Noun: Proper and Common

Proper Nouns 

Proper nouns names specific places, people, things, events and ideas. They ALWAYS begin with a capital letter.

Examples:

• She is staying in London.
• San Francisco is her favorite place.
• The name of her dog is Brownie.
• She likes The Beatles very much.
• Anna often walks her dog at the Central Park.

 

Common Nouns

Common nouns are generic nouns. They do not name specific places, people, things, events and ideas. They are the general terms. They do not begin with a capital letter except when they are at the beginning of the sentence.

Examples:

• The city is a convenient place to live.
• Her dog is very loyal.
• The beach has white sand.
• She has a lot of favorite bands.
• She loves walking her dog in the park.

 

To give you a better illustration, refer to the examples below.

• California (proper)
• state (common)

• Golden Retriever (proper)
• dog (common)

• Empire State Building (proper)
• building (common)

• The Beatles (proper)
• band (common)

• Albert Einstein (proper)
• scientist (common)

• Josh Smith (proper)
• man (common)