Common Noun: Dentition, Types, Rules and Exceptions, Exercise Questions with Answers

Common Noun refers to the name of a category of something, but not the specific name. In general, Common Nouns refer to generic terms of places, animals, transport, ideas, etc. While Proper Noun is the particular name for someone or something, Common Nouns are the generic terms assigned. Common Nouns need not be cpitalised.

Take a look at some of the examples of Common Nouns below:

• I have travelled to seven countries so far.
• I love reading books.
• My aunt has bought a new house.
• The garden is filled with different types of flowers.
• The colour of my car is red.

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Common Noun is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as, “A word such as table, cat or sea, that refers to an object or a thing but is not the name of a particular person, place or thing.”

Pronunciation: /ˌkɒmən ˈnaʊn

Common Noun Definition by Collins Dictionary

Collins Dictionary has defined Common Noun as, “A common noun is a noun such as 'tree', 'water', or ' beauty' that is not the name of one particular person or thing.”

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Common Nouns can be broadly classified into seven types. These are described below.

1. Common Nouns of People 

This type of Common Noun signifies either a relation or a profession. Common Noun of People also signifies the gender of people or professionals.

Examples:

• My mother is the best woman I have ever seen.
• I don’t like naughty children at all.
• I have several favourite authors.
• I am really scared to visit the dentist.
• My sister is a wonderful singer.

2. Common Noun of Places

Common Noun of places can refer to any place or geographical location, such as cities, states, countries, or a particular location, such as schools, park, office, etc.

Examples:

• Due to my father’s transferable job, I have stayed in several cities.
• I go to the park every day for a morning walk.
• I have an important meeting at the office
• I have an appointment at the hospital
• Rohit never skips school, as he loves studying.

3. Common Noun of Things

Common Noun of Things can be considered as one of the widely used types of nouns which can refer to any object or things, or non-living objects. These can either be everyday-use items or specific tools or objects used for specialised usage.

Examples:

• Pen is mightier than sword.
• My laptop carries important data of my company.
• I am changing the furniture in my house.
• I cannot leave home without taking my mobile phone and keys.
• Riya’s room is scattered with toys.

4. Common Noun of Animals

Common Noun of animals refer to different species of animals, but not a particular name or breeds for those, or proper nouns of animals. These are used while talking about animals or living beings apart from human beings in a generic manner.

Examples:

• Tiger is the national animal of India.
• Dogs are man’s best friend.
• Birds migrate to warmer countries during winters.
• We must keep our house clean so that there are no
• Butterflies are fluttering their colourful wings.

5. Common Noun of Ideas (H3)

This type of Common Noun refers to different ideas or concepts, or general thoughts that are used in regular conversation. These are abstract concepts and not physical or tangible objects. These refer to our feelings or knowledge, or beliefs.

Examples:

• Honesty is the best policy.
• I love the smell of soil after rain.
• I believe that truth will triumph.
• Staying alone in a new city has made me independent.
• Intelligence is one of the qualities I look for in a potential candidate.

6. Common Noun of Events

Common Noun of events refer to different occasions, functions in terms of cultural or historical. This type of Common Noun generally indicates a gathering of people for a specific purpose or occasion.

Examples:

• Tina has invited all her friends to her 10^th birthday party.
• The class is busy for the Republic Day Parade
• Mr Rao has invited the entire city to his daughter’s wedding.
• Samar is travelling to Mumbai to attend a conference.
• There were a lot of casualties in the war.

7. Common Noun of Natural Elements 

This type of Common Noun refers to natural elements such as air, water, rain, wind, snow, etc. These are not any specific natural elements involving Proper Nouns such as Mount Everest or the Himalayas.

Examples:

• Monsoon is my favourite season.
• I love listening to the sound of the ocean.
• We used to visit the mountains during summer vacations during childhood.
• The air in the countryside is so fresh and pure!
• The sky is filled with clouds

While Common Nouns can be seemingly easy, there are certain rules around them. Here we bring the rules of Common Noun.

• Common Nouns are generic names or terms: Unlike Proper Nouns, Common Nouns must be generic terms or a name of the category or group. These are not used for naming something specific. For example, The classroom is filled with students. Here, classroom and students are generic terms and no specific class or student name has been mentioned here.
• No need to capitalise the first letter: Since Common Nouns are generic names, there is no need to write the first letter of the word capital. For example, Varun is going to school. Here, school is a Common Noun, hence, it is not written in capital letter.
• Usage of Articles and Determiners: Since Common Nouns do not refer to anything specific, Articles such as ‘a’, ‘an', and ‘the’ or Determiners like ‘some’, ‘many’ or ‘few’ are used in the sentence. For example, the sky is clear today. Here, sky is the Common Noun, and ‘the’ is the Article prefixed to it.
• Quantification of Common Nouns: The Common Noun can be either singular or plural, such as book (singular) and plural (books). Common Nouns can also be Countable Nouns (chair, table) or Uncountable Nouns (water, sand, rice).

