What are Proper Nouns and Common Nouns?
- Proper Nouns: These are specific names of people, places, organizations, or things. Proper nouns always start with a capital letter. Examples include names like John, Paris, India, or Amazon.
- Common Nouns: These refer to general names of people, places, things, or ideas. They are not specific and are written in lowercase, unless they begin a sentence. Examples include teacher, city, book, and car.
Difference between proper noun and common noun
| Sentence | Proper Noun | Common Noun |
| Tom and I visited the zoo in New York last weekend. | Tom, New York | zoo, weekend |
| I saw the Eiffel Tower in Paris. | Eiffel Tower, Paris | tower |
| The dog ran across the park. | – | dog, park |
| We stayed at a hotel in Mumbai. | Mumbai | hotel |
| The teacher is talking about the environment. | – | teacher, environment |
| My brother plays football every Sunday. | – | brother, football, Sunday |
| I love reading books in the library. | – | books, library |
| Sarah and her friends went to the beach. | Sarah | friends, beach |
| He visited the Great Wall of China. | Great Wall of China | wall, China |
| I love my dog Max and my cat Luna. | Max, Luna | dog, cat |
| We watched a movie at the cinema. | – | movie, cinema |
| We are planning to visit London next year. | London | year |
| My favorite food is pizza from Domino’s. | Domino’s | food, pizza |
| The concert is held at the stadium in Los Angeles. | Los Angeles | concert, stadium |
| I bought a new bicycle from the store. | – | bicycle, store |
| She is studying for her exams at Harvard University. | Harvard University | exams, university |
| John lives in a small house by the river. | John | house, river |
| The movie was filmed in Hollywood. | Hollywood | movie |
| We walked through the forest in Canada. | Canada | forest |
| The children played with the ball in the playground. | – | children, ball, playground |
| I went to the doctor to check my health. | – | doctor, health |
| The Olympic Games will be held in Tokyo. | Tokyo | Games |
| I visited the museum in Cairo last summer. | Cairo | museum, summer |
| They live in a large apartment in New York City. | New York City | apartment |
| The teacher explained the lesson in class today. | – | teacher, lesson, class |
| We went to the bakery for some bread. | – | bakery, bread |
| She loves playing with her doll in the garden. | – | doll, garden |
| The children went to the zoo to see the animals. | – | children, zoo, animals |
| I met Emma at the party last night. | Emma | party, night |
| The train leaves from the station at 6 PM. | – | train, station, PM |
| We bought new shoes from the shop. | – | shoes, shop |
| His dream is to become a scientist like Albert Einstein. | Albert Einstein | dream, scientist |
Common noun examples with Answers
30 multiple-choice questions (MCQs)
Identifying proper nouns:
- Which of the following is a proper noun?
- A) dog
- B) country
- C) London
- D) city
- Which of the following is a proper noun?
- A) teacher
- B) Monday
- C) mountain
- D) building
- Which of the following is a proper noun?
- A) ocean
- B) Nile
- C) river
- D) lake
- Which of the following is a proper noun?
- A) book
- B) Harry Potter
- C) story
- D) page
- Which of the following is a proper noun?
- A) dog
- B) cat
- C) Paris
- D) animal
- Which of the following is a proper noun?
- A) ocean
- B) Pacific Ocean
- C) sea
- D) water
- Which of the following is a proper noun?
- A) teacher
- B) Mrs. Smith
- C) school
- D) student
- Which of the following is a proper noun?
- A) car
- B) Toyota
- C) vehicle
- D) truck
- Which of the following is a proper noun?
- A) mountain
- B) Everest
- C) hill
- D) peak
- Which of the following is a proper noun?
- A) beach
- B) Baga Beach
- C) sand
- D) water
- Which of the following is a proper noun?
- A) country
- B) United States
- C) nation
- D) continent
- Which of the following is a proper noun?
- A) month
- B) December
- C) winter
- D) holiday
- Which of the following is a proper noun?
- A) country
- B) Australia
- C) city
- D) nation
- Which of the following is a proper noun?
- A) river
- B) Ganga
- C) water
- D) stream
- Which of the following is a proper noun?
- A) day
- B) Sunday
- C) week
- D) Monday
- Which of the following is a proper noun?
- A) school
- B) Oakwood School
- C) institution
- D) classroom
- Which of the following is a proper noun?
- A) doctor
- B) Dr. Brown
- C) medical professional
- D) physician
- Which of the following is a proper noun?
