common noun essay

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Grammar Guide

Common Nouns: Definition, Meaning and Examples

Jennifer Jahn

what are common nouns and when to use them

A common noun is a noun that may refer to a general or specific class or entity and can be used with limiting modifiers such as a , an , my , every , and some . A common noun is always written in lowercase.

The English language is full of confusing rules and exceptions to those rules so let’s scale it back for a moment to make this easier to understand.

What is a Noun?

What is a common noun, what is a proper noun, common nouns vs. proper nouns, why do we need common nouns, common mistakes with common nouns, test yourself, a quick common noun recap.

The noun—one of the most essential elements of the English language—makes up the largest class of words in this and most other languages as well. It can refer to a thing, a person, an animal, a place, a quality, an idea, or an action.

A noun is usually a single word (for example, book ) but that's not always the case. Bathtub , fish cake , and swimming pool are also nouns. Specifically, they are compound nouns —they are made up of two or more nouns to form an altogether new one.

A common noun is just like a regular noun—it's still a person, place, thing, etc. But in this case it refers to a generic class of beings, places, or things. Generic here simply means that we don’t have any specific information on the precise nature of our noun.

Image showing definition of common noun with words "a common noun is a generic class of beings, places, or things

So, for example, the following are all common nouns : city , child , and book . If we used common nouns in a sentence, it would read something like this:

The child went into the city to buy a book .

We have a complete sentence here with a subject (noun) performing an action (verb). But we don’t actually have a lot of detail. Who is the child? What city is she going to? Which book does she buy? This is where our proper nouns come in.

Here are 20 examples of common nouns:

street park neighborhood district city country continent	religion language sect nation tribe institution authority	restaurant fashion brand sport book album TV show

Unlike common nouns, proper nouns are a particular person, place, or thing. Proper nouns do not take a limiting modifier (a, an, every, some) and are usually capitalized.

Remember our sample sentence from above? We didn’t get a lot of specifics with it.

Now, examine the following sentence:

Madeline went into New York City to buy a copy of Where the Wild Things Are .

In essence, we did not change the structure of the sentence. We simply replaced all of the common nouns with proper nouns. And there you have it, we now have specific details that give us a better picture of the action.

Also, note that all the proper nouns are capitalized while none of the common nouns were.

Image showing that proper nouns are always capitalized

While common nouns provide us with general classifications only, proper nouns provide precise details. Each common noun will always have a counterpart, as we’ve just seen in the most recent example.

Child , city , and book were replaced with their specific proper nouns of Madeline , New York City , and Where the Wild Things Are .

So, to repeat, proper nouns can always be linked to a more generic common noun .

COMMON NOUNS	PROPER NOUNS
academic institutions	Ivy League
mountain range	Himalayas
month	October
language	Spanish
district	SoHo
religion	Islam
government institution	Congress
person	Dolly Parton
sports brand	Nike
superhero	Spider-Man

However, not all common nouns will necessarily have a proper noun to go with them (think of toe, hair, dust, dirt, etc.).

Image showing comparison of common nouns versus proper nouns

The main reason for distinguishing between common nouns and proper nouns is to help with classification and capitalization.

While proper nouns are almost always capitalized, common nouns never are.

While proper nouns indicate a specific class or entity, common nouns provide a generic designation.

How to Spot a Common Noun

As pointed out at the start of this article, an easy way to spot common nouns is by working out whether we can use any limiting modifiers with them, such as a , an , my , every , or some and making sure it’s lowercase. For example:

Paul threw his book against the wall.
Paul threw Hamlet against the wall.

In the first example, his can be replaced with a and the sentence still reads correctly, so "book" is a common noun .

In the second example, Hamlet is both capitalized and cannot be replaced by any of the modifiers (there's only the one Hamlet after all), so we know that this is a proper noun.

Image showing the limiting modifiers for common nouns

How to Spot a Proper Noun

Now this is relatively easy because proper nouns are almost always capitalized. For most of us it’s already second nature to capitalize names of companies, people, languages, countries, etc.

I say almost because, true to its tricky nature, English will always have an exception to confuse you. Sometimes you will find that certain proper nouns can be written in lowercase, such as mars (the planet, not the chocolate bar).

Technically, it is a specific planet—i.e. a proper noun—and should therefore be capitalized. But as its use is so ubiquitous in the English language, the lowercase spelling has become widely accepted.

Another example of this is champagne (the drink, not the region). Because it’s now such a familiar designation for most sparkling white wines, it is commonly accepted as lowercase.

In these instances it is often down to a particular house-style whether a specific proper noun needs to be capitalized or not. So check your style-guide before making a judgment call.

Common nouns are used no differently in writing and speech than any other type of noun. They take the same grammatical positions and can thus be used as subjects and direct or indirect objects .

Take a look at these examples:

The book fell on the floor.

Book is the common noun used as the subject of the sentence.

Paula threw the book at the wall.

Book is the common noun used as the direct object of the sentence.

Paula spilled some water on her book .

Book is the common noun used as the indirect object of the sentence.

Using different types of nouns can help keep our writing varied, fresh, and more precise. Sometimes we want to be more specific, sometimes a little less.

Do you want to paint a vivid, precise picture for your readers? Use a proper noun. Are you interested in setting a more general scene without getting lost in details? Then perhaps a common noun is more appropriate.

The more types of nouns we use in our writing, the more engaging and interesting our text becomes.

A common mistake made when using common nouns is to capitalize them, especially when it comes to titles and professions. Words such as president, chancellor, or queen sound important, so people tend to capitalize them incorrectly.

Image showing that common nouns are lowercase

A simple way of avoiding that mistake is to look carefully at your noun. Is it specific? Is it talking about one particular person, thing, place, etc.? If not, then keep it lowercase.

Let’s look at some examples:

The president of the United States is the head of state.

We are not talking about a specific president, such as Joe Biden, so “president”, despite its gravitas, remains lowercase.

If we wanted to capitalize the word “president”, we’d have to turn it into a proper noun. To do so, all we have to do is attach it to the name of the president. So, for example:

The current head of state is President Joe Biden.

Let’s look at one more example to let it sink in.

The queen is currently residing in her summer palace .

Again, we have no specifics as to which queen we are talking about or where she might be staying. These are generic terms only, so we have to keep them lowercase. If we wanted to capitalize them, we’d have to turn them into proper nouns. For example:

Queen Elizabeth II is currently residing at Balmoral Castle .

Now we have specifics—we know which queen we’re talking about and the name of the specific castle.

If you find yourself using the same common nouns throughout your writing, the ProWritingAid Thesaurus check is a great tool to help you find the perfect words. Sign up for a free ProWriting Aid account today and see for yourself.

Now it's time to practice what you've learned. Let’s look at the examples below. Highlight all instances of common nouns and underline the proper nouns.

There’s nothing I’d rather do than sit here and look at the stars with you.

Google is a company renowned for its work-culture.

Pandora’s Box is a well-known myth.

The Cherokee are one of the indigenous people of the United States of America.

The Ford Model T was one of the first affordable cars.

Test Answers

Stars is a generic term used for the astronomical objects we can see in the night sky. It does not refer to a specific star, for example Vega, or a star-formation, such as Orion’s Belt.
Google is the name of the company we’re talking about here, so we have both the common noun with its proper noun equivalent. (Work-culture is a compound noun, if you want to get nit-picky here.)

Pandora’s Box is a well-known myth .

There are many myths in Greek mythology, but only one story about Pandora.
There are many indigenous people in the USA, so this is a generic term, while the Cherokee are one particular tribe of note.

The Ford Model T was one of the first affordable cars .

I bet you’re getting the hang of these now, right? Cars is the generic term for automobiles, while the Ford Model T speaks of one particular model and make.

Common nouns are generic (think non-specific) people, places, things, ideas, animals, actions, or qualities. Use them to create a general scene without going into details.

They're always lowercase and function just like any other type of noun in your writing.

If you’re unsure whether you’re looking at a common noun , check its capitalization and try using it with a limiting modifier. If it’s general, lowercase, and you can use one of those modifiers, chances are you’re looking at a common noun .

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Jennifer has always been a lover of languages and words. She’s bilingual in English and German and fluent in French. She has degrees in Journalism and French and a PhD in literature. When she’s not editing or writing for a living, she’s reading and reviewing books for fun ([@jens.book.nook](https://www.instagram.com/jens.book.nook/)).

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What Is a Common Noun? Types, Explanation, and Examples

definition of "common noun" with list of four examples from the article

DESCRIPTION illustration of chicken, farmer and kids with common noun definition and examples
SOURCE BRO Vector / iStock / Getty Images Plus / via Getty created by YourDictionary
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Girl is a common noun, but Annabelle isn’t. Car is a common noun, but Mercedes isn’t. These may sound like riddles, but they’re actually grammar rules (though grammar can sound like a riddle from time to time). From girls to cars to the receipts in your wallet, common nouns are everywhere in your world.

What Is a Common Noun?

A noun is a person, place, thing, or idea. Common nouns are general people, places, things, and ideas — in other words, nouns without names. Unlike proper nouns , which name specific nouns, common nouns aren’t capitalized (unless they’re at the beginning of a sentence).

You’ll find a common noun (or multiple common nouns) in most sentences.

The chickens lay eggs every morning .
Those construction workers lost their tools .
Friendship means so much to kids .
What movie did the boys watch?
The hamster squeaked with frustration .

Examples of Common Nouns Chart

You can find common nouns in all of the main noun categories (person, place, thing, idea) with a simple printable reference chart.

chart with lists of common noun examples by type (person, place, thing, or idea)

What Are Common Nouns Printable 22

Examples of common countable nouns.

Countable nouns are nouns you can count (hence the name). They can be both singular and plural, since you can have one, two, ten, five thousand, or any number in between. Examples of common nouns that are countable include:

Singular countable nouns follow determiners (such as a , an , the , that , this , one , our , my , and which) .

The dolphin is friendly.
My car is red.
I bought this dress on sale.
How many characters are in the story ?

Examples of Common Uncountable Nouns

Uncountable nouns, also called non-countable or mass nouns, are singular nouns. They describe concepts, substances, or other items that we can’t count and never take a plural form.

Uncountable nouns are almost always common nouns. Note that you may be able to measure some uncountable nouns (such as water , air , or snow ), but you can’t count them (there’s no such noun as snows or airs ). Examples of uncountable nouns include:

You can use certain quantifiers or determiners with uncountable nouns, such as a lot , any , some , and too much .

There is too much furniture in here.
A little generosity goes a long way.
Do you have any sugar ?
This recipe requires some yeast .

Examples of Common Collective Nouns

Collective nouns represent a group of nouns. The singular form refers to one unit or group, and the plural form refers to more than one unit or group. Examples include:

You're not trying to count the individual number of units with these nouns. Rather, it's clear an entire group is being addressed as a collective whole.

Let's take the faculty on a retreat.
We saw the dance group out at the restaurant.
Is the entire school here?
The community gathered for the town meeting.

Examples of Common Concrete Nouns

Concrete nouns represent something physical that you can experience through the senses. Examples of common concrete nouns include:

These nouns can be tasted, touched, seen, heard, or smelled. They're definitive, specific entities, as opposed to things we can't actually touch, like air or love.

I hope we have fish for dinner tonight.
She bought a new fountain pen .
This book is fantastic.
I love pizza .

Examples of Common Abstract Nouns

Abstract nouns are ideas and concepts that you can’t see, touch, hear, smell, or taste. Examples of abstract common nouns include:

intelligence
satisfaction

You use abstract nouns the same way you use other nouns in a sentence.

He's filled with curiosity .
Athens is the birthplace of democracy .
She has no trust in him.
His disappointment was obvious.

Do You Capitalize Common Nouns After Proper Adjectives?

Sometimes you’ll see a common noun after a proper adjective , such as food in the term Japanese food . Proper adjectives are always capitalized because they come from proper nouns — but what do you do with the common nouns that follow them?

It depends on the noun phrase (the combination of the proper adjective and common noun). If the common noun is part of a name, it should be capitalized.

We studied the Middle Ages in class. ( ages is a common noun, but Middle Ages is a name for a specific time period)
What are you doing for Valentine’s Day ? ( day is a common noun, but Valentine’s Day is a name for a specific day)
I’ve never visited the Grand Canyon . ( canyon is a common noun, but Grand Canyon is the name of a specific landmark)

However, if the proper adjective is only describing the common noun, you don’t capitalize the common noun.

