Common and Proper Noun

What is a Common Noun?

• A common noun is a general name for a person, place, or thing.
• It does not name a specific person or place.
• The Rule: Common nouns only start with a capital letter if they are the very first word in a sentence.

Examples: boy, dog, city, school, cookie, planet.

What is a Proper Noun?

• A proper noun is a special name for a specific person, place, or thing.
• It tells you exactly which one you are talking about.
• The Rule: Proper nouns always start with a capital letter, no matter where they are in the sentence.

Examples: Ben, Buddy, New York, Lincoln Elementary, Oreo, Mars.

Spotting the Difference Think of a common noun as the "group" name and the proper noun as the "tag" name.

The Capital Letter Test If you aren't sure if a word is a proper noun, ask yourself: "Is this a name?"

1. "I live in a city." (Common: There are thousands of cities!)
2. "I live in Paris." (Proper: That is the name of one specific city.)

Why Do We Learn This?

• Respect: We capitalize names of people and places to show they are important.
• Clarity: It helps the reader know exactly who or what you are talking about.
• Grammar Skills: Knowing when to use a capital letter is one of the most important parts of writing.

Lesson Summary

• Common nouns are everyday, general words (lowercase).
• Proper nouns are specific names (Uppercase).
• Days of the week and months are always proper nouns!