You already know that nouns are naming words. Now you will discover something fascinating: some nouns are general names and some nouns are special, specific names. And the special ones wear a capital letter!
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Two Kinds of Nouns
Lesson 1 of 3 — The Big Idea
All nouns are naming words. But some names belong to everyone, and some names belong to just one special thing.
Think about the word bird. It is the name for a whole group of animals. There are millions of birds in the world. The word bird belongs to all of them. This is a common noun.
Now think about Tweety. That is the name of one specific, particular bird. Only one bird in the whole world is called Tweety. This is a proper noun.
I saw a bird in the garden.
My bird is called Tweety.
The common noun bird uses a small letter. The proper noun Tweety starts with a capital letter.
That is the key rule: proper nouns always start with a capital letter. Common nouns use small letters in the middle of a sentence.
Common and Proper: Side by Side
Lesson 2 of 3 — Pairs and Examples
Every proper noun has a matching common noun. Look at these pairs carefully.
city→Dubaione specific city
boy→Omarone specific boy
river→Amazonone specific river
country→Brazilone specific country
month→Januaryone specific month
day→Mondayone specific day
school→Cedar Schoolone specific school
mountain→Everestone specific mountain
Common noun: a general name shared by a whole group.
Proper noun: the special name of ONE particular person, place, or thing. Always starts with a capital letter.
What Gets a Capital Letter?
Lesson 3 of 3 — All the Categories
Proper nouns appear in many different places. Here are all the things that use a capital letter because they are proper nouns.
👤Names of PeopleSara, Ali, Ahmed, Maria, Tom, Zara
🌎Names of PlacesAfrica, Tokyo, Cairo, the Nile, Pacific Ocean
📅Days of the WeekMonday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
🌴Months of the YearJanuary, March, August, September, December
🏘Names of BuildingsTower of London, Eiffel Tower, Golden Gate Bridge
📚Titles of BooksCharlotte's Web, The Lion and the Mouse
Quick memory trick: ask yourself, "Is this the name of ONE specific thing?" If yes, it is a proper noun and it needs a capital letter.
🎨 Activity 1: Paint the Proper Nouns
Tap all proper nouns0 / 5
Each sentence below has some words. Tap every word that is a proper noun to paint it purple. When you are happy with your choices, press Check.
Well done! You have completed all five sentences. Proper nouns stand out when you know what to look for.
✏️ Activity 2: Fix the Capital Letters
Rewrite with corrections
Each sentence below has a mistake. The proper nouns have been written with small letters by accident. Type the corrected sentence in the box. All other words should stay the same.
Excellent work! Proper nouns always wear their capital letters with pride.
🎯 Activity 3: Match the Pairs
Common noun to its proper noun
Each common noun on the left matches with a proper noun on the right. Tap one word from each side to make a pair.
Common Nouns
Proper Nouns
🚫 Activity 4: Silly Street Signs
Correct or wrong?
Someone painted these signs in Noun Town. Some signs have the capital letters right and some are wrong. Tap each sign and decide: is it written correctly?