Final answer:
The third syntactic indicator to determine if a word is a noun is 'Its context in a paragraph'. Context helps identify a word's grammatical role by examining how it functions in a sentence and interacts with other words. Therefore, the correct option is c.
Step-by-step explanation:
The third syntactic indicator to determine whether a word is a noun or not is C. Its context in a paragraph. This involves looking at how the word functions within a sentence and the surrounding text.
Unlike temperature or popularity, which are unrelated to grammar and syntax, context can reveal the grammatical role of a word, helping us understand whether it is being used as a noun, verb, adjective, etc.
For instance, in the sentence 'The warmth of the sun is comforting,' the context signals that 'warmth' is a noun because it is the subject of the sentence. Syntax also plays a critical role; the order of words in a sentence can convey different meanings, as shown in sentence constructions such as 'silver spoons' versus 'spoons of silver'.
Remember, part of analyzing literature also involves paying attention to diction and syntax, as these elements significantly contribute to the tone and meaning of a text.