The Proper NounRecognize a proper noun when you see one.

Nouns name people, places, and things. Every noun can further be classified as common or proper. A proper noun has two distinctive features: 1) it will name a specific [usually a one-of-a-kind] item, and 2) it will begin with a capital letter no matter where it occurs in a sentence.

Check out the chart below:

Common Noun Proper Nounwriterteacherbeaglecookiecityrestaurantdocumentschool

Herman MelvilleMrs. HacketSnoopyOreoOrlandoTito's Taco PalaceDeclaration of IndependenceUniversity of Southern California

Read the following sentences. Notice the difference between the common and proper nouns.

Tina offered Antonio one of her mother's homemade oatmeal cookies but only an Oreo would satisfy his sweet tooth.

Cookies = common noun; Oreo = proper noun.

Charlie had wanted an easy teacher for his composition class, but he got Mrs. Hacket, whose short temper and unreasonable demands made the semester a torture.

Teacher = common noun; Mrs. Hacket = proper noun.

Gloria wanted to try a new restaurant, so Richard took her to Tito's Taco Palace, where no one dips into the hot sauce until the drinks have arrived at the table.

Restaurant = common noun; Tito's Taco Palace = proper noun.

The Common NounRecognize a common noun when you see one.

Nouns name people, places, and things. Every noun can further be classified as common or proper. A common noun names general items.

Go into the kitchen. What do you see? Refrigerator, magnet, stove, window, coffee maker, wallpaper, spatula, sink, plate—all of these things are common nouns.

Leave the house. Where can you go? Mall, restaurant, school, post office, backyard, beach, pet store, supermarket, gas station—all of these places are common nouns.

Go to the mall. Who do you see? Teenager, grandmother, salesclerk, police officer, toddler, manager, window dresser, janitor, shoplifter—all of these people are common nouns.

The important thing to remember is that common nouns are general names. Thus, they are not capitalized unless they begin a sentence or are part of a title. Proper nouns, those that name specific things, do require capitalization.

Notice the difference in the chart below:

Common Nouns Proper Nounscoffee shopwaiterjeanssandwichchairarenacountryfire fighter

StarbucksSimonLevi'sBig MacRoll-O-RockerAmway ArenaAustraliaCaptain Richard Orsini

Here are some sample sentences:

Although there are five other chairs in the living room, everyone in Jim's family fights to sit in the puffy new Roll-O-Rocker.

Chairs = common noun; Roll-O-Rocker = proper noun.

Harriet threw the stale cucumber sandwich in the trash can and fantasized about a Big Mac dripping with special sauce.

Sandwich = common noun; Big Mac = proper noun.

Because we like an attentive waiter, we always ask for Simon when we eat at Mama Rizzoli's Pizzeria.

Waiter = common noun; Simon = proper noun.

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Common Nouns and Proper Nouns

Read the sentence.One boy, Harry Potter, and one girl, Anna Smith, come from a nearby town, Manila.

Boy, Harry Potter, girl Anna and Manila are nouns. The words boy, girl and towns are called common nouns. Nouns are words that stand for a person, place, thing, or idea. They can be singular (one) or plural (more than one). Common nouns do not need to begin with a capital letter. A proper noun is a name given to a specific person, place, or thing. Proper nouns begin with capital letters.

Examples:

Search Key

EXERCISE 1: Tell if the noun is either common or proper.

1. pig 2. Kosuke Kitajima 3. Tokyo Tower 4. chair 5. City 6. Osaka 7. Howl's Moving Castle 8. television 9. book 10. Los Angeles 11. teacher 12. cat 13. Doraemon 14. street 15. table

Exercise 2: Give the Proper nouns

example: 1. street Proper noun: Market street

1. school 2. boy

3. train station 4. man 5. building 6. country 7. state 8. book 9. magazine 10. newspaper 11. river 12. ocean 13. company 14. sea 15. national park

Exercise 3: Find the common and proper nouns

Each sentence below contains two or more nouns. They are either all common nouns or all proper nouns. Look for the nouns and then indicate whether they are common or proper. Example: 1. Does Jimmy really want to move to California? Proper

1. An impolite fish asked my brother for a worm. 2. Amy will travel to Norway and Sweden. 3. Which is larger, Sony or Nintendo? 4. Cats are very cute. 5. I want to go to Tokyo Disneyland.6. Cassy, Samantha, and David are playing outside. 7. Maria lives in Germany. 8. A dogwalked down the long street. 9. Arashi will sings in a tv show. 10. Jin is in Hokkaido.