Question

Choose the type of nouns underlined in the following sentence:
He gave a bunch of grapes.
a) bunch - collective; grapes - common
b) bunch - common; grapes - collective
c) bunch - common; grapes - proper
d) bunch - abstract; grapes - proper

Answer 1

Hint: Collective nouns are used to denote a collection of other nouns. Common nouns are non-specific naming words.

Complete answer : A proper noun is a name used for an individual person, place, or organization, spelled with an initial capital letter.
For example, ‘Taj Mahal’, ‘James’, and ‘Meena’ are all proper nouns, as they are specific names of objects and people.
A collective noun is a collection of things taken as a whole.
For example, the word ‘shoal’ is used to describe a group of fish.
Similarly, common nouns are nouns denoting a class of objects or a concept as opposed to a particular individual. They are the opposite of a proper noun. For example, words like ‘school’, ‘garden’, and ‘monument’ are common nouns.

Now, let’s look at the given options:
a) bunch - collective; grapes - common - Bunch is a collective noun, as it denotes a plural collection of grapes. Grapes are a common noun. So, this is the correct option.
b) bunch - common; grapes - collective - Bunch is not a common noun. Grapes are not a collective noun, as they do not denote a collection/group of anything. So, this is an incorrect option.
c) bunch - common; grapes - proper - Bunch is not a common noun. Grapes are not a proper noun, as they are not the names of a specified object. They are simply naming words. So, this is an incorrect option.
d) bunch - abstract; grapes - proper - The word bunch is not an abstract noun, as it is a tangible object/idea. The word ‘grapes’ is not a proper noun. So, this is an incorrect option.

Hence option ‘a’ is the correct answer.

Note: Each option gives you a different answer. Try to identify what ‘collective nouns’ and ‘common nouns’ mean. This will help you to choose the correct option.