Oliver lives near a Catholic church . ( Catholic describes the common noun church )
My mother married a charming German man last year. ( German describes the common noun man )
Tate needs to write an essay for English class . ( English describes the common noun class )

Parts Of Speech

Common Nouns

What is a Common Noun? Definition, Types & Examples

13 min read

Published on: Jun 22, 2024

Last updated on: Jun 24, 2024

According to Common Noun Definition

Unlike proper nouns , which identify specific individuals or entities and are capitalized (e.g., "John," "United States," "Harry Potter"), most common nouns remain in lowercase.

For instance, " teacher ," " dog ," and " ocean " are common nouns because they describe general types of people, animals, and bodies of water, respectively. They are essential for everyday communication, providing a universal language framework that everyone can understand.

Common Nouns Examples

Types of Common Nouns

Common nouns cover a variety of categories that reflect the diverse nature of language and communication.

Here are different types of common nouns based on the entities they describe:

Concrete Nouns

Concrete nouns refer to physical objects that can be perceived through the senses. They denote tangible entities that occupy space and have definite shapes.

Examples: table, chair, dog.

Abstract Nouns

Abstract nouns denote intangible concepts, qualities, emotions, or states that cannot be perceived through the senses but are understood and experienced.

Examples: happiness, courage, freedom.

Countable Nouns

Countable nouns are entities that can be counted as individual units or discrete items. They often have plural forms and can be preceded by numbers or quantifiers.

Examples: Book (books), Apple (apples), Car (cars).

Uncountable Nouns

Uncountable nouns refer to substances, materials, or concepts that cannot be counted as discrete units because they are viewed as a whole or in bulk.

Examples: water, rice, information.

Collective Nouns

Collective nouns represent groups or collections of people, animals, or things considered as a single unit or entity.

Examples: team, flock, family.

Common Nouns vs Proper Nouns

In grammar, nouns are classified into common nouns and proper nouns based on their usage and specificity:

Common Nouns:

Refer to general, non-specific entities.
Examples: city, teacher, book.
Capitalized only at the start of a sentence.
Can be modified by articles , determiners, and adjectives to specify.

Proper Nouns:

Refer to specific individuals, places, companies, etc.
Examples: Paris, John Smith, Harry Potter.
Always capitalized.
Typically not modified by articles, determiners, or adjectives unless in a specific context.

Common nouns can sometimes become proper nouns when they are used to refer to specific individuals, places, events, or things that are unique or distinctive.

Here are some examples:

river: Mississippi River
mountain: Mount Everest
day: Monday
language: English
animal: Labrador (referring to a specific breed of dog)
food: French fries (specific type of fries)

Correct and Incorrect Examples of Common Nouns in Sentences

Understanding the correct capitalization of common nouns is essential for clear and accurate writing.

Here are examples demonstrating both correct and incorrect usage:

My dog is a

He works as a in a local hospital.

He is studying at university.

My favorite Fruit is

My favorite fruit is

Role of Common Noun in a Sentence

Common nouns are general nouns that play various essential roles in sentence structure and communication:


Subject	Acts as the main performer or topic of the sentence.	city	life can be hectic.
Direct Object	Receives the action of the directly.	ball	She kicked the across the field.
Indirect Object	Receives the action indirectly through the direct object.	student	The teacher gave the a textbook.
Objective Complement	Renames or describes the direct object.	leader	They elected Jane as .
Predicate Nominative	Renames the subject following a linking verb.	chef	Alice became a .
Object of Preposition	Follows a and relates to another part of the sentence.	table	The book is on the .
Appositive	Renames or adds more detail to another noun right beside it.	friend	Sarah, my , called me yesterday

Proper and Common Nouns Worksheet

Instructions: Identify whether each noun is a proper noun (P) or a common noun (C). Write "P" or "C" next to each noun.

___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

In conclusion, this blog has explored the concept of common nouns in detail. Understanding common nouns enhances our ability to communicate effectively by correctly categorizing and describing elements of our world.

By mastering these concepts, you can improve clarity and precision in your writing, ensuring accurate use of language every day.

And if you still need help and don't know how to write an essay with AI , give our writing tools a shot!

Continue Learning

If you want to learn more about academic writing, grammar, and related concepts, check out these blogs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you capitalize common nouns after proper adjectives.

No, you do not capitalize common nouns after proper adjectives. Proper adjectives, derived from proper nouns, are capitalized, but the common nouns that follow them remain lowercase.

What Academic Concepts are Usually Common Nouns?

Academic concepts such as "biology," "chemistry," "mathematics," "history," and "literature" are typically common nouns. These terms refer to general fields or disciplines of study rather than specific instances or entities.

Caleb S. (Mass Literature and Linguistics)

Caleb S. is an accomplished author with over five years of experience and a Master's degree from Oxford University. He excels in various writing forms, including articles, press releases, blog posts, and whitepapers. As a valued author at MyEssayWriter.ai, Caleb assists students and professionals by providing practical tips on research, citation, sentence structure, and style enhancement.

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What Are Common Nouns?

Everyday People, Places, and Things

An Introduction to Punctuation
Ph.D., Rhetoric and English, University of Georgia
M.A., Modern English and American Literature, University of Leicester
B.A., English, State University of New York

In English grammar , a common noun names any person, place, thing, or idea. In other words, it's a noun that is not the name of any particular person, place, thing, or idea. A common noun is one or all of the members of a class, which can be preceded by a definite article , such as "the" or "this," or an indefinite article , such as "a" or "an."

Common nouns can be subdivided into countable or uncountable, depending on the function of the noun itself, as well as abstract (meaning intangible) or concrete (meaning physically capable of being touched, tasted, seen, smelled, or heard). In contrast with proper nouns , common nouns do not begin with a capital letter unless they appear at the start of a sentence.

Common Noun vs. Promer Noun

As noted, a common noun is a noun that's not the name of any particular person, place, or thing, such as singer , river , and tablet . A proper noun, meanwhile, is a noun that refers to a specific person, place, or thing, such as Lady Gaga , Monongahela River, and iPad .

Most proper nouns are singular, and—with a few exceptions (iPad)—they're usually written with initial capital letters. When proper nouns are used generically, as in "keeping up with the Joneses," or "a Xerox of my term paper," they become, in a sense, common. A proper noun is a noun belonging to the class of words used as names for specific or unique individuals, events, or places, and may include real or fictional characters and settings.

Unlike common nouns, which make up the vast majority of nouns in English, most proper nouns—like Fred, New York, Mars, and Coca-Cola—begin with a capital letter . They may also be referred to as proper names for their function of naming specific things.

Proper nouns are not typically preceded by articles or other determiners , but there are numerous exceptions such as "the Bronx" or "the Fourth of July." Most proper nouns are singular , but again, there are exceptions as in "the United States" and, as noted, "the Joneses."

How Proper Nouns Become Common and Vice Versa

Through colloquial use and cultural adaptation, especially through marketing and innovation, common nouns can become proper nouns. Proper nouns can also become common.

Oftentimes, a proper noun is combined with a common noun to form the complete name of a person, place, or thing—for example, the phrase "Colorado River" contains both a common noun, river , and a proper one, Colorado , but the word "River" in this case becomes proper by its association with a specific body of water known as the Colorado River.

Conversely, items that may have started as goods or products of marketing agencies can sometimes slip into the common vernacular. For instance, aspirin is a former trademark that lost its protection upon falling into common usage. A spirin was once Bayer AG's brand name, but the German company lost its rights to the trademark over the years in many countries, notes " Chemical & Engineering News ."

Types of Common Nouns

You should be aware of several types of common nouns.

Countable and uncountable: Countable nouns are individual objects, people, or places that can be counted. These nouns are considered content words , meaning they provide the people, things, or ideas about which you speak. Examples are books, Italians, pictures, stations, or women. Uncountable nouns, by contrast, are materials, concepts, or information, which are not individual objects and cannot be counted, such as information, music, water, furniture, luggage, wood, or rice.

Collective: A collective noun is a noun—such as team, committee, jury, squad, orchestra, crowd, audience, or family—that refers to a group of individuals. It is also known as a group noun.

Concrete: A concrete noun is a noun, such as chicken or egg, that names a material or tangible objects or phenomenon—something recognizable through the senses.

Abstract: An abstract noun is a noun or noun phrase that names an idea, event, quality, or concept—for example, courage, freedom, progress, love, patience, excellence, or friendship. An abstract noun names something that can't be physically touched.

The 9 Parts of Speech: Definitions and Examples
Understanding the Types of Nouns in English Grammar
Proper Nouns in English Grammar
Types of Nouns
Learn the Seven Types of English Nouns
What Are Nouns and How Are They Used?
Meet the Abstract Noun
100 Key Terms Used in the Study of Grammar
Definition and Examples of Count Nouns
Countable and Uncountable Nouns
Overview of Noncount Nouns in English Grammar
What Makes Something a Proper Name?
Articles in Grammar: From "A" to "The" With "An" and "Some" Between
What Is a Mass Noun?
What's in a Name?

What is a Common Noun? Definition, Examples of Common Nouns

Home » The Writer’s Dictionary » What is a Common Noun? Definition, Examples of Common Nouns

Common noun definition: A common noun is any person, place or thing. A common noun refers to any thing or concept that is not particular or specific.

What is a Common Noun?

What are common nouns? A common noun is any noun that does not name anything specific. Therefore, a common noun is any person, place, or thing but not the particular names of those people, places, or things. Common nouns are not capitalized (unless they begin a sentence).

Examples of Common Nouns:

These examples are common nouns because they name a person, place, and thing, respectively, but they do not give a specific name to those entities.

Common nouns may be specific or plural.

Examples of Plural Common Nouns:

Common Nouns and Proper Nouns

Common Noun Examples / Proper Noun Examples:

city/London

Modifying Common Nouns

Adjectives modify common nouns to describe what kind, which one, how many, and how much.

Examples of adjectives modifying common nouns:

populated city
friendly dog

In these examples each adjective modifies the common nouns to make them more specific. Which girl? The smart girl. What kind of city? A populated city? What kind of dog? The friendly dog.

Prepositional phrases can modify common nouns to describe which one or what kind.

Examples of prepositional phrases modifying common nouns:

the girl in my class
the city by the lake
the dog near the bench

In these examples each prepositional phrase modifies the common nouns to make them more specific. Which girl? The girl in my class. Which city? The city by the lake. Which dog? The dog near the bench.

Relative clauses can modify common nouns to make them more specific or particular.

The girl who is in my class
The city that is by the lake
The dog that is near the bench

In these examples each relative clause modifies the common nouns to make them more specific. Which girl? The girl who is in my class. Which city? The city that is by the lake. Which dog? The dog that is near the bench.

Common Nouns List

Abstract Nouns:

An abstract noun is an idea, quality, state, or condition that is not concrete.

Collective Nouns:

A collective noun refers to an entire group or class composed of individual members.

Compound Nouns:

A compound noun is a noun that consists of more than one noun.

Concrete Nouns:

A concrete noun is a noun that is identifiable through touch, taste, sight, hearing, or smell.

Countable Nouns:

A countable noun is noun that refers to something that can be physically counted.

wallet/wallets

Non-countable Nouns:

A non-countable noun is noun that refers to something that cannot be physically counted.

Gender-specific Nouns:

A gender-specific noun is noun that refers to something that is specifically masculine or feminine.

actor/actress
groom/bride

Verbal Nouns:

A verbal noun is noun that originates from a verb.

Exercises With Common Nouns

Identify the common nouns in the following sentences.

The dad read the book to his daughter.
The children decorated their table for the holiday.
The parade starts on our street.
My mom made spaghetti for dinner.
The bread smelled wonderful.
I need to collect the prize for my science project.

Summary: What are Common Nouns?

Define common noun: A common noun,

is any person, place, or thing
is not specific unless modified with other parts of speech
is not capitalized unless it starts a sentence
can be concrete or abstract

See answers below.

dad, book, daughter
children, table, holiday
parade, street
mom, spaghetti, dinner
prize, project

Common Noun

Definition of common noun, everyday use of common noun, difference between common noun and proper noun, examples of common nouns in literature, example #1: great gatsby (by f. scott fitzgerald).

“All my aunts and uncles talked it over as if they were choosing a prep school for me, and finally said, “Why — ye — es,” with very grave, hesitant faces. The practical thing was to find rooms in the city , but it was a warm season , and I had just left a country of wide lawns and friendly trees , so when a young man at the office suggested that we take a house together in a commuting town , it sounded like a great idea.”

