名词的概念在不同的语法教课书中有不同的解释和分类方法，但就实际应用来讲还是不要过分地追求其理论概念，而更多的要把注意力放在其应用上来。我们不妨把它分为两大类：专有名词与普通名词。

顾名思义，专有名词是指：个人、事物、机关等所专有的名称，如，the Great Wall，America…它们是不能随意变动的。而普通名词中则包括个体名词，如pen, worker…它表示单一的个体人或事物。

集体名词，如：family, class, team,它表示的是由若干个个体组成的集合体；物质名词，如：water,paper…它表示的是一种物质，原材料；而后一种是抽象名词，如:work, time…它表示着一种在实际生活中看不见、摸不到，但却与实际生活紧密相关的某些动作、状态、品质的抽象概念。

种类：

专有名词  John, the Communist Party of
普通名词类名词 nurse, boy, worker, pencil, dog, table
集体名词 class, family, army, police, team, people
物质名词 water, steel, glass, cotton, wood, sand
抽象名词 happiness, love, work, life, courage, honest

功用：

主语 My family is now in New York.
表语 His father is a scientist.
宾语 We love our great motherland.
宾语补足语 He made London the base for his work.
定语 The girls are making paper flowesrs.
状语 The car cost him 1000 dollars.
同位语 Mr Brown, a famous scientist, will come here.

名词在使用中的难点在于名词的数，即可数名词与不可数名词的实际应用。不可数名词不能用数字计算，所以它通常只有单数形式。它包含有专有名词、物质名词、抽象名词等，如：English, air, water, cotton, work…可数名词是可以用数量加以计算的名词，所以它具有单数形式和复数形式两种。可数名词复数形式的构成规律是：

1. 一般情况加s,如：pen—pens, doctor—doctors, boy—boys,其读音规则是在清辅音后读［s］，在元音和浊辅音后读［z］。如:map—map ，boy—boys.

2. 在以s,sh,ch,x结尾的名词后面加es，如：bus—buses,class—classes, 其读音为［iz］。

3. 以ce,se,ze,(d)ge结尾的名词加s，其读音为［iz］。

4. 以辅音字母加y结尾的名词，要将y变为i再加es，读作［z］，如：factory—factories, country—countries, family—families.但要注意的是以元音字母加y结尾的名词的复数形式只加s，如:boy—boys, day—days。

5. 以o结尾的名词的复数形式一般要加es，但如果o前面是元音字母或外来词，缩写词以o结尾的则只加s，如：tomato—tomatoes, hero—heroes; photo—photos, radio—radios, piano—pianos

6. 以f或fe结尾的名词的复数形式要将f或fe变为v再加es，如：knife—knives, leaf—leaves, 但有些例外的词如roof的复数形式是roofs。

7. 不规则名词的复数形式是要单个记忆的，它没有规律可循，如：man—men, woman—women, child—children, foot—feet, tooth—teeth, mouse—mice

8. 单复同形的名词有：fish, sheep, deer…

9. 单数形式但其意为复数的名词有:people,police等。名词还有格的变化，其主格可作主语，宾格可作宾语。还有所有格，用来表示人或物的所有，以及领属关系。表示有生命的名词的所有格其单数形式是加's其复数形式是s'，如其结尾不是s的复数形式仍加's，如：a student's room, students' rooms, Children's Day.

在表示时间、距离、世界、国家……名词的所有格要用's，如：a twenty minutes' walk.但无生命名词的所有格则必须用of结构，如：the capital of our country, the colour of the flowers

随堂练习：

( ) 1 She was very happy. She          in the maths test.
A. makes a few mistake B. made a few mistakes
C. made few mistakes D. makes few mistake

( ) 2 We need some more____. Can you go and get some, please?
A. potato B. potatos C. potatoes D. potatoe

( ) 3 _____are____for cutting things.
A. Knife/used B. Knives/used C. Knife/using D. Knives/using

( ) 4 What big____ the tiger has!
A. tooth B. teeth C. tooths D. toothes

( ) 5 Please remember to give the horse some tree___.
A. leafs B. leaves C. leaf D. leave

( ) 6 -Can we have some ___?
-Yes, please.
A. banana B. oranges C.apple D. pear

( ) 7 On the table there are five____.
A. tomatos B. piece of tomatoes C. tomatoes D. tomato

( ) 8 They got much ___ from those new books.
A. ideas B. photos C. information D. stories

( ) 9 He gave us____ on how to keep fit.
A. some advices B. some advice C. an advice D. a advice

( ) 10 When we saw his face, we knew___ was bad.
A. some news B. a news C. the news D. news