- A) person
- B) Tom
- C) human
- D) individual
- Which of the following is a proper noun?
- A) street
- B) Main Street
- C) road
- D) path
- Which of the following is a proper noun?
- A) state
- B) California
- C) region
- D) province
- Which of the following is a proper noun?
- A) book
- B) The Hobbit
- C) literature
- D) novel
- Which of the following is a proper noun?
- A) place
- B) Grand Canyon
- C) landmark
- D) valley
- Which of the following is a proper noun?
- A) country
- B) Brazil
- C) nation
- D) continent
- Which of the following is a proper noun?
- A) bird
- B) Eagle
- C) animal
- D) pet
- Which of the following is a proper noun?
- A) mountain range
- B) Alps
- C) range
- D) hill
- Which of the following is a proper noun?
- A) ocean
- B) Atlantic Ocean
- C) sea
- D) body of water
- Which of the following is a proper noun?
- A) university
- B) Harvard University
- C) college
- D) school
- Which of the following is a proper noun?
- A) car
- B) BMW
- C) vehicle
- D) automobile
- Which of the following is a proper noun?
- A) holiday
- B) Christmas
- C) festival
- D) celebration
- Which of the following is a proper noun?
- A) city
- B) Tokyo
- C) town
- D) place
Answers:
- C) London
- B) Monday
- B) Nile
- B) Harry Potter
- C) Paris
- B) Pacific Ocean
- B) Mrs. Smith
- B) Toyota
- B) Everest
- B) Baga Beach
- B) United States
- B) December
- B) Australia
- B) Ganga
- B) Sunday
- B) Oakwood School
- B) Dr. Brown
- B) Tom
- B) Main Street
- B) California
- B) The Hobbit
- B) Grand Canyon
- B) Brazil
- B) Eagle
- B) Alps
- B) Atlantic Ocean
- B) Harvard University
- B) BMW
- B) Christmas
- B) Tokyo
30 multiple-choice questions focusing on common nouns
- Which of the following is a common noun?
- A) Michael
- B) school
- C) London
- D) Paris
- Which of the following is a common noun?
- A) dog
- B) Labrador
- C) Mary
- D) Mercedes
- Which of the following is a common noun?
- A) car
- B) Toyota
- C) London
- D) Monday
- Which of the following is a common noun?
- A) book
- B) Harry Potter
- C) Shakespeare
- D) Tom
- Which of the following is a common noun?
- A) city
- B) Sydney
- C) Eiffel Tower
- D) United States
- Which of the following is a common noun?
- A) movie
- B) Avatar
- C) Titanic
- D) Star Wars
- Which of the following is a common noun?
- A) tree
- B) Oak
- C) Redwoods
- D) Maple
- Which of the following is a common noun?
- A) country
- B) Canada
- C) Egypt
- D) India
- Which of the following is a common noun?
- A) doctor
- B) Dr. Smith
- C) nurse
- D) dentist
- Which of the following is a common noun?
- A) ocean
- B) Atlantic Ocean
- C) water
- D) Sahara
- Which of the following is a common noun?
- A) teacher
- B) Mr. Brown
- C) school
- D) classroom
- Which of the following is a common noun?
- A) bicycle
- B) mountain
- C) Everest
- D) Toyota
- Which of the following is a common noun?
- A) flower
- B) Daisy
- C) Tulip
- D) Rose
- Which of the following is a common noun?
- A) animal
- B) lion
- C) dog
- D) tiger
- Which of the following is a common noun?
- A) book
- B) novel
- C) magazine
- D) article
- Which of the following is a common noun?
- A) star
- B) Sun
- C) planet
- D) moon
- Which of the following is a common noun?
- A) table
- B) Ikea
- C) chair
- D) desk
- Which of the following is a common noun?
- A) man
- B) actor
- C) teacher
- D) writer
- Which of the following is a common noun?
- A) car
- B) Mercedes
- C) Ford
- D) vehicle
- Which of the following is a common noun?
- A) ocean
- B) Pacific
- C) sea
- D) river
- Which of the following is a common noun?
- A) fruit
- B) apple
- C) banana
- D) watermelon
- Which of the following is a common noun?
- A) city
- B) town
- C) state
- D) village
- Which of the following is a common noun?
- A) student
- B) teacher
- C) classroom
- D) college
- Which of the following is a common noun?
- A) party
- B) event
- C) celebration
- D) gathering
- Which of the following is a common noun?
- A) game
- B) chess
- C) football
- D) play
- Which of the following is a common noun?
