1. Proper and Common Nouns
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TEACHERS UNLEASHED

2. What are common nouns?
A common noun is a noun that refers to a person, place, or thing.
Common nouns can be in singular form (one), or plural form (more than one).
Common nouns use ONLY lower case letters.

3. Examples of Common Nouns
person  teacher
place  school
thing  apple

4. What are proper nouns?
A proper noun is a SPECIFIC name of a person, place, or thing.
The first letter of a proper noun ALWAYS has a capital letter.

5. Many nouns are considered proper nouns… Let’s take a closer look…

6. Names of Months and Days
January, February, March, April, May,
June, July, August, September, October,
November, and December
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday,
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday

7. Names of Companies
Microsoft
Nike
Converse
Walmart
Kellogg’s

8. Names of People Tiger Woods Benjamin Franklin Barack Obama
Albert Einstein
Lady Gaga

9. Los Angeles, California Sunnyvale Elementary School
Names of Places
Los Angeles, California
Sunnyvale Elementary School
Great Wall of China
Honeytown Park
Disneyland

10. President George Washington General Dwight D. Eisenhower
Titles of People
President George Washington
Dr. Henry Heimlich
Ms. Oprah Winfrey
Mr. Neil Armstrong
General Dwight D. Eisenhower

11. Names of books, newspapers,
plays, magazines, etc.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
The New York Times
Romeo and Juliet
Time Magazine

12. Time to
Practice!

13. Dr. Brown was reading the Boston Times, where he found an article
Find the proper nouns in the sentence that need to be capitalized.
Dr. Brown was reading the Boston
Times, where he found an article
on new bacteria.
dr. brown was reading the boston
times, where he found an article
on new bacteria.

14. Sandra and Mike wanted to go to Burger King to get a hamburger.
Find the proper nouns in the sentence that need to be capitalized.
Sandra and Mike wanted to go to
Burger King to get a hamburger.
sandra and mike wanted to go to
burger king to get a hamburger.

15. President Abraham Lincoln was shot in Ford’s Theatre in April of 1865.
Find the proper nouns in the sentence that need to be capitalized.
President Abraham Lincoln was
shot in Ford’s Theatre in April
of 1865.
president abraham lincoln was
shot in ford’s theatre in april
of 1865.

16. Mrs. Cooper loves to read the story Captain Underpants to her
Find the proper nouns in the sentence that need to be capitalized.
Mrs. Cooper loves to read the
story Captain Underpants to her
students at Greenbrook Elementary.
mrs. cooper loves to read the
story captain underpants to her
students at greenbrook elementary.

17. On Saturday, Julia and James are going to Hawthorn Movie Theater
Find the proper nouns in the sentence that need to be capitalized.
On Saturday, Julia and James are
going to Hawthorn Movie Theater
to see ‘Toy Story 2’.
On saturday, julia and james are
going to hawthorn movie theater
to see ‘toy story 2’.

18. In June, the Mitchell family will
Find the proper nouns in the sentence that need to be capitalized.
In June, the Mitchell family will
take a trip to Orlando, Florida to go
to the amusement park, Busch
Gardens.
In june, the mitchell family will
take a trip to orlando, florida to go
to the amusement park, busch
gardens.

19. Now that you have a better understanding of common
and proper nouns, let’s see if
you can handle some test questions.

20. Which noun below is a common noun and should start with a lowercase letter?
Pepsi
Sprite
Dr. Pepper
Soda

21. Which noun below is a common noun and should start with a lowercase letter?
Holiday
Christmas
Thanksgiving
Halloween

22. Which noun below is a common noun and should start with a lowercase letter?
Sleeping Beauty
Snow White
Princess
Cinderella

23. Which noun below is a common noun and should start with a lowercase letter?
Library
Mrs. Brower
Judy Blume
Scholastic Books

24. Which noun below is a proper noun and should be capitalized?
dinosaur
fossil
tyrannosaurus rex
caveman

25. Which noun below is a proper noun and should be capitalized?
skateboard
tony hawk
wheelie
half pipe

26. Which noun below is a proper noun and should be capitalized?
alien
saturn
spaceship
meteor

27. Which noun below is a proper noun and should be capitalized?
tinkerbell
dust
fairy
wand

28. Which proper noun is written incorrectly?
Mr. Babe Ruth
Cracker Jacks
New York City, new york
New York Yankees

29. Which proper noun is written incorrectly?
Disneyland
Mickey Mouse
Anaheim, California
Splash mountain

30. Which noun below should be capitalized because it is a proper noun?
french fries
double cheeseburger
chocolate shake
wonder burger restaurant

31. Which noun below should be capitalized because it is a proper noun?
neil armstrong
astronaut
asteroid
space mission

32. Which noun below should NOT be capitalized because it is NOT a proper noun?
The White House
President J.F. Kennedy
Government
First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy

33. Which noun below should NOT be capitalized because it is NOT a proper noun?
R.L. Stine
Mystery
Goosebumps
Tales of Suspense for Boys

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