What Is a Common Noun? | Examples & Definition
Common nouns are not capitalized—they are general terms for people, places, things, or ideas (e.g., “father,” “village,” “pencil,” “envy”). Proper nouns, in contrast, are always capitalized.
A common noun can name something concrete (e.g., “infant”) or abstract (e.g., “love”), including types of living organisms, inanimate objects, and intangible concepts.
In his desperation, he considered the possibility of leaving the country.
Now an old man, Bill was proud to see his grandson take over the company.
Common nouns vs proper nouns
Nouns can be categorized as either common nouns or proper nouns. Some nouns can function in both ways, depending on the context (e.g., “president” or “President Nixon”).
- Common nouns typically name a broad category (e.g., “doctor”) rather than being the designated name of an individual (e.g., “Doctor Green”). The only situation in which a common noun is capitalized is when it begins a sentence (e.g., “Salmon can swim upstream”) or is part of a title (e.g., The Notebook). They are often modified by adjectives, articles, and determiners.
- Proper nouns are always capitalized. They may represent specific individuals (e.g., “Joseph”), families (e.g., “Wilson”), organizations (e.g., “Apple,” “the Catholic Church”), places (e.g., “Dubai”), racial or ethnic groups (e.g., “First Nations”), or landmarks (e.g., “London Bridge”), among other things. Typically, proper nouns are not accompanied by articles, determiners, or adjectives because they are recognizable by their names alone.
Harrison Ford played a lead role in Star Wars.
The Cultural Revolution removed power from any rival of the Maoists.
Common nouns that can become proper nouns
When common nouns are used to name an identifiable individual (e.g., a specific region, officeholder, publication, or work of art), they are capitalized as proper nouns (e.g., “the South,” “Senator Sanders,” “Houston Chronicle,” “Water Lillies”).
Typically, terms used for family members (e.g., “I gave my mom a gift”) are common nouns. If they are used in place of a name, however, they function as proper nouns (e.g., “This gift is for Mom”).
If a noun is used to replace a name, as in the example of familial terms such as “mom,” it must be capitalized. Familial names used as proper nouns, or as part of a proper noun, do not take any determiner or article (e.g., “Give this to your uncle” vs. “Give this to Uncle John”).
I want to be like Aunt Cora when I’m her age.
Common nouns can also become proper nouns when they are used as part of a specific titleholder or officeholder’s name (e.g., “my professor” vs. “Professor Aguilar”).
During his time as president, President Macron has implemented numerous reforms.
Nouns that designate compass directions (e.g., “east,” “northwest”) are treated as proper nouns in two scenarios: when they carry a specific cultural connotation (e.g., “the West,” “the Far East”) or when they refer to a specific, recognizable regional name (e.g., “Phoenix is in the Southwest,” “We visited the South of France”).
Western Asia has been referred to as the Near East.
We’re taking a tour of South America.
In contrast, other words that were once proper nouns have become common nouns, such as “cellophane” (once trademarked by DuPont) and “granola” (a brand name once owned by Kellogg). Brand names tend to become generic over time when the name becomes associated with a category of product rather than a specific brand.
Academic concepts are generally common nouns
Abstract academic concepts are typically common nouns. In most cases, they should not be capitalized. The names of models, theories, frameworks, and disciplines are not by default given the same capitalization treatment as literary works, for example. Even if there is a proper noun in a model or theory’s name (e.g., an author’s surname), the common nouns surrounding it typically should not be capitalized.
We discussed Faraday’s law of induction in today’s physics lab.
She was interested in French postmodernism, post-structuralism, and postcolonialism.
The Schrödinger equation paved the way for modern quantum mechanics.
Common nouns quiz
Test your knowledge of common nouns using the quiz below. Select the correct answer for each question.
Frequently asked questions about common nouns
- What’s the difference between common and proper nouns?
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A common noun is not capitalized, as it names a category of person, place, thing, or concept. Common nouns often require articles (e.g., “a”) or determiners (e.g., “many,” “his”).
In contrast, a proper noun is capitalized and names a specific person, place, thing, or concept. Most common nouns don’t require an article, but some require “the” (e.g., “the Great Lakes”).
- Are academic concepts capitalized?
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In general, academic concepts are not capitalized; most are common nouns. This includes disciplines, models, theories, and frameworks (e.g., “string theory,” “existentialism”).
Common nouns are not capitalized even when they are used alongside proper nouns or adjectives (which are always capitalized) in the name of an academic concept (e.g., “Newton’s laws,” “Juvenalian satire”).
QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker can help you make sure you’re using capitalization correctly.
