1. Suffixation: This is the most common way to turn a word into a noun. You add a suffix to the end of a verb, adjective, or even another noun. Here are some examples:
* Verb + Suffix = Noun:
* "play" (verb) + "-er" = "player" (noun)
* "act" (verb) + "-ion" = "action" (noun)
* "teach" (verb) + "-ing" = "teaching" (noun)
* Adjective + Suffix = Noun:
* "happy" (adjective) + "-ness" = "happiness" (noun)
* "dark" (adjective) + "-ness" = "darkness" (noun)
* "careful" (adjective) + "-ness" = "carefulness" (noun)
* Noun + Suffix = Noun:
* "king" (noun) + "-dom" = "kingdom" (noun)
* "child" (noun) + "-hood" = "childhood" (noun)
* "friend" (noun) + "-ship" = "friendship" (noun)
2. Conversion (Zero Derivation): This is when a word changes its grammatical category without adding any letters. A verb can become a noun, or vice versa.
* Verb to Noun:
* "run" (verb) = "a run" (noun)
* "walk" (verb) = "a walk" (noun)
* "paint" (verb) = "a paint" (noun)
* Noun to Verb:
* "google" (noun) = "to google" (verb)
* "fax" (noun) = "to fax" (verb)
* "email" (noun) = "to email" (verb)
3. Compounding: This involves combining two or more words to create a new noun.
* "sun" + "rise" = "sunrise"
* "book" + "shelf" = "bookshelf"
* "blue" + "berry" = "blueberry"
4. Other Methods: There are less common ways to change a word into a noun, such as:
* Clipping: Shortening a word, like "telephone" becoming "phone"
* Acronyms: Forming a word from the first letters of other words, like "NASA" (National Aeronautics and Space Administration)
Remember that not all words change their base form when they become nouns. Some words are inherently nouns, like "cat," "tree," and "mountain."