{"id":237,"date":"2014-04-11T15:30:29","date_gmt":"2014-04-11T15:30:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/patrickcarpen.com\/english-language\/?page_id=237"},"modified":"2016-12-24T15:41:34","modified_gmt":"2016-12-24T15:41:34","slug":"proper-and-common-nouns","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/patrickcarpen.com\/english\/parts-speech\/the-basics\/the-noun\/proper-and-common-nouns\/","title":{"rendered":"Proper And Common Nouns"},"content":{"rendered":"

This page was first created on the 11th of April, 2014 and last updated on the 11th of March, 2016 by Patrick Carpen.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\"Photo

Photo Thanks To:
http:\/\/www.freeimages.com\/photo\/building-3-1234556<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

Tags:<\/strong> Parts of Speech, Nouns, English Grammar.<\/em><\/p>\n

A noun is a word that names a person, place, thing or idea. Because there are so many nouns in the English language, there are many kinds<\/em> of nouns. In this lesson, we will look at two types of nouns: the proper and the common noun.<\/p>\n

We say that a noun is the name of a place, therefore, the word country<\/em> is a noun. We say that the noun is the name of a place, therefore the word Canada<\/em>, is a noun.<\/p>\n

The word country, and the word Canada both name places but there is a difference. The word country could refer to any of the hundreds of countries in the world. On the other hand, Canada is the name of one particular country. So then, by definition, a common noun is a noun that names a general person, place, thing or idea. A proper noun is a noun that names a particular person, place, thing or idea.<\/p>\n

Telling the difference between a proper and a common noun can be confusing sometimes. A noun is any word in a sentence which names a person, place, thing or idea. We are told that a common noun is a noun which can refer to any of a large group of persons, places, things or ideas while a proper noun singles out one person, place, thing or idea.<\/p>\n

For example, we have the noun \u201cvillage\u201d. There are thousands of villages in the country of Guyana, for example. So, it follows that the word \u201cvillage\u201d is a \u201ccommon noun\u201d. But if I say \u201cHampshire village\u201d, you can put your finger on the map and say \u201chere it is!\u201d Hampshire Village singles out one special village, so it is called a proper noun.<\/p>\n

If I say, give a dog a bone, you may give the bone to any of the world\u2019s dogs. But if I say give the bone to Rover, you know that is one special dog. You will look for the dog Rover and give Rover the bone. Rover singles out one special dog. Therefore, Rover is a proper noun.<\/p>\n

If I say, \u201cwe\u2019re going to a country this summer\u201d, you may wonder what country I am talking about. There are over two hundred countries in the world. But if I say \u201cwe are going to Canada this summer\u201d, you know exactly where on the world map we are going. Canada singles out one special country from hundreds of countries. Canada is a proper noun.<\/p>\n

Here are some points to ponder:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Mango may single out one \u201cfruit\u201d but the word \u201cmango\u201d is still a common noun because there are often hundreds of \u201cmangoes\u201d on a tree. We don\u2019t give names to each mango on a tree. If we did, then that name would be a proper noun.<\/p>\n

Dog may single out one animal but the word \u201cdog\u201d is still a common noun because there are still millions of dogs in the world.<\/p>\n

Therefore, we conclude that a proper noun is a noun which names something that is so special, that only one of it exists in a particular location.<\/p>\n

For example, a family may have three dogs, but only one named rover.<\/p>\n

A village may have 20 streest, but only one named \u201cKing Street\u201d<\/p>\n

A country may have many rivers, but only one named the \u201cTakutu River\u201d.<\/p>\n

Lethem may have many hotels, but only one named \u201cAmazonas hotel\u201d.<\/p>\n

Here are some more examples:<\/p>\n

Common noun:<\/strong> boy; Proper noun:<\/strong> Robert<\/p>\n

Common noun:<\/strong> girl; Proper noun:<\/strong> Mary<\/p>\n

Common noun:<\/strong> country; Proper noun:<\/strong> Russia<\/p>\n

Common noun:<\/strong> state: Proper noun:<\/strong> New York<\/p>\n

Common noun:<\/strong> language; Proper noun:<\/strong> English<\/p>\n

Common noun:<\/strong> television; Proper noun:<\/strong> Sharp<\/p>\n

Common noun:<\/strong> movie; Proper noun:<\/strong> The Terminator<\/p>\n

Common noun:<\/strong> book; Proper noun:<\/strong> A Time To Love<\/p>\n

Common noun:<\/strong> school; Proper noun:<\/strong> West Arizona District High School<\/p>\n

Common noun:<\/strong> man; Proper noun:<\/strong> Van Damme<\/p>\n

Common noun:<\/strong> movie star; Proper noun:<\/strong> Mel Gibson<\/p>\n

Common noun:<\/strong> supermodel: Proper noun:<\/strong> Paris Hilton<\/p>\n

Common noun:<\/strong> river; Proper noun:<\/strong> Hudson River<\/p>\n

Common noun:<\/strong> country; Proper noun:<\/strong> Berbice<\/p>\n

Common noun:<\/strong> town; Proper noun:<\/strong> Rose Hall<\/p>\n

Common noun:<\/strong> city; Proper Noun:<\/strong> Georgetown<\/p>\n

Common noun:<\/strong> village; Proper noun:<\/strong> Albion<\/p>\n

Common noun:<\/strong> street; Proper noun:<\/strong> Ramphal Street<\/p>\n

Common noun:<\/strong> writer; Proper noun:<\/strong> Patrick Carpen<\/p>\n

Common noun:<\/strong> manufacturer; Proper noun:<\/strong> Ford Motor Company<\/p>\n

Common noun:<\/strong> cookbook; Proper noun:<\/strong> The Platinum Pumpkin Cheesecake Maker’s Handbook<\/p>\n

Common noun:<\/strong> singer; Proper noun:<\/strong> Selena Gomez<\/p>\n

Common noun:<\/strong> song; Proper noun:<\/strong> Slow Down<\/p>\n

Common noun:<\/strong> album; Proper noun:<\/strong> Stars Dance<\/p>\n

Common noun:<\/strong> disciple; Proper noun:<\/strong> John<\/p>\n

Common noun:<\/strong> car; Proper noun:<\/strong> Toyota AT120<\/p>\n

Common noun:<\/strong> motorcycle; Proper noun:<\/strong> Jailing 125 GY<\/p>\n

Common noun:<\/strong> bicycle; Proper noun:<\/strong> BMX<\/p>\n

Common noun:<\/strong> hardware store; Proper noun:<\/strong> N. James & Sons<\/p>\n

Here are some other examples:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\n
\n

Common Noun\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cat<\/p>\n

Man<\/p>\n

Woman<\/p>\n

Street<\/p>\n

Car<\/p>\n

River<\/p>\n

Hotel<\/p>\n

School<\/p>\n

Ocean<\/p>\n

Sea<\/p>\n

Disciple<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u00a0 Proper Noun<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cindy<\/p>\n

Richard<\/p>\n

Candy<\/p>\n

King Street<\/p>\n

Mercedez<\/p>\n

Takutu River<\/p>\n

Amazonas Hotel<\/p>\n

St. Ignatius Secondary<\/p>\n

The Pacific Ocean<\/p>\n

The Dead Sea<\/p>\n

Peter<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This page was first created on the 11th of April, 2014 and last updated on the 11th of March, 2016 by Patrick Carpen. Tags: Parts of Speech, Nouns, English Grammar. 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