Flashcards for Nouns

Six sets of 16 noun cards to flip or print, kindergarten to grade 3, answer and reason on the back.

Person, place, thing or animal? sister

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Type the plural, the group word or the kind of noun

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How to practise

Next step Give a read-aloud spelling test on this week's nouns

All 96 cards

Person, place, thing, animal 16

Person, place, thing or animal? beach A beach is a place you can go to. The sand on it is a thing.
Person, place, thing or animal? bucket A bucket is a thing. Things can be counted: one bucket, two buckets.
Person, place, thing or animal? doctor A doctor is a person. Job words such as doctor, nurse and cook are person nouns.
Person, place, thing or animal? eagle An eagle is an animal. Its nest is a thing.
Person, place, thing or animal? farmer A farmer is a person. Ask Who? and the answer is a person noun.
Person, place, thing or animal? guitar A guitar is a thing. The guitarist who plays it is a person.
Person, place, thing or animal? kitchen A kitchen is a place. A room is somewhere you can be, so it is a place noun.
Person, place, thing or animal? ladder A ladder is a thing. Ask What? and the answer is a thing noun.
Person, place, thing or animal? library A library is a place, even though it is full of things called books.

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Person, place, thing, animal, continued

Person, place, thing or animal? park A park is a place. Ask Where? and the answer is a place noun.
Person, place, thing or animal? pencil A pencil is a thing: you can hold it and it is not alive.
Person, place, thing or animal? pilot A pilot is a person, the one who flies the plane. The plane is a thing.
Person, place, thing or animal? rabbit A rabbit is an animal. In a person, place or thing sort, animals go with things.
Person, place, thing or animal? sister A sister is a person. Family words such as sister and uncle are person nouns.
Person, place, thing or animal? spider A spider is an animal, and so are insects, birds and fish.
Person, place, thing or animal? turtle A turtle is an animal. Pets and wild animals are all animal nouns.

Common or proper 16

Common or proper? CANADA Proper: Canada names one country, so it takes a capital C.
Common or proper? CHICAGO Proper: Chicago names one city, so it takes a capital C.
Common or proper? CITY Common: city can mean any city. Write it with a small c.
Common or proper? DAY Common: day can mean any day, so it takes no capital letter.
Common or proper? HOLIDAY Common: holiday can mean any holiday. Write it with a small h.
Common or proper? JULY Proper: July names one month. Months always take a capital.
Common or proper? LABOR DAY Proper: Labor Day names one holiday, so both words take a capital.
Common or proper? LAKE Common: lake can mean any lake. Write it with a small l.
Common or proper? LAKE ERIE Proper: Lake Erie names one lake, so both words take a capital.
Common or proper? MONDAY Proper: Monday names one day of the week. Days always take a capital.
Common or proper? MONTH Common: month can mean any of the twelve. Write it with a small m.
Common or proper? ROSA PARKS Proper: Rosa Parks names one person, so both words take a capital.
Common or proper? STATE Common: state can mean any of the fifty. Write it with a small s.
Common or proper? TEACHER Common: teacher can mean any teacher. A teacher's own name is proper.
Common or proper? TEXAS Proper: Texas names one state, so it takes a capital T.
Common or proper? WINTER Common: seasons take no capital. Write winter, spring, summer and fall.

