Read the following sentences.

• Lee Ping Wu has a duty to drive the coach.

• He is the coach driver of the prime minister.

• The prime minister of Chi owns the coach.

• Yin Tze, the prime minister, is a righteous leader.

• The city ruled by Yin Tze is far.

In the given sentences, coach, coach driver, prime minister, and city are words which refer to any person, place, or thing.

Lee Ping Wu, Chi, and Yin Tze are names of specific people.

Coach, coach driver, prime minister, and city are called common nouns.

A common noun is a general term used to name or call any person, object, event, or place.

Proper Noun

The names Lee Ping Wu, Chi, and Yin Tze are specific names and are called proper nouns.

A proper noun is a word used to name or call a specific person, object, place, or event.

A proper noun is easy to recognize because it always begins with a capital letter.