Common Nouns
Nouns are divided into common nouns and proper nouns. Common nouns are words for people, animals, places, or things.
These are words for people. They are common nouns.These are words for animals. They are common nouns.artist, clown, acrobat, astronaut, actor, lawyer, aunt, judge, baby, man, baker, nurse, cook, police officer, dentist, singer, doctor, soldier, giant, teacher, etc
These are words for places. They are common nouns.bird, crocodile, deer, cat, goose, cow, hen, dog, horse, dolphin, mouse, duck, parrot, fish, shark, goat, whale, zebra, eagle, bear, etc
These are words for things. They are common nouns.shop, beach, park, library, airport, market, cave, mountain, church, playground, farm, restaurant, hill, school, hospital, seashore, hotel, stadium, house, supermarket, island, temple, mall, zoo, etc
Exercise:basket, bed, cake, drum, blanket, gate, bag, kite, box, ladder, bread, lamp, can, picture, chair, radio, cot, television, cup, train, desk, truck, door, watch, egg, window, etc
Underline the common nouns in these sentences.
- There’s a little bird in the garden.
- Who is your teacher?
- Don’t eat that rotten apple.
- Kate has a lovely doll.
- I like reading stories.
- My father is a doctor.
- Every child has a dictionary.
- Rudy hates bananas.
- The phone is ringing.
- Here’s a book for you.
Proper nouns
Proper nouns are names for particular people, places or things. They always begin with a capital letter.
Your own name and the names of your friends are proper nouns too.
The names of countries and their people are also proper nouns.Beethoven, Omar, Lisa, Santa Claus, Ali Baba, Florence Nightingale, Derek Jeter, Pauline, Johnny Depp, Patrick, Harry Potter, Pinocchio, Robin Hood, Megan Fox, Obama, Ariel, Luna Maya, Justin Bieber, etc
The names of towns, cities, buildings and landmarks are proper nouns.America – Americans, Korea – Koreans, Egypt – Egyptians, Malaysia –Malaysians, India – Indians, Pakistan – Pakistanis, Italy – Italians, France – French, Japan – Japanese, Thailand – Thais, etc
The days of the week and months of the year are proper nouns.Hong Kong, the Great Wall of China, the Statue of Liberty, Egypt, Tokyo, Sydney, Bangkok, New Delhi, London, Denver, the Grand Canyon, New York, Central Park, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Paris, the Eiffel Tower, Brooklyn Bridge, Beijing, Big Ben, Pike’s Peak, etc
The names of mountains, seas, rivers and lakes are proper nouns.Months
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
Days
Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday
The names of festivals, some special events and holidays are proper nouns, too.Mount Everest, Niagara Falls, the Thames, Lake Michigan, the Alps, the Himalayas, the Dead Sea, the Pacific Ocean, Mount Fuji, the Yellow River, etc
Exercise:Valentine’s Day, Father’s Day, Halloween, New Year’s Day, Christmas, Mother’s Day, Memorial Day, April Fool’s Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Independence Day, St. Patrick’s Day, etc
Underline the proper nouns in the following sentences.
- July is often the hottest month in summer.
- One day Ali Baba saw the forty thieves hiding in a cave.
- Shawn and Ashley are going to the beach for a swim.
- Mr. Lee is reading a book.
- “I am your fairy godmother,” said the old woman to Cinderella.
- Uncle Mike is a lawyer.
- Next Tuesday is a public holiday.
- Many children enjoyed the movie Lion King.
September 30, 2012 at 10:07 AM
Thanks very much -- really useful post! I work as a teacher of English as a second language and I'll recommend your blog to all my students.
Thanks again!
Monica