Plurals: -s, -es, -ies 16

one apple, two ___ apples: a noun that ends in a silent e still just adds -s.
one baby, two ___ babies: a consonant comes before the y, so change y to i and add -es.
one book, two ___ books: most nouns just add -s.
one bus, two ___ buses: nouns that end in s add -es. Busses is in the dictionary too.
one cherry, two ___ cherries: change y to i and add -es. The double r stays.
one class, two ___ classes: nouns that end in ss add -es.
one dish, two ___ dishes: nouns that end in sh add -es.
one fox, two ___ foxes: nouns that end in x add -es.
one key, two ___ keys: a vowel comes before the y, so just add -s.
one lunch, two ___ lunches: a noun that ends in ch, said as in lunch, adds -es.
one monkey, two ___ monkeys: e is a vowel, so the y stays and you add -s. Not monkies.
one potato, two ___ potatoes: many nouns that end in a consonant and o add -es. Piano just adds -s.
one puppy, two ___ puppies: change y to i and add -es. The double p stays.
one river, two ___ rivers: no s, x, z, ch or sh at the end, so just add -s.
one story, two ___ stories: a consonant comes before the y, so change y to i and add -es.
one toy, two ___ toys: the vowel o comes before the y, so just add -s.

Irregular plurals 16

one child, two ___ children: child adds -ren. Never childs.
one deer, two ___ deer: the plural is the same word. One deer, a herd of deer.
one fish, two ___ fish: usually the same word. The dictionary also lists fishes.
one foot, two ___ feet: oo changes to ee, as in tooth and teeth, goose and geese.
one goose, two ___ geese: oo changes to ee. But moose stays moose.
one knife, two ___ knives: fe changes to ve, then add -s. The silent k stays.
one leaf, two ___ leaves: f changes to v, then add -es.
one man, two ___ men: the a changes to e and no s is added.
one mouse, two ___ mice: ouse changes to ice, as in louse and lice.
one ox, two ___ oxen: one of the few plurals that end in -en, like children.
one person, two ___ people: the everyday plural of person. Persons is a formal plural.
one sheep, two ___ sheep: the plural is the same word. One sheep, ten sheep.
one shelf, two ___ shelves: f changes to v, then add -es.
one tooth, two ___ teeth: oo changes to ee. Never tooths.
one wolf, two ___ wolves: f changes to v, then add -es.
one woman, two ___ women: the a changes to e and no s is added. Say it WIM-in.

Collective nouns 16

a ___ of ants colony: a colony of ants lives and works together in one nest.
a ___ of bees swarm: a swarm of bees on the move. At home in the hive they are a colony.
a ___ of birds flock: a flock of birds. Sheep come in a flock too.
a ___ of cards deck: a deck of cards. A pack of cards means the same.
a ___ of cows herd: a herd of cows. Elephants and deer come in herds too.
a ___ of dolphins pod: a pod of dolphins. Whales travel in pods too.
a ___ of fish school: a school of fish. Shoal means the same.
a ___ of grapes bunch: a bunch of grapes. Bananas and keys come in bunches too.
a ___ of lions pride: a pride of lions, the family group they live and hunt in.
a ___ of musicians band: a band of musicians. A large one with strings is an orchestra.
a ___ of players team: a team of players. In American English the team is, not the team are.
a ___ of puppies litter: a litter of puppies, all born to one mother at the same time.
a ___ of sailors crew: a crew of sailors. Planes and spacecraft have crews too.
a ___ of ships fleet: a fleet of ships. Trucks and buses come in fleets too.
a ___ of singers choir: a choir of singers. Chorus means nearly the same.
a ___ of wolves pack: a pack of wolves, hunting together.

Abstract or concrete 16

Abstract or concrete? blanket concrete: you can see and touch a blanket.
Abstract or concrete? courage abstract: courage is a quality. You cannot see, hear, smell, taste or touch it.
Abstract or concrete? fear abstract: fear is a feeling inside you. You cannot touch it with your hands.
Abstract or concrete? freedom abstract: freedom is an idea, not an object.
Abstract or concrete? honesty abstract: honesty is a quality. You see honest acts, never honesty itself.
Abstract or concrete? idea abstract: an idea lives in the mind. You cannot put one on a table.
Abstract or concrete? joy abstract: joy is a feeling. You can see a smile, but not the joy behind it.
Abstract or concrete? kindness abstract: kindness is a quality. Many -ness words are abstract nouns.
Abstract or concrete? luck abstract: luck is an idea. None of the five senses can pick it up.
Abstract or concrete? perfume concrete: you can smell perfume, so it is concrete.
Abstract or concrete? rainbow concrete: you cannot touch a rainbow, but you can see it.
Abstract or concrete? sand concrete: you can see sand and feel it between your toes.
Abstract or concrete? smoke concrete: you can see and smell smoke.
Abstract or concrete? soup concrete: you can see, smell and taste soup.
Abstract or concrete? thunder concrete: you cannot touch thunder, but you can hear it. One sense is enough.
Abstract or concrete? wind concrete: you cannot see wind, but you can feel it and hear it.

