Common Nouns and Proper Nouns:
Sample Lesson and Activities

In this blog post, we will include a sample lesson from our new course “Perfect Usage: English Nouns”. It is not available yet, but you can see a small part of one of the lessons here 😃

To get this course when it becomes available, as well as all the other courses, get our Full Access Membership.

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1 Explanation

A common noun is a noun that names a general thing, not a specific thing.

(Common means “shared by more than one”.)

Cat is a common noun.

Examples:

Boy, girl, city, country, company, planet, location, war.

Proper Nouns

A proper noun is a noun that indicates the specific name of someone or something. It begins with a capital letter.

(Proper means “belonging to one”.)

Mabel (this cat’s name) is a proper noun.

Examples:

Robin, Alice, London, Sweden, Google, Earth, Eiffel Tower, World War I.

Why Is This Important to Know?

You should note when a proper noun is used, so that you can capitalize it correctly. Otherwise, your writing may seem unprofessional or incorrect.

For example: (proper nouns are bold, common nouns are italic)

• CORRECT: We read the article about Abraham Lincoln.
• INCORRECT: We read the Article about Abraham Lincoln.
• INCORRECT: We read the Article about abraham lincoln.
• INCORRECT: We read the article about abraham lincoln.

So it is helpful to notice proper nouns, and properly capitalize them! 😊

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2 Comparing Examples

Compare the Following Examples:

(Pause or click your mouse on each image for a moment, and read the explanation.)

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3 Practice

Test Your Understanding

Choose the correct answer, and then click the blue arrow to continue. Continue this way until you answer all questions correctly.

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4 Play