OF NOUNS.

A noun is the name of any person, place, or thing; as, _man, Charleston,
knowledge_.

Nouns are often improperly called _substantives_. A substantive is the
name of a _substance_ only; but a noun is the name either of a
_substance_ or a _quality_.

_Noun_, derived from the Latin word _nomen_, signifies _name_. The name
of any thing [1] that exists, whether animate or inanimate, or
which we can see, hear, feel, taste, smell, or think of, is a noun.
_Animal, bird, creature, paper, pen, apple, fold, house, modesty,
virtue, danger_, are all nouns. In order that you may easily distinguish
this part of speech from others, I will give you a _sign_, which will be
useful to you when you cannot tell it by the _sense_. Any word that will
make sense with _the_ before it, is a noun. Try the following words by
this sign, and see if they are nouns: tree, mountain, soul, mind,
conscience, understanding. _The_ tree, _the_ mountain, _the_ soul, and
so on. You perceive, that they will make sense with _the_ prefixed;
therefore you know they are _nouns_. There are, however, exceptions to
this rule, for some nouns will not make sense with _the_ prefixed. These
you will be able to distinguish, if you exercise your mind, by their
_making sense of themselves_; as, _goodness, sobriety, hope,
immortality_.

[1] The word _thing_, from the Saxon verb _thingian_, to think, is
almost unlimited in its meaning. It may be applied to every animal
and creature in the universe. By the term creature, I mean that
which has been created; as, a dog, water, dirt. This word is also