Example #2: Oh! The Places You’ll Go! (by Dr. Seuss)

“You have brains in your head . You have feet in your shoes . You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.”

Example #3: Dave Barry’s Only Travel Guide You’ll Ever Need (by Dave Barry)

“Europeans, like some Americans, drive on the right side of the road , except in England, where they drive on both sides of the road ; Italy, where they drive on the sidewalk ; and France, where if necessary they will follow you right into the hotel lobby .”

Example #4: Animal Farm (by George Orwell)

“ Man is the only creature that consumes without producing. He does not give milk, he does not lay eggs, he is too weak to pull the plough, he cannot run fast enough to catch rabbits. Yet he is lord of all the animals . He sets them to work, he gives back to them the bare minimum that will prevent them from starving, and the rest he keeps for himself … And now , comrades , I will tell you about my dream of last night . I cannot describe that dream to you.”

Function of Common Noun

Common and Proper Nouns: Definition, Examples, & Exercises

The Albert Team
Last Updated On: March 1, 2022

Do you get confused about the difference between a common noun and a proper noun? Would practice help you become a master?

Read on to learn about the difference between common and proper nouns, how they are used, and when to use them.

When you feel like you’ve got it, test yourself with a quiz and practice with our high-quality, standards-aligned questions here .

What We Review

The Basics of Common and Proper Nouns

What is a common noun?

A common noun is the general, non-specific term for a person, place, thing, or idea. Usually, common nouns are not capitalized unless they begin a sentence.

For example, as you work on your homework, think about the things you are using. You might be using a computer, a textbook, or a pencil. All of these are generic items that we encounter on a regular basis and are common nouns .

What is a proper noun?

A proper noun is a specific, unique person, place, thing, or idea. Unlike common nouns, proper nouns are almost always capitalized . This is true whether they begin a sentence or not.

Let’s consider the same example from above, but instead, now we will be more specific about the resources necessary to complete your homework.

As you work, you may be using a Pearson Algebra 1 textbook, a Google Chromebook, and a Ticonderoga pencil. You are better able to visualize this scenario if proper nouns are provided since they are more specific and unique.

What is the relationship between common and proper nouns?

Common and proper nouns are closely related. The most straightforward way of understanding the relationship between common and proper nouns is to think about proper nouns as specific examples of common nouns.

For example, the word building is a common noun. Examples of buildings include The White House, The Art Institute of Chicago, and Memorial Hall at Harvard University.

These examples are all proper nouns since they are specific, unique examples of the common noun building . Generally, we can more vividly picture or understand a text when the author uses examples of proper nouns since there is less room for interpretation.

How do you use common and proper nouns?

Common and proper nouns can be used in relation to each other or separately. Typically, authors use common nouns when they are describing something broad or ambiguous.

Proper nouns are used to describe a person, place, thing, or idea that is specific and concrete. Common and proper nouns are often used together in sentences.

Take the following sentence as an example: The doctor worked long hours at Memorial Hospital to help contain the spread of the common cold.

In this sentence, we see examples of common nouns, such as doctor, hours, and common cold. Additionally, the sentence has an example of a proper noun– Memorial Hospital.

If the sentence were not to name the hospital specifically, then it would have remained a common noun (hospital).

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3 Tips for Understanding Common vs. Proper Nouns

Here are some important tips to help you determine the difference between common and proper nouns:

Tip #1: If it’s a noun and it’s capitalized, then it’s probably a proper noun .

For example, book is a generic common noun.
The Scarlet Letter is a specific book and, as a result, is a proper noun.
For example, Lampshades come in many different colors, varieties, and shapes . Even though lampshades is capitalized in this sentence, it is not a specific brand or size of lampshade.
Lampshade is capitalized because it begins the sentence, not because it is a proper noun.

Tip #2: Make sure it’s a noun.

Do not rely solely on the capitalization of words to determine whether or not the word (or words) in question is a common or proper noun.
For example, consider the following sentence: It can be difficult for young people to read complicated, Shakespearian language. At first glance, you may quickly classify Shakespearian as a proper noun. Upon further inspection, however, Shakespearian merely describes the common noun language .
Therefore, in this instance, Shakespearian is NOT a proper noun even though it is capitalized. Instead, it is a proper adjective.

Tip #3: When writing, ask yourself, “what message am I trying to communicate?”

If you are using common and proper nouns in your own writing, it is important to consider what it is that you want the reader to take away from your writing.
If you are trying to paint a clear, vivid picture for the reader, then it is important to use more proper nouns.
However, if you are attempting to create a more general, vague scene, then using more common nouns is appropriate.

Remember, if you are trying to figure out whether a word is a common or proper noun, ask yourself if the word in question is a noun and whether or not it’s capitalized.

If you are writing, ask yourself what message you are trying to communicate before using common or proper nouns.

Applying the Basics: Common and Proper Noun Review & Practice

Now that you understand what common and proper nouns are, let’s review how and when to use them, and how to tell them apart! Remember, every proper noun has a common noun counterpart, but not every common noun has a related proper noun.

The Ultimate List of Common and Proper Nouns

Refer to the graphic below for an extensive list of example common and proper nouns:

This list, obviously, does not include all common and proper nouns and is meant to be used as a guide while identifying other nouns.

Common Noun Exercises & Review

Now that you know the difference between common and proper nouns, test your ability to accurately identify common nouns.

Select the common noun(s) in the sentences below. Remember, these are generic items that we encounter on a regular basis. They are not capitalized unless they begin a sentence.

1. You’ve probably used Google Earth to look at the roof of your own house.

In this sentence, roof and house are both common nouns because they are not specific names or titles. They are just general, making them common nouns.

2. In New York City, for example, subways chug along 500 miles of underground track.

In this sentence , example, subways, miles, and track are common nouns because they are not specific names or titles. They are just general, making them common nouns.

3. Some people argue that the government should control what goes on underground, and private companies should not be able to profit from the land beneath your house.

In this sentence , people, government, underground, companies, land , and house are all common nouns because they are not specific names or titles. They are just general, making them common nouns.

4. How would you feel about a public road going under your porch?

In this sentence, road and porch are common nouns because they are not specific names or titles. They are just general, making them common nouns.

5. The way we answer these questions will help determine how our society grows and changes in the future.

In this sentence, way, questions, society , and future are all common nouns because they are not specific names or titles. They are just general, making them common nouns.

Pro tip : When evaluating whether a noun is common, ask yourself, “Is it general, and is it in lower case?”

Proper Noun Exercises & Review

Complete the quick exercise below to assess your mastery of proper nouns.

Select the proper noun(s) in the sentences below. Remember, a proper noun is a specific, unique person, place, thing, or idea. Unlike common nouns, proper nouns are almost always capitalized . This is true whether they begin a sentence or not.

1. In 1890, long before your great-grandparents were born, the U.S. Congress established Yosemite National Park.

In this sentence, U.S Congress and Yosemite National Park are proper nouns because they are specific names or titles. When a noun is specific like this, it is proper and must be capitalized.

2. Before becoming a national park, the Yosemite area was home to the Ahwahneechee and Miwok people for many generations.

In this sentence, Yosemite, Ahwahneechee, and Miwok are proper nouns because they are specific names or titles. When a noun is specific like this, it is proper and must be capitalized.

3. Disney’s “Pocahontas” has a similar happy tone, but the actual life of Pocahontas was more interesting than what we saw on screen.

In this sentence, Disney’s and Pocahontas are proper nouns because they are specific names or titles. When a noun is specific like this, it is proper and must be capitalized.

4. Pocahontas was born around 1595 in modern-day Virginia.

In this sentence, Pocahontas and Virginia are proper nouns because they are specific names or titles. When a noun is specific like this, it is proper and must be capitalized.

5. Heralded as an example of the possibilities in the “New World”, Pocahontas and John Rolfe traveled to England with their son in 1616.

In this sentence, New World, Pocahontas, John Rolfe, and England are all proper nouns because they are specific names or titles. When a noun is specific like this, it is proper and must be capitalized.

Pro tip : When evaluating whether a noun is proper, ask yourself, “Is it specific, and is it capitalized?”

For additional practice, check out Common and Proper Nouns content on Albert.

Try for Yourself: Common and Proper Nouns Quiz

Feeling confident in your understanding of common and proper nouns?

Take this short six-question quiz to see what you’ve learned:

1. Is a common noun general or specific?

Answer: General
Correct Explanation: That’s right! A common noun is the general, non-specific term for a person, place, thing, or idea. Usually, common nouns are not capitalized unless they begin a sentence.
Incorrect Explanation: Sorry, that’s not right! Remember, a common noun is the general, non-specific term for a person, place, thing, or idea. Usually, common nouns are not capitalized unless they begin a sentence.

2. Is a proper noun general or specific?

Answer: Specific
Correct Explanation: That’s right! A proper noun is a specific, unique person, place, thing, or idea. Unlike common nouns, proper nouns are almost always capitalized .
Incorrect Explanation: Sorry, that’s not right! Remember, a proper noun is a specific, unique person, place, thing, or idea. Unlike common nouns, proper nouns are almost always capitalized .

3. In this sentence, are the underlined words common or proper nouns ?

Adolescent brains are constantly rewiring and retraining to prune skills that are not being used to make room for the skills being used often.

Answer: Common
Correct Explanation: That’s right! A common noun is the general, non-specific term for a person, place, thing, or idea. Usually, common nouns are not capitalized unless they begin a sentence. Brains, skills, room, and skills are not capitalized in this example.

4. In this sentence, are the underlined words common or proper nouns ?

We enter our REM stage within the first 90 minutes of sleep and repeat this cycle several times throughout the night.

Correct Explanation: That’s right! A common noun is the general, non-specific term for a person, place, thing, or idea. Usually, common nouns are not capitalized unless they begin a sentence. In this example, stage, sleep, repeat, times, and night are all general common nouns.

5. In this sentence, are the underlined words common or proper nouns ?

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, plastic litter is of the greatest concern as it has the most widespread and harmful impacts on animal populations.

Answer: Proper
Correct Explanation: That’s right! A proper noun is a specific, unique person, place, thing, or idea. Unlike common nouns, proper nouns are almost always capitalized . In this example, the Environmental Protection Agency refers to a specific government entity.

6. In this sentence, are the underlined words common or proper nouns ?

What does NASA’s space program cost each of the 328 million people that currently live in the USA?

Correct Explanation: That’s right! A proper noun is a specific, unique person, place, thing, or idea. Unlike common nouns, proper nouns are almost always capitalized . In this example, NASA and USA refer to a specific organization and nation.

For additional practice with common and proper nouns, check out our practice on Albert.io: Common and Proper Nouns .

Teacher’s Corner

While it’s true that common and proper nouns are a foundational grammar skill, the Common Core English Language Progressive Skills Chart shows that even elementary-level skills “require continued attention in higher grades as they are applied to increasingly sophisticated writing and speaking.”

For specific standards addressing common and proper nouns, check out the Common Core State Standards site!

Albert’s common and proper nouns practice can be used for much more than homework! Our assessments can be used as pre-and post-tests to measure student progress. Our pre-made quizzes can be used as bell-ringers, exit tickets, and more!

In addition to our pre-made assessments, you can also use our assignments feature to create your own quizzes and assessments.

Summary on Common and Proper Nouns

Common nouns are general, non-specific people, places, things, or ideas.

Proper nouns are specific, concrete people, places, things, and ideas.

In writing, proper nouns generally provide the reader with a more clear, tangible image of what the author describes.

Common and proper nouns can be used in tandem with one another or separately. Be sure to check out our grammar course for more common and proper noun practice.

You can also access over 3,400 high-quality questions that address nearly every grammatical concept.

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Home / Guides / Grammar Guides / Nouns: What’s in a Name?

Nouns: What’s in a Name?

With a name that means, literally, ‘to name’, it’s pretty impossible to imagine the English language—or any language—without the noun. But while we use them constantly to provide clarity and identify the things that we’re talking or writing about, this hugely essential word type still has some surprises up its sleeve. This guide should give you a deeper understanding of this seemingly simple element of language, and allow you to use them correctly in your work. You can also check out this useful reference to consolidate your learning. If you’re currently working on a paper and would find a quick and easy grammar check useful, upload your essay for free at EasyBib.com. You can also use our fantastic citation tool to help cite your sources using popular styles such as MLA and APA format .

