What Is a Common Noun? I Explanation, Examples, & Exercise

What Is a Common Noun?

In the English language nouns can be classified into two main categories: common nouns and proper nouns. A common noun is a generic or a general name for a person, place, thing, or idea, unlike a proper noun for which names are specified. These could be for an individual, animal, place/ location, or entity. A common noun is not capitalized unless it appears at the beginning of a sentence or appears in a title.

Common nouns are further categorized into three types - concrete, abstract, or collective.

• Concrete nouns represent tangible objects that can be perceived through the senses (sight, touch, taste, smell, hearing).
• Abstract noun meaning is simple, it involves general ideas or qualities that can not be perceived through the senses.
• A collective noun is a word that refers to a group of people, animals, or things, treated as a single unit.

 Common Noun Definition 

1. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, a common noun is “the name of a group of similar things, such as "table" or "book", and not of a single person, place, or thing.”
2. As per the Britannica dictionary a word (such as “singer,” “ocean,” or “car”) that refers to a person, place, or thing but that is not the name of a particular person, place, or thing is known as a common noun.
3. Common noun definition, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is a noun that may occur with limiting modifiers (such as a or an, some, every, and my) and that designates any one of a class of beings or things. 

Examples of Common Nouns in Different Contexts 

Common nouns are general terms for people, places, things, or ideas. Here are examples of common noun used in various contexts. 

Common Nouns Referring to Humans 

1. Girl
2. Boy
3. Male
4. Female
5. Teacher
6. Doctor
7. Individual
8. Child
9. Woman
10. Man
11. Citizen
12. Cousin
13. Lawyer
14. Nurse
15. Author 

Common Nouns Referring to Animals 

1. Elephant
2. Cat
3. Dog
4. Pet
5. Goat
6. Horse
7. Pig
8. Donkey
9. Chimpanzee
10. Animal
11. Cow
12. Calf
13. Pup
14. Kitten 

Common Nouns Referring to Birds 

1. Dove
2. Crow
3. Pelican
4. Flamingo
5. Duck
6. Goose
7. Swan
8. Cuckoo
9. Sparrow
10. Hummingbird
11. Eagle
12. Vulture 

Common Nouns Referring to Insects 

1. Housefly
2. Mosquito
3. Grasshopper
4. Honeybee
5. Stick insect
6. Insect
7. Wasp
8. Ant
9. Beetle
10. Butterfly 

Common Nouns Referring to Reptiles 

1. Snake
2. Crocodile
3. Alligator
4. Monitor lizard
5. Chameleon 

Common Nouns Referring to Places

1. College
2. Airport
3. School
4. Railway Station
5. Court
6. Terminus
7. Street
8. City
9. State
10. District
11. Junction
12. Bus Stand
13. Clinic
14. Store
15. Playground 

Common Nouns Referring to Things/Objects 

1. Stationery
2. Water bottle
3. Car
4. Book
5. Chair
6. Table
7. Spray
8. Plant
9. Necklace
10. Tie
11. Shoes
12. Orange
13. Cucumber
14. Thread
15. Pant 

Common Nouns Referring to Ideas 

1. Truth
2. Grace
3. Discovery
4. Cleanliness
5. Poverty
6. Movement
7. Idea
8. Though
9. Feeling
10. Expression
11. War
12. Peace
13. Anger
14. Empathy
15. Democracy 

These were a few common noun examples for different contexts. Further, look at how these can be used in sentences. 

Examples of Common Nouns Used in Sentences 

This section covers common noun examples in sentences for your reference. Common nouns are  bold in this example.

1. I did not go to work yesterday as I was sick.
2. Where can I find a toilet?
3. The car is not working properly.
4. The girl looks really good.
5. The women took a trip to Goa.
6. Do you want to go to the museum with me?
7. Tanya repaired her new cycle.
8. The man was arrested for stealing my card.
9. Mom asked me to get a cake.
10. America offers a good environment to its citizens. 

These were a few common noun sentences. Further, let us understand the difference between common and proper nouns. 

Common Nouns vs. Proper Nouns 

Here’s the difference between common and proper nouns. 

Common Noun 

1. Common nouns are general names for types of people, places, things, or ideas.
2. Not capitalized unless at the beginning of a sentence or in a title.
3. Examples: city, dog, book, happiness, cat. 

Proper Noun 

1. Proper nouns are specific names of people, places, things, or ideas.
2. These are always capitalized.
3. Examples: London, Dhruv, The Taj Mahal, Google. 

Common Nouns That Can Become Proper Nouns 

There are a few English grammar rules for common nouns to become proper. When common nouns are used as specific names, as part of a name, or titles then they are called as proper noun. Therefore, they must be capitalized. Following are a few examples: 

1. Family roles like "Grandma" become proper when used as a direct name (e.g., "I called Grandma").
2. Titles such as "president" or "professor" are capitalized when used with a specific person's name or as a title (e.g., "President Lincoln", “Professor Sharma”).
3. Cardinal directions like "north," "south," "east," and "west" become proper nouns when part of a specific place name or cultural/political context (e.g., "South Pole", “North Pole”).
4. Common nouns used in names of places, organizations, or works (e.g., "Mall Road," "The Modi School of Medicine") are capitalized as proper nouns.
5. Brand names or specific entities derived from common nouns (e.g., "Oreos" from "cookie," "San Francisco" from "city") are proper nouns.

A common noun becomes a proper noun when used as a unique identifier or name, and it is then capitalized according to the context. 

Exercise to Test Your Knowledge of Common Nouns 

Here is an exercise for your practice. You may read the instructions below and solve these ten questions. Further, the answer key is also provided to check your answers. 

Directions: Identify the common nouns in each sentence. 

1. The dog barked loudly at me.
2. My mother made a delicious cake for my birthday.
3. Children are playing football at a park.
4. We must respect all our teachers.
5. We visited a museum during our trip.
6. The car stopped at the red light.
7. Doctors are trained to cure patients.
8. Birds were singing in the trees.
9. The girl read a book under the lamp.
10. The farmer grows rice in the field. 

Answer Key: 

1. dog
2. cake
3. park
4. teachers
5. museum
6. car
7. doctors, patients
8. birds, trees
9. girl, book, lamp
10. farmer 

Conclusion 

To wrap up, the blog covered common noun definition, a few examples that can be used in different contexts, and some example sentences. These are an essential part of English grammar. Thus, to learn these, you may seek professional help from Gradding as our experts provide excellent coaching. Further, you may even practice with our common and proper noun worksheet to score well. 

FAQ’s 

1. Can Proper Nouns Become Common Nouns? 

Yes, proper nouns sometimes become so general in their meaning that they turn into common nouns. When a proper noun, originally referring to a specific person, place, or thing, becomes widely used to refer to a general class or type of thing. 

2. What Are Some Common Mistakes Students Make with Common Nouns? 

There are several mistakes that students make with common nouns some of these include: 

• Incorrect pluralization, especially with uncountable nouns which are always plural like sand, water, information, and furniture.
• Students may use the wrong verb tense when a noun is singular or plural, collective nouns like team, group, and family can be singular or plural depending on the context.
• Using the wrong pronouns with singular or plural nouns, misplaced modifiers, and articles could lead to confusing sentences. 

3. Is a Common Noun a Countable Noun or an Uncountable Noun? 

A common noun can be either countable or uncountable. Whether it's countable or uncountable depends on the specific word and its context. For example, "car" is a countable common noun, while "sand" is an uncountable common noun.