Common & Proper Nouns
Common nouns name any person, place, or thing. Proper nouns name a specific person, place, or thing and always start with a capital letter.
What You'll Learn
- How to tell the difference between common nouns and proper nouns
- That proper nouns like names, days, and months always start with a capital letter
- How to spot and fix missing capital letters
When to Use
- Names of people: "Sarah is my best friend." (Sarah is a proper noun)
- Days of the week: "We have art class on Wednesday." (Wednesday is a proper noun)
- Months of the year: "My birthday is in June." (June is a proper noun)
- Names of places: "I live in Singapore." (Singapore is a proper noun)
How to Form
Common Nouns vs Proper Nouns
| Common Noun | Proper Noun | Why is it proper? |
|---|---|---|
| girl | Lisa | A specific girl |
| boy | Ali | A specific boy |
| school | Raffles | A specific school |
| day | Monday | A specific day |
| month | March | A specific month |
| country | Singapore | A specific country |
Days and Months Are Always Proper Nouns
| Days of the Week | Months of the Year |
|---|---|
| Monday | January |
| Tuesday | February |
| Wednesday | March |
| Thursday | April |
| Friday | May |
| Saturday | June |
| Sunday | July |
| August | |
| September | |
| October | |
| November | |
| December |
Key Rules
- Proper nouns always start with a capital letter: Write Monday, not monday. Write June, not june.
- Common nouns use lowercase: Words like "dog", "school", and "park" do not need capital letters unless they start a sentence.
- Names of people are proper nouns: Your name, your friend's name, and your teacher's name all start with capital letters. Example: Mrs Tan, Rahul.
- Days and months are proper nouns: All seven days and all twelve months start with a capital letter. But seasons (like "spring", "summer", "autumn", and "winter") do not need a capital letter.
Common Mistakes
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
| I will visit grandma on saturday. | I will visit Grandma on Saturday. | "Grandma" is used as a name here, so it needs a capital letter; days of the week also need a capital letter |
| My birthday is in august. | My birthday is in August. | Months need a capital letter |
| ali and mei ling are friends. | Ali and Mei Ling are friends. | Names of people need capital letters |
| The Dog is cute. | The dog is cute. | "Dog" is a common noun, no capital letter needed |
Clue Words
Words that are always proper nouns:
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
Words that tell you a proper noun is nearby:
Mr, Mrs, Miss, Mdm, Dr
Tip: Ask yourself: "Does this word name a specific person, day, month, or place?" If yes, start it with a capital letter!
Practice Tips
- The capital letter test: Read your sentence. Every name, day, and month should start with a capital letter.
- Swap test: Can you replace the word with a name? "The boy ran." -- "Ali ran." If you can, the word is a common noun. If the word is already a name, it is a proper noun.
- Circle and check: Circle all the nouns in your sentence. For each one, ask: "Is this a general word or a specific name?" Specific names get capital letters.
Quick Reference
| Type | Starts with | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Common noun | lowercase (a, b, c) | girl, school, day, month, city |
| Proper noun | capital letter (A, B, C) | Lisa, Raffles Primary, Monday, June, Singapore |
| Always Proper | Examples |
|---|---|
| Names of people | Ali, Sarah, Mrs Tan |
| Days of the week | Monday, Friday, Sunday |
| Months of the year | January, March, December |
| Names of places | Singapore, Jurong East, Sentosa |