Proper Noun and Common Noun Examples! Nouns are words we use to name people, places, things, or ideas. They can be split into two main types: common nouns and proper nouns. A common noun names general things like “city” or “teacher.” A proper noun names specific ones like “Paris” or “Mrs. Smith.”
Proper nouns always start with capital letters, while common nouns don’t unless they begin a sentence. Learning the difference helps you write more clearly. Let’s explore examples to make it easy and fun!
What are Proper Nouns and Common Nouns?
Proper Nouns:
Proper nouns are the specific names of people, places, things, or organizations. They always begin with a capital letter.
- People: Albert Einstein, Taylor Swift, Mark Zuckerberg
- Places: Paris, Amazon Rainforest, New York City
- Things/Organizations: Google, The Mona Lisa, Eiffel Tower
For example, when you say “I visited Paris last summer,” Paris is a proper noun because it’s the name of a specific place.
Common Nouns:
Common nouns are general names for people, places, or things and are not capitalized unless they begin a sentence.
- People: teacher, doctor, friend
- Places: city, country, park
- Things: book, car, pizza
For example, “I went to a park yesterday,” park is a common noun because it refers to any park, not a specific one.
proper nouns refer to unique names, while common nouns refer to general items or concepts. Proper nouns are always capitalized, while common nouns are not unless they start a sentence.
You can also read; American Vs British Words । American and British Vocabulary
Difference between proper noun and common noun
A breakdown of the difference between proper nouns and common nouns with 50 examples in sentences and a chart.
Difference Between Proper Nouns and Common Nouns
Proper Nouns refer to the specific names of people, places, things, or ideas. They always begin with a capital letter.
Common Nouns refer to general names for people, places, things, or ideas. They are not capitalized unless they begin a sentence.
50 Sentences with Examples of Proper and Common Nouns
- Proper Noun: John went to the market.
Common Noun: John went to the store. - Proper Noun: I love reading Harry Potter.
Common Noun: I love reading books. - Proper Noun: Canada is a beautiful country.
Common Noun: The country is beautiful. - Proper Noun: I visited Tokyo last year.
Common Noun: I visited a city last year. - Proper Noun: Shakespeare wrote many plays.
Common Noun: The playwright wrote many plays. - Proper Noun: We will meet at Central Park in the morning.
Common Noun: We will meet at a park in the morning. - Proper Noun: My favorite singer is Ariana Grande.
Common Noun: My favorite singer is a pop artist. - Proper Noun: Australia is known for its unique wildlife.
Common Noun: The country is known for its unique wildlife. - Proper Noun: She loves visiting Paris.
Common Noun: She loves visiting cities. - Proper Noun: Mount Everest is the tallest mountain in the world.
Common Noun: The mountain is the tallest in the world. - Proper Noun: Tesla makes electric cars.
Common Noun: The company makes electric cars. - Proper Noun: Amazon delivers packages worldwide.
Common Noun: The company delivers packages worldwide. - Proper Noun: We are traveling to California next month.
Common Noun: We are traveling to a state next month. - Proper Noun: The Great Wall of China is a historical landmark.
Common Noun: The wall is a historical landmark. - Proper Noun: Tom is my best friend.
Common Noun: A boy is my best friend. - Proper Noun: Amazon Prime offers free shipping.
Common Noun: A service offers free shipping. - Proper Noun: I watched a movie called Inception.
Common Noun: I watched a movie called The Film. - Proper Noun: Albert Einstein was a famous physicist.
Common Noun: The scientist was a famous physicist. - Proper Noun: The White House is located in Washington, D.C.
Common Noun: The house is located in Washington, D.C. - Proper Noun: Nike makes excellent sportswear.
Common Noun: A brand makes excellent sportswear. - Proper Noun: She took a trip to London last summer.
Common Noun: She took a trip to a city last summer. - Proper Noun: Starbucks sells great coffee.
Common Noun: The coffee shop sells great coffee. - Proper Noun: I got a letter from Grandma.