- A) music
- B) Beethoven
- C) rock
- D) jazz
- Which of the following is a common noun?
- A) painting
- B) art
- C) Mona Lisa
- D) sculpture
- Which of the following is a common noun?
- A) park
- B) garden
- C) playground
- D) zoo
- Which of the following is a common noun?
- A) food
- B) pizza
- C) burger
- D) sandwich
- Which of the following is a common noun?
- A) chair
- B) table
- C) bench
- D) seat
Common noun examples with Answers
Answers:
- B) school
- A) dog
- A) car
- A) book
- A) city
- A) movie
- A) tree
- A) country
- C) nurse
- C) water
- C) school
- B) bicycle
- A) flower
- A) animal
- B) novel
- C) planet
- A) table
- B) actor
- D) vehicle
- C) sea
- A) fruit
- B) town
- A) student
- B) event
- A) game
- A) music
- B) art
- A) park
- A) food
- B) table
FAQ on Proper Nouns and Common Nouns
- What is a proper noun?
A proper noun is a specific name of a person, place, organization, or thing. It is always capitalized to distinguish it from common nouns.
- Example: Paris, Michael Jackson, Toyota.
- What is a common noun?
A common noun is a general name for a person, place, thing, or idea. It is not capitalized unless it begins a sentence.
- Example: city, dog, car, teacher.
- Can you give me examples of proper nouns?
- Person: Shakespeare, Albert Einstein
- Place: New York, Mount Everest, Australia
- Thing: iPhone, Google
- Organization: United Nations, Microsoft
- Can you give me examples of common nouns?
- Person: teacher, doctor, student
- Place: city, school, country
- Thing: book, chair, pen
- Idea: freedom, love, happiness
- Why is it important to know the difference between proper and common nouns?
Knowing the difference helps with proper writing. Proper nouns must always be capitalized, while common nouns only need capitalization when they begin a sentence. This distinction also helps us to be more specific or general when referring to objects or people.
- Is “dog” a proper noun or a common noun?
Dog is a common noun because it refers to a general animal, not a specific dog.
- Example: I have a dog at home.
- Is “jupiter” a proper noun or a common noun?
Jupiter is a proper noun because it refers to a specific planet.
- Example: Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system.
- Is “teacher” a proper noun or a common noun?
Teacher is a common noun because it refers to any teacher, not a specific individual.
- Example: My teacher is kind.
- Can common nouns be plural?
Yes, common nouns can be plural. When you want to refer to more than one person, place, thing, or idea, you can make common nouns plural.
- Example: cats, cars, books.
- Can proper nouns be plural?
Yes, proper nouns can be plural when referring to more than one specific entity.
- Example: The Smiths (referring to the family), The Beatles (the band).
- Is “America” a common noun or a proper noun?
America is a proper noun because it refers to a specific country.
- Example: I live in America.
- Is “river” a proper noun or a common noun?
River is a common noun because it refers to a general type of water body.
- Example: The river flows through the city.
- Is “The Eiffel Tower” a proper noun or a common noun?
The Eiffel Tower is a proper noun because it refers to a specific landmark.
- Example: The Eiffel Tower is in Paris.
- Can a common noun be used as a proper noun?
Yes, a common noun can sometimes be used as a proper noun, especially when referring to a specific entity or brand.
- Example: Apple (a brand name, which is a proper noun), even though apple is a common noun for the fruit.
- Are months and days of the week proper nouns or common nouns?
Months and days of the week are proper nouns because they are the specific names of time periods.
- Examples: January, Monday, December.
- Is “mountain” a proper noun or a common noun?
Mountain is a common noun, but when referring to a specific mountain, it becomes a proper noun.
- Example: Mount Everest (proper noun), mountain (common noun).
- Are brand names proper nouns or common nouns?
Brand names are proper nouns because they refer to specific names of products or companies.
- Examples: Nike, Coca-Cola, Amazon.
- Is “school” a proper noun or a common noun?
School is a common noun because it refers to any educational institution. However, if you are referring to a specific school, it becomes a proper noun.
- Example: I attend Oakwood School (proper noun).
- Why is “dog” a common noun but “Rex” a proper noun?
Dog is a common noun because it refers to any dog, while Rex is a proper noun because it refers to a specific dog.
- Example: Rex is my dog.
- Can common nouns be capitalized?
Yes, common nouns can be capitalized when they appear at the beginning of a sentence or are part of a title.
- Example: The dog chased the ball.
The Dog Park is across the street.