Examples:

1. The chair of my study table has broken. (Countable Common Noun).
2. The gravy has too much salt in it. (Uncountable Common Noun).

Special Cases and Exceptions of Common Noun

There are certain exceptions to the Common Noun rules:

• Capitalisation: While Common Nouns are not capitalised, in certain scenarios, such as in literature, political or religious contexts, certain Common Nouns are capitalised.

Example:

1. The King has arrived at the court.
2. Rebecca is going to Church to attend the Sunday prayer.

Here, King and Church are Common Nouns, but in specific contexts, can be capitalised to infer importance or significance to these words.

• Articles and Determiners are not always used: Articles and Determiners are not used every time while using Common Nouns. For example, life is beautiful. Here, Life is common noun, but it is not prefixed with articles or determiners. Another example can be, I have stopped sugar. Here, sugar is an Uncountable Noun, but does not have any determiners before it.

Common Nouns are closely connected to Proper Nouns. The table below highlights the differences between Common Nouns and Proper Nouns.

Parameter	Common Noun	Proper Noun
Definition	Common Nouns are terms or names given to objects, people, places or ideas.	Proper Noun is the specific name given to people, animals, places, etc.
Purpose	It is used to refer to generic and non-specific things.	It is used to refer to a specific person or place, or living beings.
Capitalisation Rule	The first letter of Common Nouns need not be capitalised.	The first letter of Proper Nouns must be capitalised.
Examples	Tree, water, air, school, dog, table.	Amit, Aarti, Bruno, New Delhi, St. Paul’s School

Here we bring some preparation tips for Common Noun, which would help you improve usage and identification of this Noun.

• Understand the concepts: First and foremost, you must understand the concept of Common Noun and where and how it is used, and its various types.
• Know the difference with other Noun types: Common Noun can be confusing other Noun types. Hence, you must understand the differences so that you can easily identify Common Noun and use or practice accordingly.
• Learn different types of Common Noun: To avoid confusion, it is best to know different types of Common Nouns with examples. Using flash cards can be a good method to memorise The table below brings the types of Common Nouns along with examples.

• Read literature and grammar books: Reading is another method to understand and learn and understand the usages and examples of Common Noun. After understanding the concept of Common Noun, identify different types of Common Noun from reading different books or other reading materials such as newspapers, magazines, etc. Read a paragraph and highlight or underline Common Nouns.
• Practice: Practice as much as possible from different sources, such as grammar books or other online practice materials. Solve different types of questions related to Common Nouns, such as fill in the blanks, matching or sorting to get a complete understanding.

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By now, you must have understood the concept of Common Noun along with the rules and exceptions. Here we bring a few tricks to identify Common Nouns in a sentence.

• Look for generic terms: Look for generic terms of living beings, places, objects, etc. in the sentence or a group name such as school, bus, umbrella, classroom, teacher, doctor, etc. When there is a term for something, someone or some place or even an idea or concept such as courage, strength, love, etc., they are all Common Nouns.
• Common Nouns are generally not capitalised: In general, Common Noun first letter is not capitalised, unless there is an exception, or it is the first letter of the sentence. For example, Bharat is going to his hometown after one year. Here, hometown is the Common Noun; hence, it is not capitalised.
• Use of Articles and Determiners: Common Nouns are generally prefixed with articles and determiners. Hence, if you identify a noun which follows an Article or Determiner, it is most likely to be a Common Noun. For example, Rina is walking by the seashore. Here, seashore is a Common Noun, which is preceded by 'the', which is an Article.
• Check for Category: Another way to identify a Common Noun is by identifying the category of the word, for example, if it signifies a person or animal or place or event. If it is a specific name, then it would be a Proper Noun; otherwise, it will be identified as a Common Noun. For example, a Banyan tree is a Common Noun, but the Great Banyan Tree is a Proper Noun given to a specific tree in the Botanical Garden, Kolkata.
• Other forms of Nouns can also be Common Nouns: Other forms of Nouns, such as Collective Noun, Concrete Noun or Abstract Noun, can also be common Nouns. For example, Collective Common Nouns can be class, team, shoal, group, etc. On the other hand, Concrete Common Noun examples will be table, chair, dog, cat, cycle, bus, etc.