Имя существительное

Имена существительные в английском языке бывают собственными и нарицательными.

К собственным именам существительным относятся:

1. имена (Tom, Silvia, Peter), фамилии (Dickens, Bush, McDonald), псевдонимы (Mark Twain, Marilyn Monroe), прозвища людей (Yankee), клички животных (Spot, Buddy)

2. географические названия (London, England, the Thames, the North Sea, the Atlantic Ocean)

3. астрономические названия (the Sun, the Earth, the Great Bear, the Milky Way)

4. топографические названия (улицы, площади, здания, мосты) (Downing Street, Trafalgar Square, Big Ben, Tower Bridge)

5. названия кораблей, гостиниц, клубов (“Titanic”, “Hilton”)

6. названия газет и журналов (The Morning Star, Cosmopolitan, Men’s Health)

7. названия месяцев и дней недели (January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December; Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday)

8. национальность и название национального языка (the English – English, the Russians – Russian).

Все эти имена существительные пишутся с прописной буквы.

К нарицательным именам существительным относятся:

1. имена существительные, обозначающие отдельные предметы

(a book - books, a tree – trees)

1. собирательные существительные - группа лиц или животных обозначающих одно целое (a family - families, a crowd - crowds, a herd – herds)
2. вещества (water, wool, steel, oil)
3. абстрактные понятия (work, sleep, love)

Практические задания

1. Объясните все употребления прописной буквы в именах существительных:

Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie (1890-1976) was born on September 15, 1890 in Torquay, Devonshire. She was the third child of Clarissa and Frederick Miller, and grew into a beautiful girl with waist-length golden hair. She didn’t go to school. She was educated at home by her mother and took singing lessons in Paris. She began writing detective fiction while working as a nurse during World War I. Her first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, was published in 1920. That was the first appearance of Hercule Poirot, who became one of the most popular private detectives. This little Belgian amazed everyone by his powerful intellect and his brilliant solutions to the most complicated crimes.

The elderly Miss Jane Marple, Christie’s other principal detective figure, first appeared in The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (1926), which is considered Christie’s masterpiece. It was followed by some 75 novels that usually made bestseller lists. Her plays include The Mousetrap, which set a world record for the longest continuous run at one theatre (8862 performances – more than 21 years – at the Ambassadors Theatre, London).

Agatha Christie’s success with millions of readers lies in her entertaining plots, excellent character drawing, a great sense of humour. The reader cannot guess who the criminal is up to the end of the novel. Fortunately, evil is always punished in her novels.

1. Обсудите текст в парах:

1. The facts of Agatha Christie’s life.
2. What is her first novel?
3. Where was the first appearance of Hercule Poirot?
4. Who was Christie’s other principal detective figure?
5. What play set a world record for the longest continuous run?
6. Why are Christie’s books so popular with the readers?