Common and Proper Nouns
Nouns are words that name persons, places, things, animals, events, and ideas.
Read the following paragraph:
Hugo wanted to visit his grandparents. They lived in the countryside, near London. His parents decided to drive down in their new car, which was a Mercedes. Mr. Brown and his wife were fun-loving people. The young boy was happy. He told Tim about it. Tim was his best friend. Hugo asked Tim to look after his pet dog, Pluto.
The words in italic face are nouns and can be classified into two groups:
| A | B | |
|---|---|---|
| Name of person | grandparents, parents, wife, people, boy, friend | Hugo, Mr. Brown, Tim |
| Name of place | countryside | London |
| Name of thing | car | Mercedes |
| Name of animal | dog | Pluto |
| A | B | |
|---|---|---|
| Name of person | grandparents, parents, wife, people, boy, friend | Hugo, Mr. Brown, Tim |
| Name of place | countryside | London |
| Name of thing | car | Mercedes |
| Name of animal | dog | Pluto |
The words in Column A are general names of persons, places, things, and animals. They are called common nouns.
A noun that refers to a general name for a person, a place, a thing, an animal, an event, or an idea is called a common noun.
Common nouns begin with a small letter.
The words in Column B name specific persons, places, things, and animals. These are called proper nouns.
A noun that refers to a specific person, place, thing, animal, event, or idea is called a proper noun.
Proper nouns begin with a capital letter.
Examples of common and proper nouns:
| Common Nouns | Proper Nouns |
|---|---|
| singer | Regine Velasquez |
| city | Cebu City |
| shoes | Nike |
| holiday | New Year's Day |