Common Noun: I got a letter from a family member. - Proper Noun: Paris Hilton is a socialite.
Common Noun: A person is a socialite. - Proper Noun: Vancouver is a city in Canada.
Common Noun: The city is in Canada. - Proper Noun: New York City is famous for its skyline.
Common Noun: A city is famous for its skyline. - Proper Noun: Coca-Cola is a popular drink.
Common Noun: A soft drink is popular. - Proper Noun: I love the book The Catcher in the Rye.
Common Noun: I love the book. - Proper Noun: Toyota is a Japanese car manufacturer.
Common Noun: A car manufacturer is based in Japan. - Proper Noun: The Nile is the longest river in the world.
Common Noun: The river is the longest in the world. - Proper Noun: The Louvre is a museum in Paris.
Common Noun: The museum is in Paris. - Proper Noun: Mozart composed many famous symphonies.
Common Noun: The composer created famous symphonies. - Proper Noun: I stayed in The Ritz during my vacation.
Common Noun: I stayed in a hotel during my vacation. - Proper Noun: Amazon is a great place to shop online.
Common Noun: An online store is a great place to shop. - Proper Noun: My dog’s name is Max.
Common Noun: My dog’s name is a pet name. - Proper Noun: The Eiffel Tower is a landmark in Paris.
Common Noun: The tower is a landmark in Paris. - Proper Noun: Harvard University is an Ivy League school.
Common Noun: A university is a higher education institution. - Proper Noun: Lego is a popular toy brand.
Common Noun: A toy brand is popular. - Proper Noun: Shakira is a famous singer.
Common Noun: A singer is famous. - Proper Noun: J.K. Rowling wrote Harry Potter.
Common Noun: The author wrote Harry Potter. - Proper Noun: The United States has 50 states.
Common Noun: A country has many states. - Proper Noun: The Beatles were a famous British band.
Common Noun: A band was popular. - Proper Noun: Mount Kilimanjaro is in Africa.
Common Noun: The mountain is in Africa. - Proper Noun: Oprah Winfrey has a popular talk show.
Common Noun: A talk show is popular. - Proper Noun: The Great Barrier Reef is in Australia.
Common Noun: The reef is in Australia. - Proper Noun: Google is a search engine.
Common Noun: A search engine is useful. - Proper Noun: Pablo Picasso painted Guernica.
Common Noun: An artist painted a picture. - Proper Noun: Walt Disney created Mickey Mouse.
Common Noun: A person created a cartoon. - Proper Noun: I am reading a book by Agatha Christie.
Common Noun: I am reading a mystery book. - Proper Noun: Celine Dion sings beautiful songs.
Common Noun: A singer sings beautiful songs.
Chart of Proper Nouns and Common Nouns:
| Proper Noun | Common Noun |
| Paris | city |
| Shakespeare | playwright |
| company | |
| Tesla | car brand |
| Mount Everest | mountain |
| Amazon | company |
| Mona Lisa | painting |
| Albert Einstein | scientist |
| Coca-Cola | soft drink |
| The Eiffel Tower | tower |
| Vancouver | city |
| New York City | city |
| The Louvre | museum |
| Shakira | singer |
| J.K. Rowling | author |
| Amazon Prime | service |
| Tom | boy |
| The Nile | river |
| London | city |
| Walt Disney | person |
| Oprah Winfrey | TV personality |
| Harvard University | university |
| The Great Wall of China | wall |
| Starbucks | coffee shop |
| Tesla | electric car |
| Mickey Mouse | cartoon character |
40 multiple-choice questions (MCQs)
Identifying proper nouns:
40 multiple-choice questions (MCQs) focused on Identifying Proper Nouns:
1. Which of the following is a proper noun?
a) apple
b) car
c) Shakespeare
d) city
Answer: c) Shakespeare
2. Which of the following is a proper noun?
a) book
b) country
c) Mars
d) dog
Answer: c) Mars
3. Which word is a proper noun?
a) river
b) city
c) Eiffel Tower
d) tree
Answer: c) Eiffel Tower
4. Which of the following is a proper noun?
a) beach
b) mountain
c) New York
d) dog
Answer: c) New York
5. Which of these is a proper noun?
a) actor
b) dog
c) Friday
d) teacher
Answer: c) Friday
6. Which of the following is a proper noun?
a) school
b) country
c) India
d) university
Answer: c) India
7. Which of the following is a proper noun?
a) city
b) lake
c) Amazon
d) building
Answer: c) Amazon
8. What is the proper noun in this sentence: “I live in London”?
a) live
b) I
c) London
d) in
Answer: c) London
9. Which of these is a proper noun?
a) apple
b) dog
c) Paris
d) car
Answer: c) Paris
10. Which of the following is a proper noun?
a) teacher
b) United States
c) house
d) chair
Answer: b) United States
11. Which word in this sentence is a proper noun: “I visited the Statue of Liberty”?
a) visited
b) Statue
c) Liberty
d) of
Answer: c) Liberty
12. Which of these is a proper noun?
a) actor
b) London
c) president
d) city
Answer: b) London
13. Which word in this sentence is a proper noun: “I want to visit the Great Wall of China”?
a) visit
b) Great Wall
c) of
d) China
Answer: b) Great Wall
14. What is the proper noun in this sentence: “We traveled to Italy last summer”?
a) traveled
b) summer
c) Italy
d) We
Answer: c) Italy
15. Which of the following is a proper noun?
a) river
b) Nile
c) mountain
d) ocean
Answer: b) Nile
16. What is the proper noun in this sentence: “My sister lives in Chicago”?
a) lives
b) sister
c) Chicago
d) My
Answer: c) Chicago
17. Which of these is a proper noun?
a) president
b) United Nations
c) country
d) river
Answer: b) United Nations
18. Which of these is a proper noun?
a) friend
b) dog
c) Beethoven
d) food
Answer: c) Beethoven
19. What is the proper noun in the sentence: “We stayed in a hotel in Venice”?
a) stayed
b) hotel
c) Venice
d) We
Answer: c) Venice
20. Which of the following is a proper noun?
a) car
b) Saturn
c) road
d) bicycle
Answer: b) Saturn
21. Which of the following is a proper noun?
a) mountains
b) Himalayas
c) volcano
d) desert
Answer: b) Himalayas
22. Which of the following is a proper noun?
a) animal
b) dog
c) Snow White
d) bird
Answer: c) Snow White
23. Which of these is a proper noun?
a) singer
b) Taylor Swift
c) band
d) artist
Answer: b) Taylor Swift
24. Which of the following is a proper noun?
a) mountain
b) Mount Everest
c) valley
d) hill
Answer: b) Mount Everest
25. What is the proper noun in this sentence: “We went to see a play at the Royal Theatre”?
a) Royal Theatre
b) play
c) see
d) went
Answer: a) Royal Theatre
26. Which of these is a proper noun?
a) tree
b) Maple Tree
c) plant
d) bush
Answer: b) Maple Tree
27. What is the proper noun in this sentence: “I read a book by J.K. Rowling”?
a) book
b) J.K. Rowling
c) read
d) I
Answer: b) J.K. Rowling
28. Which of the following is a proper noun?
a) country
b) Germany
c) continent
d) ocean
Answer: b) Germany
29. What is the proper noun in the sentence: “My friend’s birthday is in July”?
a) birthday
b) friend’s
c) July
d) My
Answer: c) July
30. Which of the following is a proper noun?
a) teacher
b) Mr. Smith
c) student
d) class
Answer: b) Mr. Smith
31. Which of these is a proper noun?
a) moon
b) Venus
c) star
d) sun
Answer: b) Venus
32. Which of these is a proper noun?
a) city
b) Paris
c) street
d) town
Answer: b) Paris
33. Which word in this sentence is a proper noun: “She is studying at Harvard University”?
a) studying
b) Harvard
c) University
d) at
Answer: b) Harvard
34. What is the proper noun in this sentence: “My dog is named Rex”?
a) dog
b) Rex
c) named
d) My
Answer: b) Rex
35. Which of the following is a proper noun?
a) lake
b) Pacific Ocean
c) river
d) sea
Answer: b) Pacific Ocean
36. What is the proper noun in this sentence: “I read a book about the Titanic”?
a) read
b) book
c) Titanic
d) about
Answer: c) Titanic
37. Which of the following is a proper noun?
a) mountain
b) Mount Fuji
c) hill
d) rock
Answer: b) Mount Fuji
38. Which of these is a proper noun?
a) restaurant
b) McDonald’s
c) cafe
d) diner
Answer: b) McDonald’s
39. Which of the following is a proper noun?
a) movie
b) Titanic
c) film
d) theater
Answer: b) Titanic
40. Which of the following is a proper noun?
a) professor
b) John
c) student
d) teacher
Answer: b) John
40 multiple-choice questions focusing on common nouns
40 multiple-choice questions (MCQs) focused on Common Nouns:
