Final answer:
The three nouns in the sentence "The ball swished through the hoop at the last second" are 'ball,' 'hoop,' and 'second'. These represent an object being manipulated, an object that is part of the action, and a unit of time, respectively.
Step-by-step explanation:
The three nouns in the sentence "The ball swished through the hoop at the last second" are ball, hoop, and second.
By definition, a noun is a person, place, thing, or idea. In the sentence provided, 'ball' is the object that is moving, 'hoop' is the object through which the ball moves, and 'second' refers to a unit of time, measuring the momentary nature of the action.
As an analogy, consider the sentence from the given example "Alcée reached the ball very late, of course-too late for the chicken gumbo which had been served at midnight." In this sentence, 'Alcée' is a noun as it signifies a person, 'ball' is a noun representing an object, and 'midnight' is a noun indicating a specific time.