In English grammar, nouns are the names of people, places, animals, things, or ideas. But not all nouns are the same. Some are common, while others are proper. Let’s understand the difference between them with simple examples. Knowing the difference between common and proper nouns helps you write and speak English more clearly. Always capitalize proper nouns, and remember—they name someone or something special.
What is common noun?
A common noun is the general name of a person, place, animal, thing, or idea. It does not refer to anything specific, so it is not capitalized unless it starts a sentence.
Example :
- The girl is playing in the park.
- I bought a new book yesterday.
- He is a good teacher.
What is proper noun?
A proper noun is the name of a specific person, place, thing, or organization. Proper nouns always begin with a capital letter, no matter where they appear in a sentence.
Example :
- We live in New Delhi.
- Amazon is a big company.
- January is the first month of the year.
Common and Proper Nouns Worksheets with answers
Identify and label each noun as Common (C) or Proper (P)
Write C for common noun and P for proper noun.
- _ Kolkata
- _ city
- _ teacher
- _ Mr. Sharma
- _ river
- _ Ganga
- _ school
- _ Delhi Public School
- _ dog
- _ Tommy
Underline the common nouns and circle the proper nouns
(Underline = common, Circle = proper)
- My friend Rita goes to the market every Sunday.
- Amit bought a new bike from Honda Showroom.
- We visited the museum in Mumbai.