Proper and Common Nouns
How common and proper nouns differ — capitalization, the many types of common nouns, nouns of address, cardinal directions, proper adjectives, and when to use "the".
Common Nouns
Nouns can be grouped based on whether they refer to a general entity or a specific one: common nouns and proper nouns.
Common nouns refer to general persons, places, or things in a class or group, rather than specific ones. Examples include a mug, table, sofa, TV, phone, wallet, and key. In contrast to proper nouns — which name specific people, places, or things — common nouns give a generic name for a class of items. For instance, the noun cat is a common noun, but if you give your cat a name like Marlo, the word Marlo becomes a proper noun.
Properties
The vast majority of English nouns are common nouns, and most grammar rules about nouns apply to them: they can be countable or uncountable, singular or plural, take a definite or indefinite article, and be abstract or concrete. They fall into several groups:
- Concrete nouns: perceived through the senses — sight, touch, hearing, smell, taste
- Abstract nouns: cannot be perceived through the senses, such as emotions and ideas
- Countable nouns: can be counted
- Singular nouns: refer to a single entity
- Plural nouns: refer to more than one person or thing
- Collective nouns: refer to a group of people, animals, or things as a single unit
- Uncountable nouns: cannot be counted and are always treated as singular
- Plural-only nouns: are always used in the plural form
- Gender-specific nouns: refer exclusively to either a male or a female
doctor, restaurant, father → concrete nouns love, pride, patience → abstract nouns flower, chair, book → countable nouns rice, water, air → uncountable nouns actress, sir, wizard → gender-specific nouns team, society, class → collective nouns
Common nouns are generally written in lowercase and are not capitalized, unless they begin a sentence or appear in a title.
His father is a hard-working man. → father is a common noun, so lowercase. Fathers are hard-working. → capitalized only because it starts the sentence.
Proper Nouns
Unlike common nouns, proper nouns are specific and typically refer to a unique person, thing, or place. We use them to name things that are one-of-a-kind:
- Names of people: Johnny, Lisa, Tom, George Orwell, Leo Tolstoy
- Days of the week: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
- Months of the year: January, February, March, April, May
- Places: France, England, Nevada, Moscow, Rome
- Geographical landmarks: Grand Canyon, the Pacific Ocean, Mount Fuji, Niagara Falls
- Urban spaces: Wall Street, Madison Avenue, Broadway
- Names of pets: Bubbles, Lucy, Max, Bella
- Holidays: Thanksgiving, Halloween, Christmas, Easter
- Planets: Mercury, Mars, Earth, Venus
- Languages: English, French, Spanish, Korean
- Brand names: Coca-Cola, Ford, Porsche, Apple
The words street, avenue, parkway, boulevard, lane, park, and square are generally common nouns, but when they are part of a proper noun they must be capitalized.
Nouns of Address
When addressing people or things directly, we use nouns of direct address (also called vocatives). They are not inherently proper nouns, but must be capitalized when used before a proper noun or to address someone directly.
Have you met the pope? → not before a proper noun, so lowercase. I met Pope Francis when I was in Rome. → a title before a name, so capitalized. I'm really sorry, Mom. → a noun of address, so capitalized. Was your mom angry? → not directly addressing a person, so lowercase. Prince Charles is the heir to the British throne. → a title before a name, so capitalized.
Cardinal Directions
Cardinal directions — north, south, east, and west — are generally not proper nouns, but they are capitalized when part of the name of a specific region.
Have you been to the west of Canada? → not part of a name, so lowercase. Have you been to West Virginia? → part of the region's name, so capitalized.
Proper nouns can consist of one or more words. In multi-word proper nouns, all words are capitalized — for example, New York City and World War II.
Using "The", and Proper Adjectives
Normally, the definite article the is not used with proper nouns, unless it is part of the name itself and refers to a particular place or organization (companies, hotels, museums, etc.). We also use the with country names containing States, Kingdom, or Republic, and with canals, rivers, seas, and oceans. In those cases, the is not capitalized.
Jennifer is my wife. (Not "the Jennifer is my wife.") → no article with a personal name. He is originally from the People's Republic of China. Many species of marine life inhabit the Pacific Ocean. Several humanitarian projects worldwide are supported by the United Nations.
Proper Adjectives
Proper adjectives are formed from certain proper nouns (names of people and places) and, like proper nouns, must be capitalized.
Do you prefer Italian food or Chinese food? → from Italy and China. I married an African woman. → from Africa.
Review and Quiz
There are two types of nouns in English, based on whether they refer to a generic or a specific entity:
- Common nouns — not capitalized, not unique, generic
- Proper nouns — capitalized, unique, specific
Which of the following sentences demonstrates correct use of both common and proper nouns? [ ] My Uncle works at the Museum of modern art in new York. [ ] We visited the grand canyon during our trip to arizona last Summer. [x] Dr. Johnson prescribed medicine for my dog Max. [ ] The President of france will meet with the British Prime minister tomorrow. > "Dr. Johnson" and "Max" are proper nouns (capitalized), while "medicine" and "dog" stay lowercase as common nouns. The other options miss capitals on proper nouns like New York, Grand Canyon, Arizona, France, and Prime Minister.
Which of the following is correctly capitalized as a proper noun? [ ] the Golden Gate bridge [ ] united states of America [ ] Central park zoo [x] Statue of Liberty > In a multi-word proper noun, every significant word is capitalized: Statue of Liberty.