Nouns and Verbs

Grade 2 · English · Study Guide

Learn the difference between nouns (naming words) and verbs (action words) and how to spot them in sentences.

Every sentence needs two main building blocks: a noun and a verb. Once you know how to spot them, reading and writing become a whole lot easier!

A noun is a naming word. Nouns name people, places, things, or animals. The words dog, teacher, park, and pizza are all nouns. If you can put the word "the" or "a" in front of a word, it is probably a noun. There are two kinds of nouns: common nouns name general things (like city or boy) and proper nouns name specific things and always start with a capital letter (like Chicago or Marcus).

A verb is an action word. It tells what someone or something does or is. Words like run, jump, eat, sleep, and think are all action verbs. Some verbs show a state of being instead of an action, like is, are, was, and were. In the sentence "The cat sleeps on the rug," the word sleeps is the verb because it tells what the cat does.

Every complete sentence must have at least one noun and one verb working together. The noun tells us who or what, and the verb tells us what they do or are.

Key terms

Noun
A word that names a person, place, thing, or animal.
Verb
A word that shows an action or a state of being.
Common Noun
A noun that names a general person, place, or thing (like girl or city).
Proper Noun
A noun that names a specific person, place, or thing and is always capitalized (like Emily or Paris).
Action Verb
A verb that shows something happening, like run, eat, or laugh.

Flashcards

Noun
Names a person, place, thing, or animal. Examples: cat, school, Ana, Texas.
Verb
Shows action or being. Examples: run, eat, is, were.
Common Noun
A general noun, not capitalized. Examples: dog, city, book.
Proper Noun
Names something specific and is always capitalized. Examples: Paris, Monday, Lily.
Action Verb
Shows something happening. Examples: jump, sing, write, laugh.
Being Verb
Shows a state, not an action. Examples: is, am, are, was, were.
Sentence
A complete thought that needs at least one noun and one verb.

Questions

  1. Which word is a noun?

    1. Jump
    2. Quickly
    3. Bird
    4. Happy
    Show answer

    Answer: Bird

    'Bird' is a noun because it names a thing (an animal). 'Jump' is a verb, 'quickly' is an adverb, and 'happy' is an adjective.

  2. The word 'swims' is a verb.

    Show answer

    Answer: True

    'Swims' is an action verb — it tells what someone or something does.

  3. In the sentence 'The dog runs in the park,' which word is the verb?

    1. dog
    2. the
    3. runs
    4. park
    Show answer

    Answer: runs

    'Runs' is the verb in the sentence because it tells what the dog does.

  4. A noun that names a specific place and starts with a capital letter is called a ___ noun.

    Show answer

    Answer: proper

    A proper noun names a specific person, place, or thing and always starts with a capital letter.

  5. Which of these is a proper noun?

    1. school
    2. river
    3. Tuesday
    4. teacher
    Show answer

    Answer: Tuesday

    'Tuesday' is a proper noun because it names a specific day of the week and starts with a capital letter.

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