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Detailed Explanation of Common and Proper Nouns 📚

What is a Common Noun? 🤔

A common noun is a general name for a person, place, thing, or idea. It does not name anything specific, so it can be used to talk about lots of similar things. Common nouns always start with a lower-case letter unless they begin a sentence.

Examples of common nouns:

  • boy
  • city
  • school
  • dog
  • book

For example, when we say “I saw a dog in the park,” the word dog is a common noun because it could be any dog, not a special one.

What is a Proper Noun? 🌟

A proper noun is the name of a specific person, place, or thing. It always starts with a capital letter to show that it is special or unique.

Examples of proper nouns:

  • Liam (a person’s name)
  • London (a city)
  • Hogwarts (a famous school from stories)
  • Rover (a dog’s name)
  • Harry Potter (a character’s name)

For example, when we say “Liam went to London,” the words Liam and London are proper nouns because they name particular people and places.

Key Differences Between Common and Proper Nouns ⚖️

Common Noun Proper Noun
Names general people, places, or things Names specific people, places, or things
Does not begin with a capital letter (unless at the start of a sentence) Always begins with a capital letter
Examples: city, school, dog, book Examples: Manchester, Oxford High School, Fido

How to Remember the Difference 💡

A good way to remember the difference is:

  • Common nouns are like everyday things you see around you, such as teacher or park.
  • Proper nouns are the special names like your teacher’s name or the park’s name.

Practice Using Nouns in Sentences ✍️

Try to spot the common and proper nouns in these sentences:

  1. Sarah went to the zoo to see the elephants.
    – Proper noun: Sarah
    – Common nouns: zoo, elephants
  2. We read a book about Shakespeare.
    – Proper noun: Shakespeare
    – Common noun: book

By learning to identify common and proper nouns, you will become better at writing clear and interesting sentences. Remember, capital letters are very important with proper nouns!

20 Examination-Style Questions with Answers on Common and Proper Nouns 📝

Question 1

Identify the common noun in the sentence: “The dog ran quickly through the garden.”
Answer: dog, garden

Question 2

Identify the proper noun in the sentence: “Sarah went to London for her holiday.”
Answer: Sarah, London

Question 3

Is the word “city” a common noun or a proper noun?
Answer: Common noun

Question 4

Write down the proper noun in this sentence: “My favourite book is Harry Potter.”
Answer: Harry Potter

Question 5

Choose the common noun from the options: London, teacher, Elizabeth, river
Answer: teacher, river

Question 6

Which of these is a proper noun: mountain, Scotland, apple, school?
Answer: Scotland

Question 7

Find both common and proper nouns in the sentence: “James visited the museum last Saturday.”
Answer: Proper noun – James, Saturday; Common noun – museum

Question 8

True or False: “School” is a proper noun.
Answer: False

Question 9

Underline the proper nouns in the sentence: “Emily and Jack went to the Tower of London.”
Answer: Emily, Jack, Tower of London

Question 10

Identify the common nouns in this sentence: “The bird built a nest on the tree.”
Answer: bird, nest, tree

Question 11

Fill in the blank with a proper noun: “Last summer, we travelled to ________.”
Answer: Any proper noun such as Paris, Manchester, or your own choice of place

Question 12

Which word is a proper noun in this sentence? “We went to the zoo on Monday.”
Answer: Monday

Question 13

Circle the common nouns: “My brother has a red bike.”
Answer: brother, bike

Question 14

Choose the proper noun: apple, Liverpool, doctor, river
Answer: Liverpool

Question 15

Find the proper noun in the sentence: “The children met Mr Smith at the park.”
Answer: Mr Smith

Question 16

Is “river” a common noun or a proper noun? Explain your answer.
Answer: Common noun because it names a general place and is not capitalised.

Question 17

Identify the proper nouns in this sentence: “We watched a film in Manchester last week.”
Answer: Manchester

Question 18

Change the common noun to a proper noun: country → ______
Answer: Example: England, France, Wales

Question 19

What type of noun is “London Eye” and why?
Answer: Proper noun because it is the name of a particular place and is capitalised.

Question 20

In the sentence “The teacher showed us a painting by Picasso,” which words are common and which are proper nouns?
Answer: Common noun – teacher, painting; Proper noun – Picasso

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