Exercises

Nouns – Proper and Common

• A proper noun is a noun that represents a unique entity (James Edwards, England, The University of North Carolina). Proper nouns are usually capitalized.

• A common noun is a noun that represents a class of things.

Example: Maria’s cat is named Boo Kitty.

In this example, “Maria” and “Boo Kitty” are proper nouns because they represent a unique entity. There is only one Maria, and only one Boo Kitty being referenced. Cat is a common noun because it represents a class of animal. There are thousands of cats in the world.

Directions: Circle the proper nouns below.

Elephant   India   Jazz    Baseball     New York

Dr. Willimas   Home    School   The Olympics   Tennis

Directions: Underline the proper nouns and circle the common nouns in the following
sentences.

1) The house is in Africa.

2) The Ford truck is missing one door.

3) I am from Belize.

4) Jaime lives at 108 Spring St.

5) Monaco is an expensive city.

6) The Bulls won the game last night.

7) Basketball is so fun.

8) “Mrs. Peach needed to know my phone number,” said Juan.

9) Alamance Community College is a nice school.

10) Birds are my favorite animals.

Directions: Use the proper nouns in the box below to make two sentences.

Mt. McKinley Old River China Mr. Anderson Thomas Colorado Jupiter Nike

1) _____________________________________________________________________

2) _____________________________________________________________________

Directions: Now make your one sentences using proper and common nouns.

1) _____________________________________________________________________

2) _____________________________________________________________________