Common Nouns: Everything You Need To Know
The common noun is one of the most important parts of the English language.
We often take common nouns for granted since they appear in nearly every sentence, but mastering them can greatly enhance your writing and strengthen your understanding of grammar rules.
So, let’s go over everything about common nouns: what they are, how to use them, and how they differ from proper nouns.
Let’s get started!
What Is a Common Noun?
A common noun is a general name for a person, place, thing, or idea. Unlike proper nouns, which refer to a specific person, place or thing (e.g ‘Paris’, ‘John’, ‘Nike’), common nouns are the non-specific, everyday words we use to describe categories or classes of people, places, and things. Think of them as the general labels we assign to everything around us.
Here are some examples:
• Person: teacher, doctor, student
• Place: city, beach, library
• Thing: book, dog, car
• Idea: love, freedom, democracy
Don’t forget this rule! Common nouns do not start with capital letters unless they’re at the beginning of a sentence. This is one of the easiest ways to spot them in your writing.
Common and Proper Nouns: What’s The Difference?
All nouns fall into the category of either common or proper, so it’s important to understand the difference! While common nouns refer to general, non-specific items or ideas, proper nouns are used for specific people, places, or things.
Another difference is that common nouns can be modified by determiners, adjectives, and articles; proper nouns, on the other hand, typically cannot.
For example:
• Common noun: ‘city’ | Proper noun: ‘New York City’
• Common noun: ‘company’ | Proper noun: ‘Google’
• Common noun: ‘book’ | Proper noun: ‘Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone’
See the difference? Notice how proper nouns are capitalised and refer to something specific, while common nouns are lowercase and refer to something more vague.
Correct vs Incorrect Examples
Let’s explore the correct and incorrect ways to use proper and common nouns in sentences, especially when it comes to tricky examples that people often get wrong.
1. Days of the Week and Months
Correct:
• We’re meeting on Tuesday at the beginning of March.
Incorrect:
• We’re meeting on tuesday at the beginning of march.
(The days of the week and months should always be capitalised as they are specific proper nouns.)
2. Company Names vs. General Terms
Correct:
• I just bought a laptop from Apple.
Incorrect:
• I just bought a laptop from apple.
(Apple is the specific name of the company, making it a proper noun that needs to be capitalised.)
3. Countries vs. General Regions
Correct:
• He travelled to France and spent most of his time in the French Alps.
Incorrect:
• He travelled to france and spent most of his time in the french alps.
(France and French Alps are proper nouns because they refer to specific places.)
4. Titles vs. Job Descriptions
Example 1
This varies depending on the context, as you can see below:
Correct:
• In 1945 Prime Minister Winston Churchill announced the end of the war.
Incorrect:
• In 1945 prime minister Winston Churchill announced the end of the war.
(In this case, ‘Prime Minister’ is a title referring to a specific individual and should be capitalised.)
Correct:
From 1721, Britain has had over 50 prime ministers.
Incorrect:
From 1721, Britain has had over 50 Prime Ministers.
(In this case, ‘prime minister’ is being used as a general job description, not as a specific title, so it remains lowercase.)
Example 2
Correct: Queen Elizabeth is one of the longest-reigning monarchs in history.
Incorrect: queen elizabeth is one of the longest-reigning monarchs in history.
(Here, ‘Queen’ is part of the specific title Queen Elizabeth, so it is capitalised. Elizabeth is also a proper noun needing to be capitalised.)
Correct: The queen visited several countries during her reign.
Incorrect: The Queen visited several countries during her reign.
(In this case, since ‘queen’ is not part of a specific title or name, it should not be capitalised.)
5. Brand Names vs. General Terms
Correct:
• I drive a Toyota car.Incorrect:
Incorrect:
• I drive a toyota car.
(Toyota is a specific brand name, so it’s capitalised. The word car is a common noun and doesn’t need capitalisation.)
Using Common Nouns in Sentences
Common nouns play a huge role in sentence structure because they’re often the subjects or objects in a sentence. Let’s look at some examples:
Subject:
• The cat chased the mouse.
• Students must complete their homework on time.
Object:
• She bought a new phone.
• We visited the museum yesterday.
Notice how the common nouns (cat, mouse, students, phone, museum) all refer to general people, animals, or things, and they’re not capitalised.
Common Nouns – Complete!
Now you know everything there is to know about common nouns!
Just remember, the difference between common and proper nouns is that common nouns refer to general items, while proper nouns specify unique individuals or places. Keep this in mind, and you won’t make the same writing mistakes that so many writers make without even knowing it!
