Common Noun: Definition, Examples, List and Exercise

In this post, you will learn about common noun definition, examples, lists, and exercises.

Let’s take a dive into it!

Common Noun

• Definition
• Common Noun Examples
• Types of Common Noun
• Common Nouns List
• Common Noun Vs Proper Noun
• Exercise

Definition

A common noun is a generic word used to denote a thing, a place or a person.

The common noun is capitalized if it comes at the start of the sentence. It can be abstract, collective or concrete.

You can see it every where around you like, house, road, bike etc.

For example,

• A car is moving on the road.
• My house is located in the mid of the city.
• I am sitting on a chair.

A noun is categorized into two main types i.e. common noun and proper noun.

The common noun denotes things generally while proper nouns are the specific names of the things, places, or person.

Common Noun Examples

Look at the following examples. The bold word indicates a common noun in each example.

1. I bought a laptop yesterday.
2. Michael lives in Sydney. He is my fast friend.
3. Fiji is a beautiful island. It is a great place to visit.
4. I see a lot of people in the park every morning.
5. She bought some new utensils.
6. He is a humble man.
7. The sailor is rowing the boat.
8. My house is one kilometer away from the park.
9. Santah is reading a novel.
10. He has been living in this city for 10 years.

Types of Common Noun

Possessive common noun

Possessive common noun shows the ownership of a common noun, it can be quality, thing or idea. We use apostrophe and ‘s’ with the common noun. For example, man’s fate, bike’s color.

Singular common noun

A singular common noun indicates a single person, thing, or place. For example, a desk, a chair, or a man.

Plural common noun

Plural common noun shows plural items like chairs, desks, persons or places.

Common Nouns List

Here is a category wise list of common nouns

People

• aunt
• businessman
• daughter
• son
• brother
• sister
• mother
• father
• president
• salesman
• man
• woman

Animals

• bird
• elephant
• lion
• cat
• dog
• reptile
• mammal

Places

• forest
• park
• road
• countryside
• sea-shore
• city
• state
• house
• office

Things

• bed
• chair
• fan
• table
• bottle
• glass
• pencil
• book
• computer
• laptop
• utensils

Feelings

• love
• hate
• angry
• pride

Common Noun Vs Proper Noun

It is very easy to distinguish between a common noun and a proper noun. By reading these easy to understand the difference, you will be able to distinguish between a common noun and a proper noun.

Common Noun	Proper Noun
The generic word used to name a thing, a person, or a place.	The specific name of a person, a place, or a thing.
A common noun is a lowercase word. It is capitalized only when comes at the start of the sentence.	Proper nouns are always capitalized whether we write at the start of a sentence or at the beginning.
These are general names.	These are specific names.
Not every common noun has a proper noun. For example, hate ->?	Every proper noun has a common noun. For example, Jon->Man
Examples: man, women, city, country	Examples: Washington DC, Diana, Michael

Exercise

Find the common noun in the given sentences.

1. Laura baked the cookies. ( __________ )
2. The cat was sitting under the table. ( __________ )
3. I have a large collection of books. ( __________ )
4. She takes fresh juice every morning. ( __________ )
5. Tom loves to ride the horse. ( __________ )
6. He reads the newspaper every morning. ( __________ )
7. In which country do you live? ( __________ )
8. Her mother bought him a beautiful present. ( __________ )
9. Bob is a very good painter. ( __________ )
10. I was flying the kite yesterday. ( __________ )

Answers

1. cookies
2. cat, table
3. books
4. juice
5. horse
6. newspaper
7. country
8. mother, present
9. painter
10. kite

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Further Reading

• What is a noun? Types of nouns with examples
• 50 Sentences of Nouns
• Common and proper nouns
• Parts of Speech Guide for Beginners