Guide Overview

What is a noun?
Controversy and crossover
Where the magic happens
Phrase or clause?
Types of nouns list
Can you count it?
Good and proper
Getting possessive
A blessing of unicorns
Friendly compounds
The pronoun takeover
Grammar help is here!

What is a Noun?

At first glance, the noun definition is fairly straightforward—they’re naming words used to refer to a person, place, thing or idea. They’re arguably the most important element of any sentence, as they’ll usually be its subject. They can also be the direct object of a sentence. Or the indirect object. Or the object of the preposition . And they can do much more besides that. So you get the idea that we’d find it very difficult to communicate without these superstars of the grammar world!

Controversy and Crossover

As they’re so important, the question ‘what is a noun?’ has been debated and discussed at length by linguists and grammar experts, often sparking some disagreement about the definition. Some feel that to define them as “naming words” is far too simplistic, as they’re also used to reference abstract and intangible concepts, feelings and activities such as birth, sport, joy, cookery and technology . There’s also huge crossover with other elements of language. For example: Rain

Verb — to rain
Name of weather type — rain
Adjective — red
Name of color — red
As an adverb — angrily
As an adjective — angry
Name of a feeling — anger

Because this single word type encompasses so many different things, some linguists feel that the definition should be narrowed. However, for now, we’re happy to stick with the generalization that it’s a naming word. For more on the various definitions of different parts of the English language, check out this useful link .

Where the Magic Happens

Although it can lead to confusion, the fact the noun is multi-functional is part of its charm. Let’s take a look at some of the jobs that these hard-working words can perform in a sentence. Subject: the subject of the sentence, i.e., someone or something performing the action of the verb .

Example: Harry is angry.

Direct object: the direct object of the sentence, i.e., someone or something who receives the action of the verb.

Example: Ashley baked Noah a cake.

Object of the preposition: the object of the prepositional phrase.

Example: Ashley baked a cake on Sunday .

Subject complement: follows a linking verb.

Example: Ashley is a teacher .

Object complement: follows a direct object to rename or modify it.

Example: She named her dog Benji .

Appositive: immediately follows another to add more information.

Example: Her dog, Benji , is black.

Modifier: acts as an adjective to modify another noun.

Example: A black dog.

Phrase or Clause?

In addition to your run of the mill single naming words, you can also use a noun clause or phrase to name or identify a person, object, thing, place or idea. A phrase has a naming word as its head word but may also include other kinds of words. For example:

Head word — car/cars
Determiner — My car
Determiner and adjective — My red car
Quantifier — Some cars
Quantifier and adjective — Some red cars
In a sentence — My red car is very old. ( My red car is the phrase that identifies which car we are talking about.)

Caution! Don’t confuse a phrase with a compound, i.e., two or more words together to create a stand-alone common or proper noun with a meaning of its own (more on compounds later!). A clause is a dependent clause (doesn’t make sense alone) that performs the naming function in a sentence. It usually contains a subject and a verb, but may not necessarily contain a naming word. For example:

This weekend we can do whatever you want .

Types of Nouns List

There are multiple types of naming words to get a grip on, and plenty of crossovers between categories too—just to keep things interesting! For example:

You can have a mass, abstract, common name.
Or a singular, concrete, proper, compound, or possessive name (phew!).

Don’t worry! This should become clearer as we work through the different categories in turn. If you’d like to do some more in-depth reading on the subject, you can find more info online.

Singular or Plural

You can have singular or plural nouns, with regulars keeping things nice and simple with the addition of s or es .

Car — cars
Book – books
Zoo — zoos
Box — boxes
Dish — dishes
Hero — heroes

However, there are lots of rule-breaking irregulars thrown into the mix to complicate matters.

Man — men
Person — people
Sheep — sheep
Elf — elves
Fish — fish
City — cities

Concrete vs Abstract

As noted earlier, these debate-sparking naming words can be difficult things to define. So it can help to think of them as either concrete or abstract. Concrete nouns are the simpler of the two. They’re tangible things that can be detected by the senses. For example:

You can touch, see and smell a flower .
You can hold a pencil .
You can see your friend Emily .

Abstract nouns are far trickier to pin down—both literally and metaphorically speaking!

You can’t hold anger or space or childhood .

However, some people might argue that you can identify some abstracts with your senses. For example:

You can see an expression of anger .
You can sense fresh air .

So it might be more helpful to think of them as something that you can’t physically hold, i.e., concepts, ideas, experiences, qualities and feelings.

Can You Count It?

Naming words can either be count or noncount . Count type doesn’t tend to give you much trouble—they’re, as the name suggests, something that can be counted. Noncount type (also known as mass nouns), however, are a whole different ball game! These rebellious words are definitely the evil twin of the two, as they defy several of the usual rules of grammar and, if you’re not careful, can cause chaos and confusion. Count: something that can be counted, e.g., books, people, cars. Simple! Noncount (Mass): something that can’t be counted (often because it’s an abstract concept), e.g., air, red, peace. Or an aggregation of people or things that are lumped together as a whole, like luggage, information, or salt. Not quite so simple! Caution! Be careful not to confuse noncounts with collectives, words which are used to name a collection of people or things (e.g., group, herd, bundle ). An easy way to test whether a word is noncount or collective is:

Noncounts don’t follow indefinite articles ( a and an ).
Noncounts don’t usually have a plural form.

For example, you don’t have a luggage or luggages .

An Awkward Bunch

Despite the fact that they often represent an aggregation of people or things, noncounts can be a rather anti-social and awkward word type! They like to stand alone, without an indefinite article:

Music can help you relax.

Not ‘ a music can help you relax.’

I sprinkled salt on my food.

Not ‘I sprinkled a salt on my food.’ However, they can sit nicely with a determiner or quantifier instead.

Determiner — The music was loud.
Quantifier — I sprinkled some salt on my food.

In fact, some quantifiers only work with noncounts. For example:

A little salt
Not much information
A bit of music

However, we would never say:

A little books
Not much cars
A bit of flowers

The Singular or Plural Conundrum

Another quirk of the noncount is that, even when it represents an aggregation or group of things, it can still count as singular for grammatical purposes. For example:

The luggage is heavy. It filled the trunk of the car. This information is useful. It has helped me with my paper.

Even if a noncount appears to take a plural form with an s on the end, don’t be fooled! It may still be classed as grammatically singular. For example:

Politics is a difficult subject to study. I find it hard to grasp. The news is on at 10 pm. It’s on for an hour.

On the flip side, some noncounts are grammatically plural. For example:

My clothes are wet. The scissors are sharp. His manners were fantastic.

However, these go against the grain of plurals by not mixing well with numbers—we never say five clothes or six scissors!

Enumerating a Noncount

These awkward noncounts on the whole don’t mix well with numbers, although there are sneaky tactics that you can sometimes employ to enumerate them. These include:

Grammatically plural — if concrete, add a pair of , e.g., a pair of scissors .
Grammatically singular — if concrete, add a piece of , e.g., a piece of cutlery .
Singular and plural — both concrete and abstract noncounts can be enumerated by adding an indefinite adjective (quantifier), e.g., any, some, less, much .

For example:

Pass me some cutlery .
I don’t have any scissors .
It contains more information .

Fewer vs Less

A quick note on fewer versus less as these are indefinite adjectives (quantifiers) that often trip people up!

Fewer — used for count type, e.g., I have fewer books than Sarah.
Less — used for non-count type, e.g., I have less money than Sarah.

Good and Proper

A proper noun is used to name very specific people, places, things and ideas. As their ‘proper’ title suggests, they’re formal names and, as such, deserve capitalization. Examples include:

People — Sarah, Jack, Mrs. Smith, Prince George, Father Brown, Beethoven
Specific places — America, Europe, Paris, George Street, Roman Empire, Times Square
Natural and man-made landmarks — River Nile, Central Park, Eiffel Tower, Empire State Building, Mount Etna
Religions and related words — Christianity, The Bible, God, Allah, Buddhism
Races and nationalities — African American, Russian, White, Eskimo, Japanese
Languages — French, Spanish, Chinese, English
Periods in history — Stone Age, Middle Ages
Events — Olympic Games, Coachella, Wimbledon, Rio Carnaval, Oktoberfest
Days, months and holidays — Sunday, Friday, June, October, Thanksgiving, Memorial Day (note that the seasons are, somewhat contentiously, classed as common)
Organizations, charities and businesses — New York Police Department (NYPD), Harvard University, Microsoft, Red Cross, Walmart, Forbes
Product brand names — Tresemme, Adidas, Apple, Coca-Cola
Well-known documents and acts — Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights, Magna Carta, Slavery Abolition Act 1833
Names of specific things and works — Hope Diamond, Mona Lisa, Symphony No. 5, Star Wars, War and Peace
Titles of publications and courses — The Washington Post, Introduction to Computer Science
They can be singular — Sally, Australia, Picasso, iPad
Or plural — the Smiths, the Rockies, the Americas, two iPads

From Proper to Common

Sometimes, they bend the rules to put themselves into a ‘common’ context. For example:

I made a mistake of Titanic proportions.

This is taken to mean a big mistake and isn’t literally referencing the Titanic ship.

I’m an Einstein when it comes to science.

Here Einstein is taken to mean a person who is smart, rather than referencing the man himself specifically. Similarly, over time, some have developed common ‘spin-off’ words. For example:

Famous porcelain from China — a china cup (note, not a China cup)
Coca-Cola — coke (to describe a generic cola drink, not necessarily the Coca-Cola brand)

The Humble Common Noun

Common nouns give a name to a general type of person, thing, object, place, concept or feeling. They’re not ‘formal’ names and, as such, they don’t demand capitalization. Examples include:

People — man, woman, girl, boy, vicar, teacher, children
Places — city, beach, library, street, garden
Things — tiger, leg, sleep, beard
Objects — watch, cake, shoe, ball
Concepts — peace, justice, talent, religion
Feelings — anger, joy, love, envy

In many cases, both a common and proper noun can be applied to the same thing. For example:

A Baby Ruth (proper) is a chocolate bar (common).
Rihanna (proper) is a popular singer (common) in the US.
Mrs. Smith (proper) is a teacher (common).
Benji (proper) is a dog (common).
The Nile (proper) is a river (common).

Of course, you can define proper noun words as having a far narrower application as they can only apply to one very specific thing. Common noun examples have a much wider application—hence their label as ‘common’! For example:

There are thousands of singers (common) in the world, but there’s only one Taylor Swift (proper).

When a Commoner Becomes Proper

Occasionally, a commoner can move up the ranks to become proper—gaining that all-important capitalization along the way. This usually happens when a word becomes synonymous over time with a very specific type of thing. For example, a parka jacket depicts a type of long, all-weather coat. But you could argue that the term Parka is so synonymous with a very specific type of jacket that it should be classed as proper. This is definitely one for the grammar experts to slog out between themselves!

Getting Possessive

Possessive nouns are usually followed by another naming word, indicating that the second thing ‘belongs’ to the first. There are different ways to indicate this possession, depending on the word in question. These can become confusing, so let’s look at them in turn. Singular possessives are usually indicated with ‘s. For example:

the girl’s coat
Emma’s car
the city’s main landmark

As are plural possessives that don’t end in s . For example:

the men’s bathroom
children’s toys

In the case of a plural possessive that ends in s , you simply need to add an apostrophe (‘). For example:

the girls’ coats
the Smiths’ house
the tigers’ pen
the computers’ manufacturer

When we come to singular possessives that end in s , the waters get a little bit muddier. The most popular method used to form a singular possessive is to add ‘s , as detailed above. For example:

James’s book
the bus’s engine

However, just adding the apostrophe is also commonly accepted. For example:

James’ book
the bus’ engine

The Importance of the Apostrophe

You’ll notice that subtle differences in your sentence structure can completely alter its meaning, so it’s important to get your grammar on point. For example:

the girl’s coat — belonging to one particular girl
the girls’ coat — a coat designed to be worn by a girl
the girl’s coats — more than one coat belonging to one particular girl)
the girls’ coats — a group of coats belonging to a group of girls

If you find yourself struggling to figure out where the apostrophe needs to go, why not run a free grammar check on your essay with EasyBib Plus? You can also use EasyBib.com to help cite the sources that you use when conducting research and writing your papers . The handy online tool can create citations in the popular APA and MLA format , plus more styles including Chicago/Turabian. Simply find out which style of citation you need to use (ask your professor or lecturer) and let EasyBib Plus help you create them the easy way.

