What are nouns?
A noun is a word for a person, place, or thing. Everything we can see or talk about is represented by a word that names it. That "naming" word is called a noun.
How To Spot a Common Noun and a Proper Noun
A common noun answers the question "What is it?"
A proper noun answers the question "What's its name?"
Q: What is it? A: It is a bridge.
(The word bridge is a common noun.)
Q: What's its name? A: It is London Bridge.
(The name London Bridge is a proper noun.)
A noun is a word for a person, place, or thing. Everything we can see or talk about is represented by a word that names it. That "naming" word is called a noun.
- People: soldier, Alan, cousin, lawyer
- Animals: aardvark, rat, shark, Mickey
- Places: house, London, factory, shelter
- Things: table, London Bridge, chisel, nitrogen, month, inch, cooking
- Ideas: confusion, kindness, faith, Theory of Relativity, joy
Common Nouns and Proper Nouns
A noun can be categorized as either a common noun or a proper noun.- Common Noun. A common noun is the word used for a class of person, place, or thing (e.g., person, city, dog).
- Proper Noun. A proper noun is the given name of a person, place, or thing, i.e., its own name (e.g., Michael, New York, Rover). (Note: A proper noun always starts with a capital letter.)
Common Noun | Proper Noun |
---|---|
boy | David |
sailor | Adam |
lawyer | Sarah |
mother-in-law | Janice |
town | Milton Keynes |
bridge | The Golden Gate Bridge |
tower | Eifel Tower |
street | Honeysuckle Crescent |
cat | Fido |
monkey | Bonzo |
A common noun answers the question "What is it?"
A proper noun answers the question "What's its name?"
Q: What is it? A: It is a bridge.
(The word bridge is a common noun.)
Q: What's its name? A: It is London Bridge.
(The name London Bridge is a proper noun.)
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