Grade 7 English SCIENCE AND HEALTH EDUCATION – GRAMMAR IN USE:NOUNS Notes
GRAMMAR IN USE: NOUNS
Subject: English — Topic: Science and Health Education
These notes explain how nouns work. All examples use words from Science and Health Education so you can learn grammar and topic vocabulary at the same time.
A noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea.
Examples: doctor, clinic, water, health.
Types of nouns (with Science & Health examples)
- Common nouns — general names: nurse, school, medicine, test.
- Proper nouns — names of specific people or places (use a capital letter): Kenya Medical Training College, Nairobi Hospital, Dr. Wanjiru.
- Concrete nouns — things you can see or touch: stethoscope, syringe, cell.
- Abstract nouns — ideas or feelings (cannot touch): health, courage, knowledge.
- Countable nouns — can be counted: tablet(s), symptom(s), doctor(s).
- Uncountable (mass) nouns — cannot be counted as single items: water, air, sugar, equipment, information.
- Collective nouns — name a group: a colony of bacteria, a team of nurses.
Singular and Plural
Most nouns add -s to form the plural: cell → cells, clinic → clinics, doctor → doctors. Some rules:
- After -s, -sh, -ch, -x, -z add -es: box → boxes, bench → benches.
- If noun ends in consonant + y, change y → ies: colony → colonies.
- Irregular plurals (must be learnt): bacterium → bacteria, child → children, foot → feet.
- Some words are the same in singular and plural: sheep, species.
- Uncountable nouns usually do not have a plural form: water, sugar, equipment.
Possessive nouns
Use 's to show ownership: the nurse's uniform. For plural nouns that already end in s, add only an apostrophe: the teachers' room.
Using nouns in sentences (Science & Health)
Try to notice the nouns and their type:
- The school nurse checked the students' temperature. (nouns: school nurse — common; students — countable)
- Clean water is important for good health. (nouns: water — uncountable; health — abstract)
- A colony of bacteria grew on the plate. (collective + concrete)
Short exercises
- Identify the type: nurse (common / proper / abstract / uncountable)
- Make plural: "virus" → __________
- Choose the correct word: (a) pieces of advice (b) advices (circle one)
- Write the possessive form: the book of the doctor → __________
- Which is uncountable: apple / milk / tablet ?
Answers (click to open)
- nurse — common noun
- virus → viruses
- Correct: (a) pieces of advice — "advice" is uncountable, not "advices"
- the doctor's book
- milk is uncountable (apple and tablet are countable)
Tips to remember
- When you see a noun, ask: Is it a person, place, thing, or idea?
- For science words, check if you can count them. If you can count them easily, they are countable.
- Learn irregular plurals (e.g., bacterium → bacteria) by practice and reading.
- Use capital letters for proper nouns: names of hospitals, towns, and specific people.
Practice: Look at your Science and Health Education notes. Underline every noun and write its type (common/proper/abstract/concrete/countable/uncountable). This helps both vocabulary and grammar.