In the previous couple articles we were talking about nouns. Nouns can be categorized in many different ways. Let’s start with dividing them into two groups: common nouns and proper nouns.
Both common nouns and proper nouns refer to people, animals, things, places, abstract ideas, etc. The difference is that:
Common nouns refer to all those things in general, so to any individual item which is just one of many similar items.
Proper nouns refer to unique items, which can be easily identified by their names.
Proper nouns are always capitalized.
Table of Contents
People
Let’s start with some nouns referring to people.
Common nouns:
student, girl, waiter, child
Proper nouns:
Vanessa, Luke, Princess Yonnah, Mr. Greene
Animals
We also use common and proper nouns that refer to animals:
Common nouns:
cat, dog, poodle, pet
Proper nouns:
Pinky, Charlie, Max, Hissy
Things
Let’s now look at some things:
Common nouns:
bridge, car, boat
Proper nouns:
Golden Gate, Porsche, Stella Maris
Places
Here are some places:
Common nouns:
continent, island, ocean, peninsula
Proper nouns:
Africa, Brazil, Hudson Bay, the Nile
Abstract Ideas
Finally some abstract ideas:
Common nouns:
song, holiday
Proper nouns:
‘O Holy Night’, Christmas