A Blessing of Unicorns

A collective noun is a name given to a collection or group of things. Although they represent more than one, they are usually classed as grammatically singular (in American English). For example:

The pride of lions made its way to water.
The cast of actors collected its award.
The class of students was dismissed early.

They can often stand-alone, if the context makes it clear what collection or group of things is being referred to. For example:

We followed the herd on safari.
I got the cast to sign my autograph book.
The class went on its field trip.

But be careful with this, as they can be used to represent very different things. For example:

flock of tourists or flock of birds ** cluster of spiders* or cluster of stars

So saying “I stared open-mouthed at the cluster before me” could have two very different meanings—you might be staring in wonder or staring in horror! Some collective nouns have developed a more general or colloquial meaning. For example, you get a bunch of flowers or a bunch of bananas. However, bunch is also used more generally to denote ‘several’ or ‘lots’. For example:

I saw a bunch of people that I knew.
Thanks a bunch .

Kooky Collectives

Collectives are one of the quirkiest word types in the English language and include some unusual naming words. For instance, it’s difficult to imagine where the examples below came from. For example:

A shiver of sharks
A quiver of cobras
A blush of boys
A disguising of tailors
A drunkship of cobblers
A worship of writers
A nest of rumors

Friendly Compounds

Compound nouns consist of two or more words that have come together to form a new word with its own meaning. These are words that have decided they don’t want to stand-alone—they can work better together with another word! Both proper and common words can be compounded, and within these compounds are three sub-types. Proper

Closed — PlayStation, YouTube
Hyphenated — Coca-Cola, Chick-fil-A
Open Spaced — New York, Ritz Carlton Hotel
Closed — football, textbook
Hyphenated — mother-in-law, well-being
Open Spaced — bus stop, swimming pool

Wal-Mart Or Walmart?

Fun fact! Some popular brands have dropped their hyphens in recent years. For example, Wal-Mart switched to Walmart in 2009. This could possibly be because hyphenated domain names can cause issues for a brand’s online presence. Brands now have a whole host of digital considerations that simply weren’t on the table when they first decided on a name.

The Pronoun Takeover

While both concrete and abstract noun words are undeniably super useful and essential parts of the English language, they can be a bit much at times. Especially when you’re referring to the same thing several times in a sentence or section. For example:

Sally loves Fanta . Sally drinks Fanta every day.

This is where pronouns come in handy. These often small but ever so mighty words have the power to replace names and make your sentences flow much better. For example:

Sally loves Fanta . She drinks it every day.

This works for both proper and common types.

The Empire State Building (proper) is very tall. It stands at 443m.
Sally (proper) loves chocolate (common). She eats some every day.
My dog (common) has a red ball (common). He likes to chase it .

The antecedent nouns give a reference point for the pronouns.

Is I a Noun or a Pronoun?

Commonly used ‘people’ pronouns include he, she, me, his and hers . However, there’s some debate as to the word I . While I is commonly accepted as a first person pronoun , it may not follow the usual antecedent rule. For example, if you were Sally, you wouldn’t write:

Sally loves Fanta. I drink it every day.

Instead you’d simply write:

I love Fanta. I drink it every day.

I is also classed as a naming word in the following contexts:

I — the name of a letter of the alphabet.
I — the subject or object of self-consciousness, i.e. the ego.

This guide should hopefully have answered lots of naming word questions for you, such as ‘what is a possessive noun?’, but if you’re still struggling you can learn more here . The list of nouns can be difficult to remember, for the simple fact that there are so many different categories and variations of these naming words. People, objects, places, ideas and feelings are things that don’t seem to have much in common—yet they all have names, which lumps them grammatically into the same (very large!) category.

Grammar Help is Here!

If you’d like to check your grammar, EasyBib Plus can help. Simply upload your paper and let EasyBib Plus do the hard work! You can also use the EasyBib Plus plagiarism checker to ensure that you’ve cited your sources. We have other grammar pages besides this one, too. Check out two tricky parts of speech: conjunction and interjection . Use the handy online toolkit at EasyBib Plus to check for unintentional plagiarism and grammatical errors, and feel more confident that you won’t drop unnecessary marks on avoidable mistakes.

Nouns starting with A-Z

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Chapter 1-2-7: Common Nouns

A common noun is a noun referring to a person, place, or thing in a general sense -- usually, you should write it with a capital letter only when it begins a sentence. A common noun is the opposite of a proper noun.

In each of the following sentences, the common nouns are highlighted :

According to the sign , the nearest town is 60 miles away.

All the gardens in the neighbourhood were invaded by beetles this summer .

I don't understand why some people insist on having six different kinds of mustard in their cupboards .

The road crew was startled by the sight of three large moose crossing the road .

Many child-care workers are underpaid.

Sometimes you will make proper nouns out of common nouns, as in the following examples:

The tenants in the Garnet Apartments are appealing the large and sudden increase in their rent.

The meals in the Bouncing Bean Restaurant are less expensive than meals in ordinary restaurants.

Many witches refer to the Renaissance as the Burning Times .

The Diary of Anne Frank is often a child's first introduction to the history of the Holocaust .

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Nouns and pronouns

What Is a Noun? | Definition, Types & Examples

A noun is a word that represents a person, thing, concept, or place. Most sentences contain at least one noun or pronoun . For example, the sentences below contain anywhere from one to three nouns.

June is my favorite month .

Nouns are one of the main types of words in English, along with other parts of speech such as verbs . They are often, but not always, preceded by an article (“the,” “a,” or “an”) or other determiner .

How are nouns used in sentences, nouns vs. pronouns, common vs. proper nouns, countable vs. uncountable nouns, concrete vs. abstract nouns.

Collective nouns

Other types of nouns

Other interesting language articles, frequently asked questions about nouns.

A complete sentence usually consists of at least a subject and a verb . The subject describes some person or thing, and the verb describes an action carried out by the subject.

In most cases, the subject is a noun or a pronoun . So the most basic role for a noun is to act as the subject for a verb that follows it.

David went out.

Nouns and pronouns can also play the role of object in a sentence. An object usually comes after the verb and represents something or someone that is affected by the action described. Objects can be direct or indirect:

The direct object is someone or something that is directly acted upon by the verb.
The indirect object is someone or something that receives the direct object.

Please give Jeremy some bread .

Noun phrases

When analyzing sentence structure , it’s common to refer to noun phrases . A noun phrase is a noun or pronoun in combination with all the words that belong with it in the sentence, such as any articles, adjectives , or other determiners that modify the noun.

A noun phrase can consist of the noun or pronoun alone or of a much longer series of words (always including at least one noun or pronoun).

The boa constrictor is a well-known species of snake .

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Pronouns are a much smaller set of words (such as “I,” “she,” and “they”) that are used in a similar way to nouns. They are primarily used to stand in for a noun that has already been mentioned or to refer to yourself and other people.

Like nouns, pronouns can function as the head of a noun phrase and as the subject or object of a verb. You can have a complete sentence consisting of just a pronoun and a verb (e.g., “He walks.”), just as you could with a noun (“Jack walks.”).

Unlike nouns, some pronouns (mainly the personal pronouns ) change their forms depending on the grammatical context they’re used in. For example, the first-person pronoun is “I” when it’s used as a subject and “me” when it’s used as an object, whereas a noun like “dog” would look the same in both cases.

Have you ever met them before?

That is beside the point.

An important distinction is made between two types of nouns, common nouns and proper nouns.

Common nouns are more general. A common noun refers to a class of person, place, thing, or concept, but not to someone or something specific.
Proper nouns are the names of specific people, places, things, or concepts. They are always capitalized to distinguish them from common nouns.

Another important distinction is between countable and uncountable nouns :

Countable nouns (also called count nouns ) refer to things that can be counted. They can be preceded by an indefinite article or a number, and they can be pluralized. Most nouns are countable (e.g., “fact(s)” or “ misnomer(s) “).
Uncountable nouns (also called noncount nouns or mass nouns ) refer to things that can’t be counted. They should never be preceded by an indefinite article or a number, and they cannot be pluralized (e.g., “information” or “ advice “).

A common mistake in English is treating uncountable nouns as if they were countable by pluralizing them or using an indefinite article. The solution to these problems is usually to rephrase using a related term or phrase that is countable.

My previous two researches indicated that …
My previous two studies indicated that …
It’s important to account for bias in a research .
It’s important to account for bias in research .
It’s important to account for bias in a research project.

A distinction is often made between concrete nouns and abstract nouns.

Concrete nouns refer to physical objects, places, or individuals: things or people that can be observed with the senses, such as “apple,” “hill,” “zebra,” and “Dorothy.”
Abstract nouns refer to concepts, ideas, feelings, and processes that can’t be physically located, such as “grammar,” “justice,” “sadness,” and “relaxation.”

There’s no grammatical difference between concrete and abstract nouns—it’s just a distinction that’s made to point out the different kinds of things nouns can refer to.

A collective noun is a word used to refer to a group of people or things, such as “team,” “band,” or “herd.” A collective noun can also be a proper noun—for example, the name of a specific company or band.

A collective noun may appear to be singular (e.g., “team”) or plural (e.g., “The Beatles”) in form, and there’s some disagreement about whether they should be treated grammatically as singular or plural. The following applies for US vs. UK English .

In US English , it’s standard to treat collective nouns as singular, regardless of whether they look plural or not.
In UK English , the same words may be treated as plural or singular depending on the context—for example, treated as plural when you’re emphasizing the individual members of the group, singular when you’re emphasizing the overall collective.

A gaggle of geese is the most threatening thing you’re likely to encounter at the park.

There are many nouns in English (more than any other part of speech), and accordingly many ways of forming nouns and using them. Some other important types of nouns are:

Possessive nouns
Attributive nouns
Appositive nouns
Generic nouns

A possessive noun is a noun that’s followed by an apostrophe (’) and the letter “s” to indicate possession (e.g., “my father’s house”).

To indicate possession with a plural noun that ends in “s,” you just add the apostrophe after the “s,” and don’t add an extra “s” (e.g., “my parents’ house”).

A gerund is a noun that is identical to the present participle (the “-ing” form) of a verb. These are typically nouns that describe the same activity as the verb they were formed from, such as “driving,” formed from the present participle of “drive.”

Attributive nouns are nouns that are used like adjectives , to modify another noun. For example, “company” is an attributive noun in the phrase “company policy.”

Even though attributive nouns work similarly to adjectives, they’re still classed as nouns. This is because they don’t fulfill all the grammatical requirements of adjectives. For example, they have to appear before the noun—it wouldn’t make sense to say “a policy that is company.”

An appositive noun (or appositive noun phrase) is a noun that comes after another noun to provide additional information about it.

If the appositive provides essential information (i.e., it wouldn’t be clear who or what you are referring to without it), it’s written without any extra punctuation . If it provides extra information that is not essential, it’s surrounded by commas .

A generic noun is a noun that is used to refer to a whole class of things (or people, places, etc.). They can be plural or singular, and they may appear with a definite article, an indefinite article, or no article .

The same noun may be used generically in some contexts and not others. For example, it would be equally possible to use the nouns in the sentences below in a non-generic way (e.g., “the people I know best are my brothers”; “my father operated a printing press”).

If you want to know more about nouns, pronouns , verbs , and other parts of speech , make sure to check out some of our other language articles with explanations and examples.

Nouns & pronouns

Common nouns
Proper nouns
Personal pronouns
Uncountable and countable nouns
Verb tenses
Phrasal verbs
Types of verbs
Active vs passive voice
Subject-verb agreement
Interjections
Determiners
Prepositions

A noun is a word that represents a person, thing, concept, or place (e.g., “John,” “house,” “affinity,” “river”). Most sentences contain at least one noun or pronoun .

Nouns are often, but not always, preceded by an article (“the,” “a,” or “an”) and/or another determiner such as an adjective .

There are many ways to categorize nouns into various types, and the same noun can fall into multiple categories or even change types depending on context.

Some of the main types of nouns are:

Common and proper nouns
Countable and uncountable nouns
Concrete and abstract nouns

Pronouns are words like “I,” “she,” and “they” that are used in a similar way to nouns . They stand in for a noun that has already been mentioned or refer to yourself and other people.

Pronouns can function just like nouns as the head of a noun phrase and as the subject or object of a verb . However, pronouns change their forms (e.g., from “I” to “me”) depending on the grammatical context they’re used in, whereas nouns usually don’t.

