What are common nouns and proper nouns in English?

Common nouns and proper nouns are types of nouns in English. A noun is a word for a person, place, thing, idea, or action. But common nouns and proper nouns are a little bit different:

• A common noun is a general label for something.

  e.g. cat, dog, house, person, restaurant

• A proper noun is a specific name for something.

  e.g. Mississippi River, Rome, Harry Potter

  But there are more details to learn and examples to see! Read on to improve your English noun knowledge!

A common noun is a generic word for a person, place, or thing. When you use a common noun, you are referring to something by its category, not its individual name.

For example, dog is a common noun because it can be any dog – your dog, my dog, or any dog you see outside.

A proper noun names something or someone specifically. If we want to talk specifically about my dog, we give her a name: Pepper. Pepper is now a proper noun. A proper noun, like Pepper, will always refer to the same dog.

A definite noun usually has the form the + common noun. Definite nouns, like proper nouns, can refer to something specific, as in:

However, even though “the dog on the left” will point to a specific dog at one moment in time, if you line up the dogs in a different order, it will point to a different dog.

A proper noun like Pepper, on the other hand, will always point to the same dog, no matter where she sits in the line.

Check out our post on definite articles in English to learn more about using articles with common nouns. If you’re already confident about English articles, take your knowledge even further with this post on how to use articles with proper nouns!

In English, it’s important to understand common and proper nouns because:

• Proper nouns are always capitalized.

  ✅ Paris

  ❌ paris

  ✅ Monday

  ❌ monday

  ✅ The Beatles

  ❌ the beatles

  ✅ Halloween

  ❌ halloween

  Common nouns are only capitalized at the start of a sentence.

• There are different rules about using articles (a/an, the) before proper nouns and common nouns.

  • With a common noun, the determinerNo definition set for determinerLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. (e.g. the, that, my, every,...) can change:

    ✅ I met the / a / her dog.

  • Proper nouns will either always have or always lack a definite article (the), and they do not take other determiners.

    Sarah always lacks a definite article:

    • ✅ I met Sarah.

    • ❌ I met the / a / her Sarah.

    The Eiffel Tower always has a definite article:

    • ❌ I visited Eiffel tower.

    • ✅ I visited the Eiffel Tower.

    • ❌ I visited an / that Eiffel Tower.

    Read our post on using articles with proper nouns to learn more!

Common nouns fall into three main categories: concrete, abstract, and collective. Learning about these three categories will help you understand what a common noun is.

Concrete nouns

See

Hear

Touch

Taste

Smell

If you look around you right now, what are some nouns you can identify? In my room right now, I can identify a TV, a rug, a plant, a candle, a coffee cup, an apple, and a dog. These are all things that I can see, touch, hear, taste, or smell, so I know that they’re concrete nouns!

As we said earlier in the article, proper nouns name something specifically and they refer to the same specific thing in every context. Think about all your friends and family, the stores and restaurants you go to, or even the street that you live on. These people, places, and things all have unique names that separate them from all the other people, places, and things.

Here are a few examples of sentences with proper nouns:

• I have a doctor’s appointment next Wednesday.

• Agatha Christie is my favorite author.

• After work, we’re going to see the new Spider-Man movie.

You see that using a proper noun makes the sentence clearer and more specific. Knowing when and where to use proper nouns in English will make your speaking and writing more accurate!

In this article, we reviewed the basics of common and proper nouns, including the different kinds of common nouns and proper nouns that we use in English. Here is what you should remember:

• A common noun is a general label.

  • They are only capitalized at the beginning of a sentence

  • They can be used with a range of different articles and determiners

• A proper noun is a specific name.

  • They are always capitalized

  • They either always have a definite article or always lack a definite article

Hopefully, now you feel more confident in your knowledge of nouns in English! Want some extra practice to test your noun skills? Check out these common and proper noun activities!