1. Which of the following is a common noun?
a) London
b) dog
c) Shakespeare
d) Eiffel Tower
Answer: b) dog
2. Which of these is a common noun?
a) Paris
b) teacher
c) Mount Everest
d) Nike
Answer: b) teacher
3. Which word is a common noun?
a) car
b) Apple
c) Mars
d) Monday
Answer: a) car
4. Which of the following is a common noun?
a) mountain
b) Himalayas
c) Tom
d) Ford
Answer: a) mountain
5. Which of these is a common noun?
a) Ocean
b) beach
c) Amazon
d) Tuesday
Answer: b) beach
6. Which of these is a common noun?
a) teacher
b) Mr. Smith
c) school
d) Queen Elizabeth
Answer: c) school
7. Which of the following is a common noun?
a) dog
b) Labrador
c) puppy
d) book
Answer: d) book
8. Which word in this sentence is a common noun: “I love my cat”?
a) love
b) my
c) cat
d) I
Answer: c) cat
9. Which of these is a common noun?
a) friendship
b) John
c) Paris
d) Mercedes
Answer: a) friendship
10. Which of the following is a common noun?
a) house
b) Ford
c) China
d) Christmas
Answer: a) house
11. Which word in this sentence is a common noun: “She works in an office”?
a) She
b) office
c) works
d) in
Answer: b) office
12. Which of these is a common noun?
a) mother
b) Mary
c) birthday
d) London
Answer: c) birthday
13. Which of the following is a common noun?
a) doctor
b) Dr. Watson
c) building
d) city
Answer: a) doctor
14. Which word in this sentence is a common noun: “The boy is reading a book”?
a) boy
b) is
c) reading
d) book
Answer: d) book
15. Which of these is a common noun?
a) place
b) Everest
c) man
d) Christmas
Answer: c) man
16. Which of the following is a common noun?
a) table
b) Golden Gate Bridge
c) Saturn
d) Titanic
Answer: a) table
17. What is the common noun in the sentence: “She ate an apple for lunch”?
a) apple
b) ate
c) She
d) lunch
Answer: a) apple
18. Which of the following is a common noun?
a) puppy
b) dog
c) Beagle
d) pet
Answer: b) dog
19. Which word in this sentence is a common noun: “The tree was in the garden”?
a) tree
b) was
c) in
d) garden
Answer: a) tree
20. Which of these is a common noun?
a) pen
b) Zebra
c) Eiffel Tower
d) Monday
Answer: a) pen
21. Which of the following is a common noun?
a) teacher
b) classroom
c) Mr. Roberts
d) Mrs. Brown
Answer: b) classroom
22. Which word is a common noun?
a) paper
b) New York
c) cake
d) Picasso
Answer: a) paper
23. What is the common noun in this sentence: “The sun is shining today”?
a) shining
b) today
c) sun
d) is
Answer: c) sun
24. Which of the following is a common noun?
a) flower
b) Daisy
c) rose
d) Violet
Answer: a) flower
25. Which of these is a common noun?
a) gold
b) book
c) Giraffe
d) Cheetah
Answer: b) book
26. Which of these is a common noun?
a) chair
b) Mike
c) doctor
d) Canada
Answer: a) chair
27. Which of these is a common noun?
a) laughter
b) Christmas
c) Romeo
d) Juliet
Answer: a) laughter
28. Which word is a common noun in this sentence: “She saw the bird in the tree”?
a) bird
b) tree
c) saw
d) She
Answer: a) bird
29. Which of these is a common noun?
a) car
b) Audi
c) truck
d) Honda
Answer: c) truck
30. What is the common noun in this sentence: “The children are playing in the park”?
a) children
b) park
c) playing
d) are
Answer: b) park
31. Which word is a common noun?
a) computer
b) Windows
c) Apple
d) Dell
Answer: a) computer
32. Which of these is a common noun?
a) apple
