Reading and Writing · 03 · Grammar Foundations
Nouns
Notes
Key points
- Noun = person, place, thing or idea. It works as a subject or an object.
- Plural: add -s. Possessive: add 's. Not the same thing.
- Collective nouns (team, committee, jury, company) are singular.
- A gerund subject (-ing word as a noun) is singular: “Reading novels is fun.”
- Countable nouns → fewer, many. Uncountable nouns → less, much.
Rules
Plural: no apostrophe.
The scientists published their findings.
The scientist's published their findings.
Possessive: apostrophe shows ownership.
The scientist's notes were lost.
The scientists notes were lost.
Collective nouns take singular verbs and “it”.
The committee has released its report.
The committee have released their report.
Common traps
- Adding an apostrophe just because the word ends in -s.
- Treating “team” or “the public” as plural and choosing “they” or “are”.
SAT tip
Apostrophe test: if the word owns the noun right after it, use one; if not, it's a plain plural.
Test yourself
10 official SAT questions on Nouns, easiest first.