There are lots of adjectives in English that we can convert into nouns by using 'ness'. A noun ending in 'ness' literally means the state of the original adjective.
For example, hungriness means ‘the state of being hungry. Below are ten sentences which require a noun ending in 'ness'.
Look at the adjectives below and guess which one goes in each sentence. Then add 'ness' and change spelling when needed.
Good luck!
Lesson by Caroline
If there was a collective noun for a group of students what would it be?
Collective nouns are used to describe groups. E.g. we don't say a 'group of lions' we say 'a pride of lions'.
Can you guess which collective noun we use for which animal? Do you know any other collective nouns?
Lesson by Caroline Devane
A common mistake made by English learners is to confuse the nationality adjective with the name of the country a person is from. The rule is as follows:
I'm from + name of country: "I'm from Russia."
I' m + nationality adjective: "I'm Russian."
Are you describing the person or are you talking about the place?
In the following sentences can you choose which alternative you need? Good luck!
Lesson by Caroline.
Can you touch it?
NO
Can you see it?
NO
Can you hear it?
NO
Can you taste it?
NO
Well then maybe it’s an abstract noun! These are nouns that we use to talk about feelings or ideas.
Helpful Hint: Abstract nouns often end in the following suffixes:
-tion
-ism
-ity
-ment
-ness
-age
-ance/ence
-ship
-ability
-acy
By knowing typical endings of words that identify nouns, adjectives, or adverbs, students can improve their vocabulary quickly and easily. This will also greatly improve reading comprehension. If you are reading, and come across a word that you don't know, follow these steps:
'What type of noun is woman?'
You probably know that a noun is a type of 'thing'. For example 'table' and 'car' are both types of nouns. Here we take a look at all the different types of nouns there are and how to spot them:
