The names of people，places，and things are called nouns．A noun may be a single word or a group of two or more words that function together as one name．Nouns are often divided into various classes such as Common Nouns，Proper Nouns，Concrete Nouns，Abstract Nouns，Individual Nouns，Collective Nouns and Gerunds．Nouns have the properties，or characteristics，of person，number，gender，and case．Nouns can be used as subject of a sentence，direct and indirect object of a verb，object of a preposition，appositive and predicate nominative．

名词是表示人名、地名、事物名称及抽象概念名称的词，可分为普遍名词与专有名词两大类。普遍名词可分为个体名词、集体名词、物质名词和抽象名词以及动名词。名词自身的属性包括人称、数、性和格。名词在句中可作主语、动词的直接或间接宾语、介词宾语、同位语和表语。