Common nouns vs. proper nouns
Consider how we write the sentence, “Queen Elizabeth II was a celebrated queen”.
The capital of Italy is Rome.
I travelled to machu picchu last Summer.
Why should ‘Queen Elizabeth II‘ use capitals, and not the word ‘queen‘ itself?
Queen Elizabeth II is the name of a specific person, and so (to that extent) specifies what or who specifically is being mentioned.
The word “queen” itself, however, could mean any queen (fictional or historical). This makes “queen” a common noun: it names a category or kind of thing (that specific things of that kind belong to; such as Queen Elizabeth II).
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Proper nouns & common nouns explained
Proper nouns name specific people places or thing, such as Queen Elizabeth II, Mt. Vesuvius or a MacBook Pro.
Common nouns name groups or kinds of things, such as an actor, country and food.
Because proper nouns specify what they refer to, (and only refer to that thing, person, place), we capitalize the first letter no matter where they appear in a sentence.
Conversely, commons nouns do not use capital letters unless they begin a sentence or are part of a proper noun (as in the name of a title of a work or novel, e.g., The Winter of Our Discontent by John Steinbeck). Otherwise, they use lowercases.
| common nouns | proper nouns |
| A musician | Jon Batiste |
| A continent or country | India |
| A company | |
| A newspaper | The New Yorker |
| A religion | Buddhism |
Common vs. proper nouns, visualize common nouns as general categories (like “dog”) written in lowercase, and proper nouns as specific names (like “Lassie”) always capitalized.
Sentences with common and proper nouns
| Proper Nouns | Common Nouns |
|---|---|
| I’ve never been to France. | My favourite activity in the summer is to hike mountains. |
| Barbara’s cat is named Scout. | Many dog breeds are not suitable for living indoors. |
| My favourite book is Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. | I wish I could remember the name of that painter. |
Learn more about nouns
| Types of nouns | What’s the plural of …? |
| plural-only nouns | …moose? |
| mass nouns | …octopus? |
| collective nouns | …cactus? |
| abstract nouns vs. concrete nouns | …analysis? |
| possessive nouns | …curriculum? |
| regular and irregular nouns | …crisis? |
Worksheet: Common or proper noun?
Which noun mentions specific people, places, or things?
When do you capitalize proper nouns?
When should a common noun NOT be capitalized?
Which of the following is a common noun?
Identify the correct order of nouns: I’m meeting my friend, Ashley, at the library.
Identify the correct order: Jason is a manager at Ralph’s.
Identify the correct order: The most densely populated city in the world is Manila, Philippines.
Identify the correct order: A large flood took place in Texas Hill Country, Texas.
Identify the correct order: I’m amazed by the architecture in Barcelona.
Identify the correct order: Not all football players are American.
FAQs
What is a common noun?
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What is a proper noun?
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When should nouns be capitalized?
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Why capitalize Queen Elizabeth II but not queen?
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What capitalization mistakes are shown?
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Yash, D. "What are Common Nouns vs. Proper Nouns?." Grammarflex, Jul 20, 2025, https://www.grammarflex.com/what-are-common-nouns-vs-proper-nouns/.
Sources
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English Grammar and Composition, P.C. Wren.
