Overview
A noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. Nouns fall into two main groups: common nouns and proper nouns. Knowing the difference tells you when to use a capital letter and which articles to use.
1. Common Nouns
A common noun refers to a general class of people, places, things, or ideas. It is not capitalised (unless it begins a sentence).
| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Person | teacher, doctor, child, friend |
| Place | city, river, school, country |
| Thing | book, table, car, phone |
| Idea | love, happiness, freedom, danger |
- I spoke to a teacher.
- She lives near a river.
- He bought a new car.
2. Proper Nouns
A proper noun names a specific, unique person, place, organisation, or title. It is always capitalised, regardless of where it appears in a sentence.
| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Person | Marie Curie, Barack Obama |
| Place | London, the Mekong River, Vietnam |
| Organisation | UNESCO, Google, Oxford University |
| Day / Month | Monday, January |
| Title + name | Doctor Smith, President Lincoln |
| Language / Nationality | English, Vietnamese, French |
- I spoke to Doctor Smith.
- She lives near the Mekong River.
- He works at Google.
3. Key Capitalisation Rules
| Rule | Correct | Incorrect |
|---|---|---|
| Specific person | Marie Curie | marie curie |
| Specific place | Paris | paris |
| Day of the week | Monday | monday |
| Month | July | july |
| Language | English | english |
| Nationality | Vietnamese | vietnamese |
| Title before name | President Lincoln | president lincoln |
| Title without name | the president (general) | — |
4. Articles with Common vs. Proper Nouns
| Type | Article | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Common noun (singular countable) | a / an / the | a city, the teacher |
| Common noun (plural / uncountable) | the / ∅ | cities are busy, love is blind |
| Proper noun (most) | ∅ (no article) | London, Marie Curie |
| Proper noun (rivers, seas, mountain ranges) | the | the Thames, the Pacific |
| Proper noun (plural countries/organisations) | the | the Netherlands, the UN |
5. Common Mistakes
| Mistake | Correction | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| i live in london | I live in London | Proper nouns always capitalised |
| She is a Doctor Smith | She is Doctor Smith | No article before title + name |
| He studies the english | He studies English | Languages need no article |
| Let's meet on monday | Let's meet on Monday | Days always capitalised |
| She is vietnamese | She is Vietnamese | Nationalities always capitalised |
6. Real-World Examples
- My sister is a nurse at St Mary's Hospital. (common + common + proper)
- We flew from Ho Chi Minh City to London on a Tuesday in April.
- Professor Nguyen teaches Vietnamese literature at the university.
Summary
| Feature | Common Noun | Proper Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Names | A general class | A specific, unique entity |
| Capitalisation | Only at start of sentence | Always |
| Article | a / an / the / ∅ | Usually ∅ (some exceptions) |
| Examples | city, teacher, river | Paris, Dr Smith, the Nile |