In the following sentences, what are the common and nouns?
First sentence:
Often on October outings, Otto offers oranges to officers.
In this sentence I am confused by October. It seems like it should be a proper noun, but in a way it seems like it is functioning as an adjective to say what kind of outing it is.
Second sentence:
Lucy lost lots of laughs lingering in the lunchroom line.
The confusing part to me is the lunchroom line. Again, it seems like lunchroom and line would both be common nouns, and yet the word lunchroom seems to function as an adjective for line.
You're absolutely right about the first sentence. Although October is usually a noun, it's used as a proper adjective in this sentence.
The same is true in the second sentence. Lunchroom is used as an adjective, modifying line.
Good thinking!! :-)
Thanks Sue...
so for clarification, on a sheet where common and proper nouns are supposed to be circled and marked, I would not circle October or lunchroom?
You're welcome.
No. Since they are used as adjectives, do not circle them as nouns.
i think you would not circle lunchroom
To identify the common nouns in the sentences, you can follow these steps:
1. Identify the subject of each sentence. The subject is typically the main noun or pronoun in the sentence.
- In the first sentence, the subject is "Otto."
- In the second sentence, the subject is "Lucy."
2. Look for nouns that are not specific names of people, places, or things (proper nouns).
- In the first sentence, the common nouns are "outings," "oranges," and "officers."
- In the second sentence, the common nouns are "laughs" and "line."
Regarding your confusion about "October" and "lunchroom line":
- In the first sentence, "October" is used as an adjective to describe the type of outings. It still retains its noun form, but it functions as an adjective in this particular context.
- In the second sentence, "lunchroom" does indeed function as an adjective to describe the type of line. It specifies that the line is in or related to the lunchroom. However, "lunchroom" can also be considered a noun, as it represents a specific place or location.
By analyzing the sentence structure and examining the context, you can identify the common nouns and understand how other words are functioning within the sentence.