How this list was compiled: Own word choice and own explanations. Checked 2026-09-19. Every plural and every accepted second plural (busses, persons, fishes) against the English noun headword line of each word's Wiktionary entry, https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ox and the same address for the other 31 words; the spelling rules (-es after s, x, sh, ch; consonant + y to -ies; vowel + y adds -s; potatoes against pianos; f to ves; sheep, deer, fish and moose unchanged; persons as the formal plural) against https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_plurals. Collective nouns against the collective sense in the Wiktionary entry for each group word (flock, herd, pack, school, shoal, swarm, hive, pride, litter, colony, pod, team, choir, band, orchestra, crew, bunch, deck, fleet) and https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Appendix:English_collective_nouns; the animal group words also against https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_animal_names and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ant_colony; singular verbs with collective nouns in American English against https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collective_noun. Proper and common nouns, and the test for a concrete noun (something one or more of the senses can detect), against https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noun; capitals for days and months but not seasons against https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitalization_in_English. Grade placement follows the Common Core language standards L.K.1b, L.K.1c, L.1.1b, L.1.1c, L.2.1a, L.2.1b, L.3.1b, L.3.1c and L.3.2e as printed in the standards document hosted by CCSSO, https://learning.ccsso.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/ELA_Standards1.pdf. Licence: own work

How it works

These flashcards for nouns come as 96 cards in six sets of 16: sort the noun (person, place, thing or animal), common or proper, regular plurals (one fox, two ___), irregular plurals, group words (a ___ of wolves), and abstract or concrete.

Read the full guide

What is in the six sets

Person, place, thing, animal has four answers and works as a desk sort. Common or proper pairs DAY with MONDAY and LAKE with LAKE ERIE. Regular plurals climb from books and foxes to babies and potatoes. Irregular plurals runs from children and mice to oxen and sheep, Collective nouns from a flock of birds to a fleet of ships, and Abstract or concrete sets courage against thunder.

Print a set and sort it on a desk

Pick a set under Show only, turn a card, then Print cards: 12 to a sheet, double-sided, flipped on the long edge. One set takes 2 Letter or A4 sheets, all 96 take 8. To sort, write Person, Place, Thing and Animal on four scraps. Pupils place each card, then check the back.

Common or proper cards print every word in capitals (TEXAS, WINTER), so the capital cannot give the answer away. Pupils write each word correctly afterwards.
Seasons catch most classes out: winter and fall take no capital letter, though Monday and July do.
American English gives a collective noun a singular verb: the team is ready, the flock flies south. Pupils say each group word in a sentence.

Questions and answers

What grade are these noun flashcards for?

Kindergarten to grade 3, set by set. Sorting nouns and common or proper fit grade 1, irregular plurals and collective nouns grade 2, abstract or concrete grade 3. That follows the Common Core language standards by our reading, not an official alignment.

Is an animal a person, a place or a thing?

Many programs teach three kinds of noun, person, place and thing, and count animals as things. Others give animals their own pile. The sort set works either way: the rabbit card says animal on the back, and quiz mode also marks thing as right.

Which plurals does quiz mode accept?

The usual plural, plus a second one where the dictionary lists it: buses or busses, people or persons, fish or fishes. Capital letters are ignored, but the spelling has to be right: knives, not knifes, and babies, not babys.