Civil War, war against terrorism, director of the museum• Hawaiian Islands, chief of staff, state senatorCorrect AnswerChicago, Grand Canyon, Mayor JansenWhy This Is Correct• Each item names aspecificplace or person.• The other choices include common nouns likedirectorandchief of staff.Question 3Complete this sentence:Proper nouns should be ________.Answer Choices• lowercased• capitalized• italicizedCorrect Answercapitalized

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Study GuideWhy This Is Correct• Capital letters help show that a noun is specific.• Proper nouns are always capitalized, no matter where they appear in a sentence.Question 4Which sentence shows CORRECT use of a proper noun?Answer Choices• Why isn't the mayor leading our city's trade delegation to China?• Why isn't the Mayor leading our city's trade delegation to China?• Why isn't the Mayor leading our city's Trade Delegation to China?Correct AnswerWhy isn't the Mayor leading our city's trade delegation to China?Why This Is Correct•Mayoris capitalized because it refers to a specific person.•Chinais a proper noun and is correctly capitalized.•trade delegationis a common noun and should not be capitalized.Question 5Which sentence is INCORRECT?Answer Choices• Vancouver, London, Athens, and Los Angeles are finalists to host the next Olympics.• Vancouver, London, Athens, and los angeles are finalists to host the next olympics.• Neither a nor b

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Study GuideCorrect AnswerVancouver, London, Athens, and los angeles are finalists to host the next olympics.Why This Is Correct•Los AngelesandOlympicsare proper nouns and must be capitalized.• Sentence A correctly capitalizes all proper nouns.3.Verbs Used as NounsIn English, words can sometimes do more than one job. One common example is when averbisused as anoun. When this happens, the verb changes form and takes on a new role in the sentence.This kind of verb-turned-noun is called agerund.What Is a Gerund?Agerundis a noun made from the–ing form of a verb. Even though it looks like a verb, itacts likea nounin the sentence.A gerund can function as:•thesubjectof a sentence, or•theobjectof a sentenceExample:Sleepingsometimes serves as an escape fromstudying.In this sentence:•Sleepingcomes from the verbsleepand acts as thesubject.•Studyingcomes from the verbstudyand acts as anobject.Both words end in–ing, but they are doing the job of nouns.

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Study Guide3.1Common Problems with GerundsGerunds can be tricky, especially when anoun or pronoun comes before them. Here’s animportant rule to remember:When a noun or pronoun comes before a gerund, use the possessive form.Example:Jana’s sleepingwas sometimes an escape from studying.Here,Jana’sis possessive because it showswhosesleeping it is.3.2How to Check If You’re Using a Gerund CorrectlyA helpful trick is toreplace the gerund with a regular nounand see if the sentence still sounds right.Example:Jana’sslumberwas sometimes an escape from studying.This sentence sounds correct, just like:Jana’ssleepingwas sometimes an escape from studying.But this sentence doesnotsound right:Jana slumber was sometimes an escape from studying.This test helps you confirm that the possessive form is needed.3.3Even When It Looks Like an ObjectSometimes, the word before a gerund may look like an object, but you shouldstill use thepossessive form.Correct:Jana was annoyed byBill’s studying.Incorrect:Jana was annoyed byBill studying.

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Study Guide4. Quiz: Verbs Used as NounsQuestion 1Choose the TRUE statement.Answer Choices• Verbs used as nouns in a sentence are called gerunds.• Verbs used as nouns in a question are called queries.• Verbs used as nouns are always called possessives.Correct AnswerVerbs used as nouns in a sentence are called gerunds.Why This Is Correct• A gerund is a verb form that functions as a noun.• The other choices are not grammatical terms.Question 2Which underlined verb phrase is the subject of the sentence?Answer Choices•Before collecting evidence, the police officer questioned a suspect.• The police officer questioned a suspect, then begancollecting evidence.•Collecting evidenceat the crime scene took hours of police time.Correct AnswerCollecting evidence at the crime scene took hours of police time.

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Study GuideWhy This Is Correct•Collecting evidenceis a gerund phrase.• It acts as thesubjectof the sentence.Question 3Which is a TRUE statement about gerunds?Answer Choices• A gerund is usually plural.• A gerund phrase usually ends in-ing.• A gerund phrase is usually possessive.Correct AnswerA gerund phrase usually ends in-ing.Why This Is Correct• Gerunds always end in-ing.• They are not automatically plural or possessive.Question 4Which sentence shows the possessive case before the gerund?Answer Choices• His loud snoring woke his two roommates.• He woke his two roommates by snoring loudly.• Snoring loudly he woke his two roommates.

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Study GuideCorrect AnswerHis loud snoring woke his two roommates.Why This Is Correct•hisis a possessive pronoun.• It correctly comes before the gerundsnoring.Question 5Choose the TRUE statement.Answer Choices• Pronouns should not precede a gerund phrase in a sentence.• Gerund phrases must contain pronouns in a sentence.• A noun or pronoun should be in the possessive case if it precedes a gerund.Correct AnswerA noun or pronoun should be in the possessive case if it precedes a gerund.Why This Is Correct• Possessive nouns or pronouns showwho is performingthe gerund action.• This is the correct grammatical structure.Question 6Which sentence shows CORRECT use of a gerund?

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Study GuideAnswer Choices• Her brother's favorite pastimes are snowboarding, eating, and sleeping.• Snowboarding, eating, and sleeping are her brother's favorite pastimes.• Both a and bCorrect AnswerBoth a and bWhy This Is Correct• In both sentences, the-ingwords function as nouns.• They correctly name activities and act as subjects or objects.5.Collective NounsAcollective nounis a word that names agroup of people or things. Instead of talking about eachmember one by one, a collective noun lets you refer to the group as a whole.In fact, the wordgroupitself is a collective noun.Here are some common examples:•family•club•team•committee•staff•furniture•jury•Congress•audience•herd

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