Proper and Common Nouns
Nouns are naming words — but some nouns are special and need a capital letter!
What You Need to Know
A noun is a naming word. There are two types: common nouns name any person, place, or thing (like dog, city, book). Proper nouns name a specific person, place, or thing and always start with a capital letter (like Max, Sydney, Monday).
Key Concepts
Common Noun
Names any person, place or thing
Proper Noun
Names a specific person, place or thing
Capital Letter
Proper nouns always start with one
Examples
dog to Rover, city to Melbourne
Common Nouns
- girl, boy, teacher
- dog, cat, bird
- park, school, street
- book, bag, pencil
Proper Nouns
- Emma, Jack, Ms Brown
- Buddy, Whiskers
- Hyde Park, Bondi Beach
- Monday, January, Australia
Key Vocabulary
Common Noun
A noun that names any member of a group, e.g. dog, river, girl. It does NOT need a capital letter.
Proper Noun
A noun that names a specific person, place or thing, e.g. Lola, Nile River. It ALWAYS has a capital letter.
Capital Letter
The uppercase form of a letter. Proper nouns start with a capital, e.g. Sydney, Tuesday.
Noun
A word that names a person, place, thing or idea. It is one of the most important word classes in English.
Knowledge Check
Select the correct answer for each question. Click "Check Answer" to see if you are right.
Question 1
Which of these is a proper noun?
Question 2
Which sentence uses a proper noun correctly?
Question 3
Which of these is a common noun?
Question 4
Days of the week like "Monday" are which type of noun?
Key Concepts Summary
- ●Common nouns name any person, place or thing (e.g. dog, city, teacher).
- ●Proper nouns name a specific person, place or thing (e.g. Buddy, Sydney, Ms Brown).
- ●Proper nouns always start with a capital letter.
- ●Days of the week and months of the year are proper nouns.