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What Is a Common Noun? | Definition & Examples

What Is a Common Noun? | Definition & Examples

Published on 22 August 2022 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on 28 February 2023.

A common noun is a noun that describes a type of person, thing, or place or that names a concept. Common nouns are not capitalised unless they appear at the start of a sentence, unlike proper nouns , which are always capitalised.

Common nouns include the names of different jobs, plants and animals, geographical features, ideas, objects, and many other things. They can be concrete nouns or abstract nouns .

Inequality is a major problem in many societies .

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Common nouns vs proper nouns, common nouns that can become proper nouns, academic concepts are usually common nouns, frequently asked questions about common nouns.

Common nouns are defined by contrast with proper nouns. That means that all nouns are either common or proper (though the same noun can be both, in different contexts).

Common nouns are general: they usually name classes of things, people, and places rather than specific things, people, and places. They are only capitalised at the start of a sentence, and they can be modified by articles , determiners, and adjectives.
Proper nouns are the names of specific individuals, things, places, companies, etc. They are always capitalised and typically not modified by articles, determiners, or adjectives.

Bill Gates is the co-founder of Microsoft .

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Common nouns can often become proper (i.e., gain capitalisation) when they are used as a name, or as part of a name.

For example, nouns designating family roles, such as ‘dad’, are common in most cases. But when they’re used directly as a name, without any articles or other determiners, they become proper and gain capitalisation.

In a similar way, nouns that act as titles (e.g., ‘president’, ‘archbishop’, ‘professor’) are capitalised only when they’re used as part of the name of someone holding that title.

The cardinal directions (north, east, south, west) are common nouns in most cases. But they become proper when used with a cultural or political meaning or in the name of a specific location.

There is no longer a country called East Germany.

Countries categorised as part of the Global South are often still in the process of industrialising. Note Common nouns representing important concepts are sometimes capitalised in a literary context to emphasise their importance (e.g., ‘Nature’, ‘Truth’).

One common mistake is to assume that concepts, theories, models, and frameworks are proper nouns, and therefore capitalise them. In fact, they are usually common nouns, although they may include proper nouns (or proper adjectives), which should be capitalised.

The Akaike information criterion evaluates how well a model fits the data it was generated from.

A revolution in scientific thought was initiated by Einstein’s theory of relativity .

Common nouns are words for types of things, people, and places, such as ‘dog’, ‘professor’, and ‘city’. They are not capitalised and are typically used in combination with articles and other determiners.

Proper nouns are words for specific things, people, and places, such as ‘Max’, ‘Dr Prakash’, and ‘London’. They are always capitalised and usually aren’t combined with articles and other determiners.

The names of seasons (e.g., ‘spring’) are treated as common nouns in English and therefore not capitalised . People often assume they are proper nouns, but this is an error.

The names of days and months, however, are capitalised since they’re treated as proper nouns in English (e.g., ‘Wednesday’, ‘January’).

No, as a general rule, academic concepts, disciplines, theories, models, etc. are treated as common nouns , not proper nouns , and therefore not capitalised . For example, ‘five-factor model of personality’ or ‘analytic philosophy’.

However, proper nouns that appear within the name of an academic concept (such as the name of the inventor) are capitalised as usual. For example, ‘Darwin’s theory of evolution’ or ‘ Student’s t table ‘.

Sources for this article

We strongly encourage students to use sources in their work. You can cite our article (APA Style) or take a deep dive into the articles below.

Caulfield, J. (2023, February 28). What Is a Common Noun? | Definition & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved 1 July 2024, from https://www.scribbr.co.uk/nouns/common-noun/

Aarts, B. (2011). Oxford modern English grammar . Oxford University Press.

Butterfield, J. (Ed.). (2015). Fowler’s dictionary of modern English usage (4th ed.). Oxford University Press.

Garner, B. A. (2016). Garner’s modern English usage (4th ed.). Oxford University Press.

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Proper Nouns
Countable and Uncountable Nouns
Gerunds and Infinitives
Types of Nouns
Abstract Nouns
Collective Nouns
Compound Nouns
Plural Nouns

Common Noun

Conjunctions
Preposition

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What is a Common Noun

What is the difference between common and proper nouns.

Dog = common noun
Dog’s name (Fido, in this case) = proper noun
My favorite newspaper (common noun) is the Washington Post (proper noun).
Her husband (common noun) is called Frank (proper noun).
The award-winning Babe Ruth (proper noun) is the greatest baseball player (common noun) in history.

When to use common nouns?

My mother is an actress.
Barbara’s mother was the best cook in the city.
“ Mother , can you bake your brownies for the party?”
I asked Mother Thompson to join us at dinner.

How to recognize a common noun?

Queen Elizabeth II welcomed President Donald Trump to Buckingham Palace .
Donald Trump visited many queens and palaces during his tenure as the president of the United States.
Attorney General William Barr was appointed by President
Each US president must appoint an attorney general while in office.

Common Noun Examples

Common Noun : You broke my favorite mug . Proper Noun : I can’t believe you broke my Snoopy mug .
Common Noun : I really want a new pair of jeans . Proper Noun : I really want to buy a new pair of Levis .
Common Noun : I wish I could remember the name of that painter . Proper Noun : I really love art by Van Gogh .
Common Noun : They’re all waiting for us at the restaurant . Proper Noun : Everyone else is at Bill’s Burgers .
Common Noun : I really want to live in the city Proper Noun : Of all the places I’ve lived, Denver was best.
Common Noun : Let’s go to watch a live game at the stadium . Proper Noun : Let’s try to get good seats at Wrigley Field

Articles for Common Nouns

Use the if a reader could identify the noun specifically.

Please turn off the lights . We’re not going to the museum tomorrow. (Count)
The food throughout Korea is excellent (Non-count)

Use a / an if the noun refers to a single item that is not specific. Never use a / an with plural or non-count nouns.

Bring an eraser to class. You’ll be using a pencil to write an essay today. (Count)

Use a quantifier such as enough, many, some, etc. if the noun represents and unspecified amount and that amount is more than one but not all.

Amanda showed us some souvenirs of her trip to New Orleans. Many birds go there in the summer. (Count)
We didn’t get enough snow this winter.

Use no article if the noun represents all items in a category or the category in general.

Teachers can attend the game for free. Actors must report backstage by 5:00 p.m. (Count)
Gold is a natural resource.

Understanding Common And Proper Nouns

Common Vs. Proper Nouns
Common Nouns
Proper Nouns
How To Use Them
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A noun is a word that refers to a person, place, thing, or idea. We use nouns to refer to general things like friends or pizza and specific things like Leonardo Da Vinci or Canada. We use a lot of different nouns like these to describe everything around us, but all of the nouns we use can be separated into just two different types: common nouns and proper nouns .

Common noun vs. proper noun

The difference between a common noun and a proper noun is what type of thing they are referring to. Common nouns refer to generic things while proper nouns refer to specific things. For example, the noun country is a common noun because it refers to a general, non-specific place. On the other hand, the noun Spain is a proper noun because it refers to a specific country located in Europe (another proper noun). Grammatically, there is one main difference between common and proper nouns: proper nouns are always capitalized whereas common nouns are only capitalized in very specific situations.

Common nouns

As has been said, common nouns refer to generic people, places, and things. You’ll more easily understand what we mean by this with some examples.

Examples of common nouns

Common nouns can refer to people, places, things, and ideas.

People: man, woman, child, cop, criminal, butcher, baker, neighbor, friend, enemy, person, stranger, judge, jury, executioner, knights, bishops, kings, queens
Places: city, town, country, neighborhoods, islands, beaches, province, state, outside, upstairs, basement, hallway, lobby, rooms, alleys, campsites
Things: guitar, drums, apples, oranges, snow, rain, ice, fire, dirt, cars, trucks, knee, elbows, food, water, sky, stars, day, weeks, month, years
Ideas, emotions, concepts: happiness, sadness, fear, courage, questions, answers, government, chaos, hunger, confusion, doubt, loneliness, friendship, science

Want a closer look at common nouns? Set your sights on this handy article about them!

Proper nouns

Proper nouns can also refer to people, places, things, and ideas. However, proper nouns refer to more specific people and things.

Examples of proper nouns

As you read each of these proper nouns , you can test your understanding of common nouns. Can you think of a common noun that could also refer to each item referred to by a proper noun?

People: Harriet Tubman, King Richard the Lionheart, Miles Davis, Emily Dickinson, Helen of Troy, Superman, Lady Gaga, Captain Crunch
Places: New York City, Moscow, Cairo, Portugal, Zimbabwe, Peru, Europe, Asia, Australia, Main Street, Rocky Mountains, Colorado River, Sahara Desert
Things: Jupiter, Google, Twitter, Kawasaki Ninja, Playstation 5, Star Wars , Band-aids, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets , Apollo 13, Great Wall of China
Ideas and Concepts: Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Romanticism, Cubism, Industrial Revolution, Dark Ages, Monday, November

How do you use common and proper nouns?

Grammatically, the biggest difference between common and proper nouns has to do with capitalization. Proper nouns are always capitalized no matter where they appear in a sentence. One exception to this rule is brand names that use lowercase letters for stylistic reasons: the word iPad is a proper noun even though the first letter is lowercase.

Common nouns, on the other hand, are only capitalized at the beginning of sentences or when used in the title or name of something. For example, the word captain is a common noun and will be lowercase in most sentences. However, it has a capital letter when it is used in a title such as in the name Captain Hook.

Both common and proper nouns are used in most of our sentences. For the most part, it is pretty easy to use them, but you should be careful to always capitalize proper nouns and to only capitalize a common noun when it is appropriate to do so.

Visit the full discussion on proper nouns at our article dedicated to them here.

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Tips for differentiating common vs. proper nouns

If you are trying to determine if a word is a common or proper noun, look at the capitalization. Is the noun capitalized in the middle of a sentence? If so, you most likely have a proper noun. Things are trickier if the noun is the first word in the sentence. In that case, ask yourself if the noun is referring to a specific person or thing. If it is, you have a proper noun again. If it isn’t, you are instead looking at a common noun. A good rule of thumb is that all names and titles are proper nouns and will always be capitalized.

Let’s test to see if you have mastered common and proper nouns. Read the following sentences and see if you can figure out if the nouns are common or proper nouns.

We went to school yesterday.
We learned about the history of France.
Jennifer is my older sister.
She likes to read novels by Stephen King.

Finally, look at these example sentences and see if you can find the three mistakes involving common and proper nouns. (You can find the answers at the end of this article.)

My favorite American president is theodore roosevelt.
I like all kinds of animals. dogs are the cutest of them all.
When we went to Arizona, I took tons of pictures of the Grand canyon.

No more grammar errors

We’ve got a noun for you: genius! And that’s what you’ll be when you check your writing on Thesaurus.com’s Grammar Coach™ . This uncommon tool can definitely spot the difference between your proper and common nouns—and more! Grammar Coach™ uses machine learning technology uniquely designed to catch grammar and spelling errors. Its Synonym Swap will find the best nouns, adjectives, and more to help say what you really mean, guiding you toward clearer, stronger, writing.

Whether you’re writing about a person, place, or thing, perfect grammar has never been easier!

Answers: Theodore Roosevelt, Dogs, Grand Canyon

If you want more of a challenge, head over to our quiz on common vs. proper nouns.

How many other types of nouns are there? Find out here.

