difference between common and proper nouns with examples
Difference Between Common and Proper Nouns with Examples
Nouns are mainly divided into common nouns and proper nouns, and it can be quite difficult to differentiate between the two. Buzzle makes it simple for you by giving a list of commonly used nouns, along with various examples to learn their usage in sentences.
Proper nouns are used to name a particular person, place, or a thing. They usually start with a capital letter. For example, Emily, John, David, Seattle, Chicago, Paris, London, Mrs. Jones, etc. Both common and proper nouns play various roles in a sentence. E.g. subject, object (both direct and indirect), object of the preposition, predicate nominative, etc.
Let us learn both these types in detail, with the help of examples.
* Note: Click anywhere on the tables provided below to obtain a print.
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Apart from singular and plural, common nouns are also divided into collective nouns. Buzzle has explained collective nouns with examples to help you understand them better.
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There are a number of worksheets available on the Internet to test your knowledge about the difference between common and proper nouns. So, solve them, check your score, and keep practicing.
COMMON NOUN
A common noun is a common name used for a person, place, or a thing belonging to the same class. It does not start with a capital letter, unless it appears at the beginning of the sentence, or is a part of a title. Common nouns are further divided into singular and plural nouns, mass and count nouns, and abstract and concrete nouns.
LIST OF COMMON NOUNS
| LIST OF SINGULAR COMMON NOUNS | |
| Persons | 1. Baby |
| 2. Child | |
| 3. Man | |
| 4. Woman | |
| 5. Boy | |
| 6. Girl | |
| 7. Lady | |
| 8. Gentleman | |
| 9. Wife | |
| 10. Husband | |
| Places | 11. Garden |
| 12. Theater | |
| 13. River | |
| 14. Ocean | |
| 15. Building | |
| 16. School | |
| 17. State | |
| 18. Country | |
| 19. Beach | |
| 20. Bank | |
| Things | 21. Boat |
| 22. Book | |
| 23. Bottle | |
| 24. Computer | |
| 25. Cup | |
| 26. Box | |
| 27. Bus | |
| 28. Chair | |
| 29. Hat | |
| 30. Desk |
| LIST OF PLURAL COMMON NOUNS | |
| Persons | 31. Babies |
| 32. Children | |
| 33. Men | |
| 34. Women | |
| 35. Boys | |
| 36. Girls | |
| 37. Ladies | |
| 38. Gentlemen | |
| 39. Wives | |
| 40. Husbands | |
| Places | 41. Gardens |
| 42. Theaters | |
| 43. Rivers | |
| 44. Oceans | |
| 45. Buildings | |
| 46. Schools | |
| 47. States | |
| 48. Countries | |
| 49. Beaches | |
| 50. Banks | |
| Things | 51. Boats |
| 52. Books | |
| 53. Bottles | |
| 54. Computers | |
| 55. Cups | |
| 56. Boxes | |
| 57. Buses | |
| 59. Chairs | |
| 59. Hats | |
| 60. Desks |
EXAMPLES OF COMMON NOUNS IN SENTENCES
» The baby is sleeping.
» The girls are playing.
» She picked up the pencil.
» I really liked her watch.
» They went to watch the game.
» She gave him a flower.
» The guest was late.
» She cooked the potatoes.
» Her hat was really pretty.
» The women were enjoying themselves.
PROPER NOUN
A proper noun is a specific name given to a person, place, or a thing, and starts with a capital letter. Proper nouns include specific names given to people, pets, months, days of the week, cities, states, countries, newspapers, magazines, books, buildings, monuments, brands, languages, planets, etc.
LIST OF PROPER NOUNS
| LIST OF VARIOUS PROPER NOUNS | |
| Persons | 1. Mary |
| 2. Susan | |
| 3. John | |
| 4. Joey | |
| 5. David | |
| 6. Joseph | |
| 7. Anne | |
| 8. Rebbecca | |
| 9. Meredith | |
| 10. Christina | |
| Places | 11. India |
| 12. United States | |
| 13. France | |
| 14. Japan | |
| 15. China | |
| 16. Singapore | |
| 17. Malaysia | |
| 18. Chicago | |
| 19. Sydney | |
| 20. Paris | |
| Things | 21. Coke |
| 22. Pepsi | |
| 23. Mountain Dew | |
| 24. Toyota | |
| 25. Honda | |
| 26. Maruti | |
| 27. Teddy Bear | |
| 28. Barbie | |
| 29. Scrabble | |
| 30. Snickers |
| LIST OF VARIOUS PROPER NOUNS | |
| Persons | 31. Paul |
| 32. Monica | |
| 33. Ross | |
| 34. Sarah | |
| 35. Edward | |
| 36. Harry | |
| 37. Dan | |
| 38. Chris | |
| 39. Ted | |
| 40. Emily | |
| Places | 41. Ohio |
| 42. Pacific Ocean | |
| 43. Indian Ocean | |
| 44. Atlantic Ocean | |
| 45. Arctic Ocean | |
| 46. Mount Abu | |
| 47. Mount Everest | |
| 48. Amazon | |
| 49. Nile | |
| 50. Niagara Falls | |
| Things | 51. Kit Kat |
| 52. Bournville | |
| 53. Google | |
| 54. Samsung | |
| 55. Dell | |
| 56. Acer | |
| 57. Walmart | |
| 58. Pringles | |
| 59. Ruffles | |
| 60. Lays |
EXAMPLES OF PROPER NOUNS IN SENTENCES
» Samsung manufactures excellent cell phones.
» My daughter loves to carry her Barbie around.
» David is going to Paris.
» Nile is the longest river in the world.
» Anne was getting dressed for school.
» I grew up in Ohio.
» John writes well.
» We love to play Scrabble.
» We went to Walmart last week.
» Meredith is a doctor.
COMMON NOUN VS. PROPER NOUN
| COMMON NOUN | PROPER NOUN |
| 1. Girl | Anne |
| 2. Boy | John |
| 3. Man | David |
| 4. Woman | Judy |
| 5. City | Chicago |
| 6. State | Texas |
| 7. Country | Brazil |
| 8. Toy | Teddy Bear |
| 9. Book | The Alchemist |
| 10. Chips | Lays |
| COMMON NOUN | PROPER NOUN |
| 11. Ocean | Atlantic Ocean |
| 12. River | Nile |
| 13. Sea | Dead Sea |
| 14. Building | Empire State |
| 15. Computer | Dell |
| 16. Company | Toyota |
| 17. Chocolate | Snickers |
| 18. Park | Central Park |
| 19. Beach | South Beach |
| 20. Bank | National Bank |
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN COMMON AND PROPER NOUNS IN SENTENCES
» Honda Accord is a great car.
» Coke is my favorite soda.
» Savannah is a lovely girl.
» Rage of Angels is one of my favorite books.
» James is an obedient boy.
» Mount Everest is the tallest mountain.
» I am moving to another country, possibly Japan.
» Google is one of the richest companies.
» Game of Thrones is my favorite show.
» I lost in a game of Scrabble.