b) Granny Smith
c) fruit
d) Red Delicious
Answer: c) fruit
33. Which of these is a common noun?
a) university
b) Oxford
c) Harvard
d) Stanford
Answer: a) university
34. Which word in this sentence is a common noun: “We will go to the restaurant tomorrow”?
a) go
b) restaurant
c) tomorrow
d) to
Answer: b) restaurant
35. Which of the following is a common noun?
a) book
b) novel
c) mystery
d) Harry Potter
Answer: c) mystery
36. Which word is a common noun in this sentence: “The dog ran fast”?
a) dog
b) ran
c) fast
d) The
Answer: a) dog
37. Which of these is a common noun?
a) mountain
b) Alps
c) Everest
d) hill
Answer: d) hill
38. Which word in this sentence is a common noun: “We bought a table from the store”?
a) table
b) bought
c) store
d) We
Answer: a) table
39. Which of these is a common noun?
a) uncle
b) family
c) cousin
d) aunt
Answer: b) family
40. Which of these is a common noun?
a) bus
b) Honda
c) car
d) vehicle
Answer: d) vehicle
FAQs
What is a common noun?
A common noun refers to a general name for a person, place, thing, or idea. It’s not specific and does not refer to a unique entity.
Can a common noun be capitalized?
Yes, common nouns are capitalized only when they appear at the beginning of a sentence or are part of a title.
Are there any examples of common nouns?
Some examples of common nouns include words like “cat,” “city,” “school,” and “book.”
How does a common noun differ from a proper noun?
A common noun refers to a general item or concept, while a proper noun names a specific person, place, or thing (e.g., “London” is a proper noun, and “city” is a common noun).
Is “dog” a common noun?
Yes, “dog” is a common noun because it refers to a general animal, not a specific breed or name.
Can a common noun be plural?
Yes, common nouns can be plural, such as “dogs,” “books,” or “cars,” depending on the number they refer to.
Can abstract concepts be common nouns?
Yes, abstract concepts like “happiness,” “time,” and “love” are also common nouns because they represent general ideas.
Are collective nouns common nouns?
Yes, collective nouns like “team,” “group,” and “family” are considered common nouns because they refer to a group of people or things in general.
Can common nouns be both countable and uncountable?
Yes, common nouns can be both countable (e.g., “apple,” “book”) and uncountable (e.g., “water,” “sand”).
How do common nouns fit into sentences?
Common nouns are typically the subject, object, or complement in a sentence, representing a person, thing, or place in a general way.
Conclusion
Common nouns serve as the foundation for sentence construction. They can be subjects, objects, or even complements. For example, in the sentence “The dog runs fast,” “dog” is the common noun serving as the subject.
These nouns are essential because they allow us to communicate easily and clearly. Without common nouns, we wouldn’t be able to discuss general ideas or describe the world around us in a simple, relatable way.
I’m John Smith, a language enthusiast dedicated to helping writers, students, and professionals master the art of clear and effective communication. Whether you’re looking for grammar tips, writing guides, or common mistake corrections, you’ll find valuable insights to improve your language skills. Let’s make grammar simple and fun!