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Home — Essay Samples — Science — English Language — Nouns in the English Language

Nouns in The English Language

Categories: English Language

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Words: 2272 |

12 min read

Published: Apr 11, 2019

Words: 2272 | Pages: 5 | 12 min read

Proper and common nouns
Personal names (both first names like Diana and Chris, as well as surnames like Popescu);
Nationalities (the Japanese, the British)
Languages (English, Romanian, Spanish);
Titles (Mr. John, Miss Deborah, Mrs. Kerry, Dr. Smith, Queen Elisabeth, Lord Byron, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Sergent Jackson, Professor Bright);
Animals (Spot, Missy);
Calendar items (January, Monday, Christmas);
Geographical names like:
continents (Europe, Africa)
countries (the United States of America, Greece)
rivers, lakes, oceans, seas (the Black Sea, the Danube, Lake Michigan)
mountains (the Alps) and so on.
Celestial bodies (the Moon, Venus)
Cardinal points, when they are not used geographically (North, West);
Institutions (the European Union, the National Theatre, the British Museum);
Newspapers, titles of books, magazines (the Guardian, Vogue, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes)
Countable and uncountable nouns
it has a plural form (girl – girls, table - tables);
it can be preceded by the indefinite article a/an (a cat, an argument);
it can be preceded by How many or (a) few (How many pencils have you got?; My cousin has a few books);
it can be preceded by numbers (one pencil box with three rulers).
it has not a plural form (sugar, silver, blood);
it cannot be preceded by the indefinite article a/an (Such fine weather!);
it can be preceded by How much or (a) little (How much honey do you want?; My parents have little furniture);
it cannot be preceded by numbers.
liquids (water, oil, milk);
gas (air, oxygen, steam);
food (spaghetti, butter, soup, bread, cheese, cookery, food, meat, toast );
abstract ideas (chaos, advice, education, fun, gossip, hospitality, information, knowledge, luck, news, nonsense, patience, progress, strength, stuff );
subjects / fields (mathematics, art, politics, poetry, vocabulary);
mass nouns (hair, transportation, furniture, grass, money);
grain and powder (sugar, rice, sand);
natural phenomena (rain, snow, darkness, lightning, sunshine, thunder);
sports (football, chess, poker);
activities (reading, swimming, working, dancing, laughter, leisure, shopping, smoking, spelling, work);
feelings (sadness, anger, courage, happiness, jealousy);
states of being (adulthood, power, sleep, stress, safety, stupidity, violence, wealth).
Concrete and abstract nouns; collective nouns

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Proper Nouns

Proper nouns refer to particular persons, places, and things by name . They are capitalized.


Geographical names	France, the Atlantic Ocean, Chicago, the Amazon River, the Rocky Mountains
Religions and nationalities	Catholicism, Buddhists, Chinese, Islam, Muslims, North Americans, Christianity
Historical or artistic periods and events	World War II, Impressionism, the Middle Ages, the Civil War, the Renaissance
Days, months, or holidays	Labor Day, Thursday, April, New Year’s Eve, the Fourth of July, Easter
Brand or company names	Pepsi-Cola, Sony, the Bank of America, America Express, Quaker Oats, Cadillac
Titles of publications or published work	New York Times (newspaper), War and Peace (novel), “Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening” (poem)
People (including their titles)	Mr. and Mrs. Bob Jones, Lord Byron, President Lincoln, King James, Senator Black
Course titles (but not fields of study)	He is taking Philosophy 101. He is studying philosophy.

Articles and Proper Nouns

Generally, we use zero article with singular proper nouns, and “ the ” with plural ones. For example, France vs. the United States; Mount Everest vs. the Himalayas; Cuba vs. the Bahamas, etc. However, there are many exceptions. Here are some sub-rules that may be helpful:

Any name with a prepositional phrase

containing “ will take

the Republic of….

the University of Michigan ( Harvard University)

the Gulf of…

the Straits of…

the Isle of Wight ( Paradise Island)

the Fourth of July ( Thanksgiving)

Oceans, seas, and rivers take “ ”

Lakes and streets take

I live near the Atlantic Ocean, the Hudson River.

I live on Lake Ontario, Mulberry Street, Route 64, Fifth Avenue.

: the Pennsylvania Turnpike, the Bronx

River Parkway

General regions take

the South, the Riviera, the East Side, the Arctic, the Western Hemisphere

Nouns of nationality use no article when referring to a language

Nouns of nationality take when referring to a people group

Dutch is spoken in the Netherlands.

The Dutch live in the Netherlands.

Last updated 11/19/2020

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Common Noun Worksheets

What is a common noun? A common noun is a word that refers to a general object rather than a specific one. It is not capitalized unless it's the first word in a sentence. Ex. The dog belongs to the women at the fire station . In this sentence, "dog," "women" and "fire station" are all general terms that refer to a class of items rather than to named individuals. Common nouns are different from Proper Nouns which give a name to a noun. Feel free to use the printable noun worksheets below in class or at home!

Adjectives: Add the Noun

An adjective describes something; it usually describes a noun. With this printable parts of speech worksheet, students will be asked to add a noun for each adjective to describe. Made easy to print, this activity is perfect for use both at home and in the classroom!

Alphabet Collections: Nouns

With this printable activity, students will practice writing a noun for each letter of the alphabet. All the way from A to Z, see how many creative words your students can come up with! Our Parts of Speech Alphabet Worksheet is perfect for K – 3rd grade, but can be used where appropriate.

Common and Proper Nouns

Write Common or Proper on the line next to each noun. Then, write three of each.

Identifying Nouns

Read the story. Circle all the nouns. Write them on the lines below the story.

Circle the nouns and cross out words that are not nouns.

Nouns Review 1

Tell whether each noun is common or proper. Write the plural of each word.

Sort the Common and Proper Nouns

Underline the common nouns and circle the proper nouns.

Write a Noun for Adjectives

Identifying parts of speech is an important skill to learn in early education! With this printable activity, students will practice writing nouns and adjectives. After reading through a series of adjectives, students will be asked to write a noun for each adjective to describe.

For Thanksgiving: Add the Nouns and Adjectives

Your student can go funny or serious by filling in the nouns and adjectives in this Thanksgiving grammar worksheet.

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Can ChatGPT be detected: Differences between AI and student-written essays

Key takeaways

What are the most common errors in student and ai-generated text, did ai write this comparing words in ai and student writing, the most common phrases in student essays, how do you spot ai-generated text asking the experts, methodology.

As the line between human-generated and AI-generated content blurs, it’s becoming drastically harder to work out where a piece of work originates. That’s why Preply has analyzed how AI has started to impact essay writing and learning today.

More than half of UK undergraduates have admitted to using AI in their essays, while colleges and high schools in the US have seen a 76% rise in school assignments containing AI-generated content in a year. It’s clear students are becoming more savvy about how these tools can assist them in everyday learning and, despite negative press around these tools, many professors support using generative AI tools in research assistance.

To investigate this trend, Preply has looked into the differences between human-written and computer-generated essays. By analyzing over 12,000 essays, we’ve created an analysis of the most frequent words, phrases, and errors in both human-written and computer-generated works. These results include pieces written by students (gathered from the writing database IvyPanda) and those written by ChatGPT.

We also spoke to professors from the University of Edinburgh to understand how AI impacts studies and academia, and whether it’s truly possible to detect AI writing in a student’s work.

So, what patterns can we see when analyzing student-written essays against AI-generated text? Here’s what we found.

Student-written essays were far more likely to feature mistakes, with 78% of essays containing at least one error, compared to only 13% of AI essays.
The most common punctuation errors in student essays included missing commas, hyphen errors, and missing spaces.
The most common words for students were ‘people’, ‘also’, ‘one’, and ‘however’ while ‘social, ‘cultural’, ‘individuals’, and ‘health’ were used the most frequently in AI essays.
ChatGPT uses 35% less unique vocabulary than humans with only 7,308 unique words overall, compared to 11,248 unique words from student essays.
Humans are more likely to use common nouns and verbs like ‘one’ or ‘people’, while ChatGPT favors complex and specialized terms like ‘cultural’ or ‘economic’.

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Human error is impossible to avoid when writing essays, even if you’re studying with the best professors or investing in private English lessons . But, when it comes to AI-generated text, spelling and grammar mistakes are unsurprisingly, rarer.

We found a huge difference in the overall number of errors when comparing human writing with AI. With over 45,000 errors across 12,000 student-written essays, there were only 15 overall errors in the 115 ChatGPT-produced essays. That means while there’s an average of three errors per essay in student-written work, there was only one error in every ten essays written by AI.

Digging into which school or department has the most errors, we split the number of mistakes by subject to see who’s most likely to slip up in their assignments.

We recommend those in the science department proofread their work often, as student-written science assignments were found to have the most blunders. With an average of five mistakes per essay, students studying this subject appear to be the most error-prone – likely due to tricky terminology. Following closely behind with the most errors were essays in economics, tourism, and religion.

On the other end of the spectrum came essayists studying environment, sociology, and media, whose essays had the lowest frequency of faults. Although these three subjects had the least mistakes, there was still an average of at least three errors per essay. So, ensure you’re proofreading regardless of the subject you study.

While it’s easy enough to pinpoint who makes the most mistakes, we also investigated the most frequent types of errors through punctuation and phrasing mistakes.

The most common punctuation error was missing commas with at least one comma missing per essay. Over 40% of essays contained this mistake in our analysis, with hyphen errors and missing spaces closely behind.

Generic phrasing mistakes were the most frequently flagged by proofreading tools, followed by repetitive words.

How differently does ChatGPT write when compared to humans? Looking into the patterns between the two, we identified the number of unique words in student essays, compared to those written by ChatGPT.

Without a doubt, we found much greater diversity in the language used by people. According to our research, ChatGPT uses 35% fewer unique words compared to student-written essays. With over 11,000 unique words totaled from students, technology-written essays used around 7,000 different words.

The only word that appears frequently in both human essays and AI-generated texts is ‘social’ . As a key adjective, both human and machine-learned research mentions this regularly. Both are likely to focus on this word when referencing human interactions and social behavior in analysis.

However, the differences between these two data sets are much more pronounced than their similarities. The most frequent human terminology is more generic, including common nouns, adjectives, and pronouns, with a balance of words that focus on content and function. In the ChatGPT data set, though, we see a focus on ideas and concepts like ‘culture’ and ‘economics’ engaging with social issues. The only transitional language we see from AI is ‘moreover’ , unlike human writing where we see ‘also’ and ‘however’ feature too.

To expand on this, we looked at the ratio of words that were present in human language compared to ChatGPT and vice versa. We wanted to see if there was a bias towards a certain category of words that appeared in one and not the other.

For instance, the word ‘would’ is used the most in student-written essays, but rarely by ChatGPT. For every 217 times humans used this word, the machine only used it once. As a modal verb, it describes hypothetical situations as well as expresses speculation, which is likely to be found in essays, but something AI is known to struggle with.

Looking at both lists side-by-side, there are clear differences between the two. Students were far more likely to use concrete nouns and verbs like ‘man’ and ‘country’ , while ChatGPT leaned towards abstract concepts like ‘identities’ and ‘boundaries’ . With two very different tones, students are more likely to write practical vocabulary whereas AI is far more likely to indulge in vague and figurative phrasing.

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The most frequent phrases used by student writers are prepositions like ‘in order to’ and ‘based on the’ . These markers within sentences are used to expand on points and direct the reader toward analysis. This pattern is seen throughout the human side of the data, illustrating that people are more inclined to expand on our points in long-form copy.

As well as these prepositions, we also see connecting conjunctions like ‘as well as’ and ‘is one of’ appearing frequently in essays to expand on points and deepen arguments. These expressions help to build up longer sentences and follow on to introduce points, which is exactly what you should expect to see in essays.

What about longer sentences and phrases we see pop up the most? Again, we see a similar pattern of explanatory and connecting expressions. Providing context in essays helps for clarity and justifications, so it’s no surprise that these once again are popular with students.

We see this in phrases like ‘it is important to know that’ – which was the most frequent long phrase – as well as ‘it is possible to say that’ or ‘this is due to the fact that’ , which are common ways of extending sentences.

The only phrases that differ slightly include ‘in different parts of the world’ , which is a geographical explainer, and ‘the purpose of this paper is to’ which is typical to see in the introduction of an authentic essay.

Whilst it’s good to know that humans are good at directing and summarizing for the reader, it may be good to have a more varied way of phrasing these sections, to avoid sounding too much like other writers.

So, what did professors have to say about using AI? We spoke to Dr. Vaishak Bell, Reader at the School of Informatics, and Professor Judy Robertson, Chair in Digital Learning at the University of Edinburgh, to see how they feel about the rise of AI and its current impact on student research.

Is there a danger in students using AI for essay writing?

Dr. Bell: The trouble we’re seeing right now is that in some cases these systems do fabricate certain things and if you haven’t studied the material very comprehensively, it’s very difficult to spot what the mistake is.

I think it makes it challenging for both the examiners and the students because students think there’s a shortcut to understanding some concept and they’re constantly struggling, but the analysis that comes out of ChatGPT could likely be somehow superficial or fabricated, and if you don’t know it, you can’t spot it.

Prof. Robertson: I’m trying to remove the incentive to cheat using AI, because if you can use it and acknowledge it then why wouldn’t you? And there’s stuff in the marking scheme as well to say if students have overused it or if there’s misinformation in there, then they’ll get marks off. Still, the highest parts of the marking scheme are for when the student has used human creativity and come up with something I haven’t seen before.

