THE NOUN

A noun is a word used to name a person, place, thing, or idea.

Nouns may be classified in three ways: proper or common; abstract or concrete; and collective.
A proper noun is the name of particular person, place, or thing. Proper nouns are capitalised: Tom, Miami, White House.
A common noun is a noun that does not name a particular person, place, or thing. Common nouns are not capitalised: man, city, building.
An abstract noun names a quality, a characteristic, an idea: beauty, strength, love courage.
A concrete noun names an object that can be perceived by the senses: hat, desk, book, box.
A collective noun names a group: crowd, team, class.

• NOTE A compound noun is a noun of more than one word: Chase Manhattan Bank, Ringling Brothers Circus, high school.

THE PRONOUN

A pronoun is a word used in place of one or more nouns.

EXAMPLES:
Fishermen complained about the weather forecast. They said it had not warned them of the storm.[The pronouns they and them take the place of the noun fishermen. The pronoun it takes the place of the noun forecast.]
A car and truck collided near the school. They ran over the lawn. [The pronoun they takes the place of two nouns, car and truck.]

Sometimes a pronoun takes the place of another pronoun.
EXAMPLE:
One of our planes is missing. It was last heard from over four hours ago. [The pronoun it takes the place of the pronoun one.]

The words to which a pronoun refers (whose place it takes) is the antecedent of the pronoun.