Practice
Common nouns: rules and examples
A teacher, a city, and a book can describe any person, place, or thing of that kind. Ms. Patel, Chicago, and The Long Road name particular ones. The first group contains common nouns. The second group contains proper nouns.
Recognize common nouns, distinguish them from proper nouns, and capitalize them only when English spelling rules require it.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
common noun /ˈkɑmən naʊn/
The short answer
A common noun is a general name, such as teacher, river, phone, or happiness. It usually begins with a lowercase letter. A proper noun names one particular person, place, organization, day, or title, such as Ms. Patel, the Nile, Samsung, Monday, or Hamlet.
The nurse called Maya's name from the waiting room.
Why it works: Nurse is a general job, so it is a common noun. Maya is one person's name, so it is a proper noun.
5 more examples
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The mechanic checked the car before our trip.
Both words give general names. They are common nouns.
Not this:
Rosachecked the Toyota before our trip. What changes: Rosa and Toyota are particular names, so they are proper nouns and begin with capital letters. -
My brother works at a hospital near the airport.
These words name general people and places, not particular names.
Not this:My brother works at
Mercy Hospitalnear O'Hare International Airport. What changes: The full official names are proper nouns, so each important word in the name uses a capital letter. -
The children played a game after lunch.
Each noun refers to a general group, activity, or meal.
Not this:The children played
Monopolyafter lunch. What changes: Monopoly is the name of one game, so it is a proper noun. -
History can teach us about earlier societies.
History has a capital letter because it begins the sentence. In the phrase a history book, history is still a common noun.
Not this:I registered for
History 204this semester. What changes: Here, History is part of the official course name, so the capital letter is required. -
A river runs behind the old factory.
The sentence refers to a river and a factory in general terms.
Not this:The
Ohio Riverruns behind the Millstone Factory. What changes: These are particular names, so they are proper nouns.
Read the full guide
Ask one question before you choose a capital letter: Does this word name any member of a group, or does it name one particular member? A word such as city is general. A word such as Chicago is a particular name. That difference helps you classify the noun and spell it correctly.
Use common nouns for general names
A common noun names a general member of a group. The word friend can mean any friend. The word restaurant can mean any restaurant. A common noun can name a person, place, thing, idea, or group.
The customer asked for a receipt.
Customer and receipt are general labels. They do not identify one named person or document.
Does the noun name any member of a group?
If it does, use a common noun and usually begin it with a lowercase letter.
Compare general names and particular names
A proper noun identifies one particular person, place, organization, day, or work. The words teacher and city are common nouns. The names Mr. Chen and Nairobi are proper nouns. The difference is about how specific the name is.
We visited a museum in Boston last weekend.
Museum is a common noun because it is general. Boston is a proper noun because it names one city.
Which word gives the particular name of a city?
Boston is the proper noun. Museum remains a common noun.
Capitalize common nouns only when the position requires it
Most common nouns are lowercase, but every first word in an English sentence begins with a capital letter. That capital letter does not change the word into a proper noun. A title may also capitalize common nouns because title style has its own rules.
Dogs need regular exercise.
Dogs is a common noun. It has a capital D only because it starts the sentence.
Does a capital letter at the start of a sentence make a noun proper?
No. The word is still a common noun when it gives a general name.
Notice when a common word becomes part of a name
A common noun can appear inside a proper name. The words university, park, and street are common nouns when they are general. They use capitals when they belong to an official name, such as Greenfield University, Central Park, or King Street.
We met near the park, then walked through Central Park.
The first park is general. Central Park is the name of one particular park.
Is the noun part of the official name, or is it only a general label?
Capitalize it when it is part of the official name. Keep it lowercase when it is general.
Name things you can count and ideas you cannot count
Common nouns can be countable or uncountable. You can count chairs, messages, and mistakes. You usually do not count water, information, or patience as separate units without adding a container or measure. Both types can be common nouns.
The report contains useful information.
Information is a common noun even though English normally treats it as uncountable.
Can a noun be common even when you cannot count it with a number?
Yes. Common nouns include both countable nouns and uncountable nouns.
Choose by the meaning in the sentence
Some nouns need a closer look because the same spelling can have two roles. In We visited the college, college is a general place. In We visited Riverbend College, the word belongs to a particular name. The surrounding words show which role it has.
My aunt works for a bank, but her office is at First Harbor Bank.
The first bank is a general common noun. First Harbor Bank is a proper noun because it names one organization.
What should you check before you add a capital letter?
Check whether the noun is a general label or part of one particular name.
Before you go
Remember this
Use common nouns for general names and proper nouns for particular names. Common nouns usually use lowercase letters. They need a capital letter at the start of a sentence or when they become part of an official name. Read the whole phrase before you decide.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Common nouns: rules and examples"
What is a common noun?
A common noun is a general name for a person, place, thing, idea, or group. Words such as teacher, village, computer, music, and family are common nouns because they do not name one particular person, place, object, or group. Most common nouns begin with lowercase letters in ordinary sentences.
The mechanic checked the car before our trip.
How is a common noun different from a proper noun?
A common noun gives a general name, while a proper noun gives a particular name. For example, country is a common noun because it can refer to any country. Brazil is a proper noun because it identifies one country. Proper nouns normally begin with capital letters, but common nouns usually do not.
Rosa checked the Toyota before our trip.
Do common nouns need capital letters?
Common nouns usually begin with lowercase letters. They use a capital letter when they start a sentence or appear in a title that uses title capitalization. A capital letter at the start of a sentence does not make the noun proper. The noun remains common if it still gives a general name.
My brother works at a hospital near the airport.
Can the same word be common and proper?
Yes. The same word can be common in one phrase and part of a proper noun in another. In the phrase a local hospital, hospital is a common noun. In the name Lakeside Hospital, hospital is part of an official name, so it is written with a capital letter.
My brother works at Mercy Hospital near O'Hare International Airport.
Are abstract nouns common nouns?
Yes. Abstract nouns such as hope, honesty, freedom, and patience are usually common nouns. They name ideas, qualities, or feelings instead of physical objects, but they are still general names. Like other common nouns, they normally use lowercase letters unless another spelling rule requires a capital letter.
The children played a game after lunch.