Proper and Common Nouns For beginners

Learn the difference between proper nouns (like 'London') and common nouns (like 'city'). Simple explanations, examples, and exercises included.

"Proper and Common Nouns" in English Grammar

What Are Proper and Common Nouns?

Common nouns are used to refer to general objects, people, or places and nouns that are used to refer to specific people, places, or things are known as proper nouns.

Capitalization

The first letter of all proper nouns should always be capitalized. This includes the first letter of each word in the noun, such as 'New York City'.

In contrast, common nouns are only capitalized when they appear at the beginning of a sentence.

Common Nouns

Proper Nouns

people

Hanna

country

Italy

cat

Fluffy

car

Mustang

ocean

Pacific Ocean

thing

Fender

mountain

Everest

planet

Earth

Example

Maria has a dog. His name is Rover.

Alex is from Italy. Alex is Italian.

Quiz:


1.

Which one is a common noun?

A

tiger

B

Paris

C

Mr. Smith

D

Eiffel Tower

2.

Which sentence uses proper nouns correctly?

A

She visited london last year.

B

He lives in japan and loves sushi.

C

We are going to the grand canyon tomorrow.

D

My brother is called John.

3.

Match each common noun with its relevant proper noun.

city
person
country
planet
ocean
Amy
Mars
England
Atlantic Ocean
Paris
4.

Complete the sentence by choosing the correct word for the blank.

Everest is a famous

.

is a beautiful city in France.

My friend is called

.

My favorite country is

.

The Earth is a

in the Milky Way.

mountain
Paris
Steve
Italy
planet
ocean
5.

Fill in the blanks with the correct option: proper or common noun.

NounProper or Common

Shakespeare

desert

Amazon River

Hollywood

sister

cat

Tokyo

proper noun
common noun

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