Would you be able to detect AI writing or not?

Dr. Bell: I would say it depends on the context. In some cases, no. So, for instance, certainly, in scholarly writing, you often speak in a passive voice and there are no adjectives, you don’t really embellish statements. You are trying to remain factual. I have seen re-phrasing by ChatGPT writing it, and the difference is very marginal.

I don’t think we can really beat it purely on syntactic structure. It would have to be some semantic analysis of the topic, right? So, it’s actually pretty hard. I don’t think it’s easy to do.

Prof. Robertson: Even experienced teachers can’t tell if you just give them a database of essays and they’ve never met the authors. They can’t distinguish between human-written essays and AI-written essays. But because mine is a small class and I know the students, I think I’d have a higher chance of doing that – because if you know somebody and the way they speak and what they’ve been working on, then it is kind of easier to tell.

I think that human connection is what will save us from AI plagiarism. It’s teachers knowing the people that they work with.

Would you encourage the use of AI?

Dr. Bell: I don’t think it’s a bad idea to have some sort of artificial or virtual agent, to cross-check certain things for you, or you could say, ‘This is what I wrote. Does it feel like this conveys the point?’.

Previously, many people didn’t know who to turn to, so it was a very isolating process. Now you have a companion who can answer some intermediate questions and give you feedback. Again, the extreme version of this is instead of asking your flatmate or your fellow students, we rely completely on this. I mean, that’s the worst-case outcome but I think as a tool – provided you use it within limits – I don’t see anything fundamentally problematic about it.

Prof. Robertson: I think it’s kind of exciting. It’s like a challenge of, well, how do we do better assessments so that it doesn’t make an advantage for the students to cheat with AI? Why don’t we teach the students to use AI and then we’re going to take that as expected on their assignment that they probably will have used it?

I think it’s about switching and understanding what it is that we’re expecting students to learn now. We’ve got AI machines and AI tools, and we’re finding ways to assist that rather than something a machine could have done. And so, we’re going to have to switch what we think about with assessment and probably switch for what we’re looking for in terms of graduate attributes and what it is we’re expecting them to be able to do.

How to check if something was written by AI

Whilst it’s clear that student essays use more diverse language than those generated by AI (with over 35% more unique words than ChatGPT), how easy is it to check when something is written by AI? Here are some top signs and AI giveaways.

Misinformation: Noticed that a fact or statistic doesn’t sound quite right? Chances are that AI has picked up a false statement and rewritten it into a piece of copy. If there are unexplained falsities and inaccuracies within the piece, a student should have a strong enough understanding of the topic to be able to spot these. It’s key to double-check any hard facts or context to ensure you don’t have false statements in your essay.

Monotonous language: As proven by our findings, humans have a far more diverse vocabulary, so if the piece seems to be dull in its diction (often sounding a bit clunky and even robotic ) this is a big sign it’s computer-generated. If you’re struggling with monotonous language in your own work, conversational English lessons can be an easy way to upgrade your flow and structure.

Redundant explanations: AI writing often sounds like it’s trying too hard to reach the word count without much meaning. Excessive explanation of concepts without many hard facts or evidence can indicate that an AI has written that piece of work, as these networks don’t have as much capacity to explain findings concisely. Of course, this can sometimes happen in human work too, so try your best to pack as much detail into each point to avoid sounding machine-like.

With AI content tools becoming more and more popular, there has also been a growth in AI-detection tools, like Turnitin, Copyleaks, and UniPapers. While they tend not to give much away about how they do it, these techy tools can help to identify how much AI-written text is in student essays.

As explained by our experts, it can be hard to nail down what is an AI-generated piece of copy, unless it sounds particularly robotic, repetitive, or uses misinformation. How to check if something was written by AI is becoming harder for those marking, even though the results of longer pieces of work are very different.

By analyzing the patterns of both human-created content and essays written by ChatGPT, we have identified the differences in the words and terminology used by both. AI will learn English online through web pages, blogs, and articles written before. Students should approach using AI with caution, and refrain from using these tools to write long pieces of text to avoid false statements and content lacking detail. It’s key to strike a balance between creating a high-quality piece of work, and using the tools effectively, to avoid the territory of plagiarism.

If you’re looking to expand your vocabulary, you can learn languages online with Preply, from conversational English to classic Spanish lessons . Take French lessons with confidence or learn a business language in our courses.

We have collected 12,346 student-written essays from the platform IvyPanda. The essays were categorized according to the genres on IvyPanda, with 25 subjects included. The data was broken down into:

Number of errors overall and per subject
Most common errors overall and per subject
Most common words used in essays overall and per subject
Most common phrases used in essays overall and per subject

We only included essays that had a minimum of 600 words.

To compare the student-written essays with AI-generated essays, we tasked ChatGPT with composing 115 essays covering 25 subjects.

To detect mistakes in the student-written essays, we used LanguageTool, a linguistic analysis tool, to find out which errors were most common in essays.

Analysis is accurate as of April 2024.

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Nadiia is a Marketing Specialist with 7 years of experience in digital communications. In the past, she co-founded an educational organization for teachers in Ukraine and helped educators all over the country integrate blended learning methodology in their classrooms. Nadia speaks English, French, Ukrainian, and is currently learning Spanish on Preply.

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Is essay a common noun

Yes, the noun 'essay' is a common noun ; a general word for a short piece of writing, with a specific beginning, middle, and end, that provides information on a specific topic; a word for any essay of any kind. A proper noun is the name or title of a specific person, place, or thing; for example, " A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again: An Essay " by David Foster Wallace.

Interestingly, the word "essay" also used to be a verb many years ago. In British English, it meant "to try; to make a serious effort." But other than in old literature, you rarely see that meaning anymore.

Add your answer:

Should the word clergymen be capitalized in an essay?

No, the plural noun 'clergymen' is a common noun, a general word for male (usually Christian) priests, ministers, or religious leaders.A common noun is capitalized only when it is the first word in a sentence.

Is rug proper or common noun?

Is processor a common noun or a proper noun.

Common noun

Is peas a common noun or proper noun?

Pea is a common noun, and peas is the plural...still a common noun.

What type of noun is nest?

A common noun.

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A woman pulls a religious statue out from among debris. A splintered home and scattered clothing are around her.

2024’s violent tornado season has been one of the most active on record − a meteorologist explains the weather behind the outbreaks

Professor of Atmospheric Science, Iowa State University

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William Gallus receives funding from the National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

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Spring 2024 was unnerving for people across large parts of the U.S. as tornado warnings and sirens sent them scrambling for safety.

More than 1,100 tornadoes were reported through May − a preliminary number but nearly twice the 30-year average at that point and behind only 2011 , when deadly tornado outbreaks tore across the southeastern U.S.

The U.S. experienced several multistate outbreaks in 2024. Tornadoes damaged homes from Texas to Minnesota and east to West Virginia and Georgia . They caused widespread destruction in several towns, including Greenfield, Iowa ; Westmoreland, Kansas ; and Bartlesville, Oklahoma . Barnsdall, Oklahoma, was hit twice in two months .

In May, at least one tornado occurred somewhere in the country almost every day .

What causes some years to have so many tornadoes? I’m a meteorologist who studies tornadoes and thunderstorms . Here’s what created the perfect conditions for these violent storms.

2 key tornado ingredients, on steroids

The hyperactive season has been due to an abundance of two key ingredients for tornadoes: wind shear and instability.

The jet stream − a band of strong upper-level winds that mostly blows west to east, flowing between warm air to its south and cool air to its north − plays an important role in how and where weather systems evolve, and in wind shear.

During April and May 2024 , the jet stream often dipped southward in the western U.S. before turning back to the northeast across the Plains. That’s a pattern favorable for producing tornadoes in the central U.S.

A US map shows warm moist air rising from the Gulf of Mexico, the jet stream bending northward into the Great Plains, Tornado Alley from Texas to South Dakota and into Iowa, and cold air to the north and warm air to the south.

In the area east of the jet stream’s southern dip, air rises. That creates a strong low-pressure system, which causes winds near the ground to blow from a different direction than winds higher up, contributing to wind shear.

Making this year even more active, persistent record heat waves were common over Mexico and Texas, while the Rockies and far northern United States stayed cool. The sharp temperature difference created a stronger jet stream than normal, leading to strong changes in wind speed with elevation. As a result, wind shear has been on steroids.

The change in wind speed with elevation can cause air to have a rolling motion . The rapidly rising air in a thunderstorm can then tilt the rolling motion to create a spinning thunderstorm that can concentrate the spin into a tornado.

The Gulf of Mexico was also much warmer than normal , producing abundant heat and moisture that could be transported northward to fuel thunderstorms. That creates atmospheric instability , the other key ingredient for tornadoes.

Chart shows 2024 tornado reports well above the 15-year mean and only below 2011. It's just above 2019 numbers.

El Niño’s weakening was a warning

This perfect combination of ingredients for tornadoes wasn’t a complete surprise.

El Niño and La Niña – opposing climate patterns centered in the Pacific Ocean – can affect winds and weather around the world. A 2016 study found that when El Niño is shifting to La Niña , the number of tornadoes in the central Plains and Upper Midwest is often larger than normal.

That’s exactly what was happening in spring 2024 . The tornadoes mostly occurred in the traditional Tornado Alley, from northern Texas to South Dakota, with an extension across the Corn Belt through Iowa and as far east as Ohio, matching the findings of that study.

How is tornado activity changing?

The active spring in the Great Plains was a bit unusual, however. Studies show a long-term trend of decreasing tornado numbers in this region and an increase in tornadoes farther east , near or just east of the Mississippi River.

That shift is consistent with what climate models suggest is likely to happen throughout the remainder of the century as global temperatures rise.

A U.S. map shows the greatest activity over the Southeast, particularly Louisiana and Alabama.

The expected decline in the number of tornadoes in the Plains is likely related to increasing heat over the high ground of the desert Southwest and Mexico. That heat flows over the Great Plains a few thousand feet above ground, creating a cap, or lid. The cap lets heat and moisture build up until it punches through to form a thunderstorm. This hot, moist air is why the central U.S. is home to the most violent tornadoes on Earth.

One theory is that, with climate change, the cap will likely be harder to break through, reducing the number of tornadoes in the Plains. At the same time, increasing heat and moisture elsewhere will fuel more tornadoes in the East.

Long-term trends and climate model predictions also suggest that more tornadoes are occurring during the cooler months , particularly in the Southeast . Tornadoes are also occurring on fewer days each year, but on the days when they do form, there is more likely to be an outbreak with several tornadoes

Climate change
Extreme weather
Atmospheric science
Thunderstorms
El Niño Southern Oscillation
Extreme storms

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Today’s word is ADAGE, a noun. According to Webster’s New World College Dictionary, it refers to “a saying that sets forth a general truth and that has gained credit through long use.”

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Common Nouns: Definition, Meaning and Examples

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Common Noun vs. Promer Noun

How Proper Nouns Become Common and Vice Versa

What is a Common Noun? Definition, Examples of Common Nouns

What is a Common Noun?

Common Nouns and Proper Nouns

Modifying Common Nouns

Common Nouns List

Exercises With Common Nouns

Summary: What are Common Nouns?

Common Noun

Example #2: Oh! The Places You’ll Go! (by Dr. Seuss)

Example #3: Dave Barry’s Only Travel Guide You’ll Ever Need (by Dave Barry)

Example #4: Animal Farm (by George Orwell)

Function of Common Noun

Common and Proper Nouns: Definition, Examples, & Exercises

The Basics of Common and Proper Nouns

What is a common noun?

What is a proper noun?

What is the relationship between common and proper nouns?

How do you use common and proper nouns?

3 Tips for Understanding Common vs. Proper Nouns

Tip #1: If it’s a noun and it’s capitalized, then it’s probably a proper noun .

Tip #2: Make sure it’s a noun.

Tip #3: When writing, ask yourself, “what message am I trying to communicate?”

Applying the Basics: Common and Proper Noun Review & Practice

The Ultimate List of Common and Proper Nouns

Common Noun Exercises & Review

Proper Noun Exercises & Review

Try for Yourself: Common and Proper Nouns Quiz

Teacher’s Corner

Summary on Common and Proper Nouns

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AP® Score Calculators

AP® Review Guides

Core Subject Review Guides

SAT® Score Calculator

ACT® Score Calculator

Grammar Review Hub

AP® Posters

Nouns: What’s in a Name?

Guide Overview

What is a Noun?

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