What is Proper Noun? Meaning, Types, Rules, Examples and Exercises with Answers

A proper noun names a unique individual, location, organisation or object rather than a general thing.  They help in distinguishing a particular entity from others in the same category.

For instance, while ‘city’ is a common noun referring to any city, ‘New York City’ is a proper noun as it refers to a specific city. Students can read some of the examples below.

Examples:

• Sita left for New York city this afternoon.
• I work with Google, while he works with NASA
• Her favourite movie is Titanic

In the sentences above, the words in bold refer to proper noun as they talk about something unique.

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According to Collinsdictionary.com, “A proper noun is the name of a particular person, place, organization, or thing. Proper nouns begin with a capital letter. Examples are ' Margaret', ' London', and 'the United Nations'.”

According to the Oxford Learner's Dictionaries, “A proper noun, is a word that names a specific person, place, or thing, and it is always capitalized in English. It is also sometimes referred to as a proper name. Examples include:

Tom loves to ride a bicycle.

Mrs. Jones takes a biscuit with tea.

The White House is situated in Washington DC.

“Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" by J.K. Rowling is my favourite book.

Proper Noun Pronunciation: praw·puh nawn

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There are seven types of proper nouns in English. These are bifurcated into names, titles of people, places, calendar days, holidays, brands and organisations, and titles of works. Let us read more about them below:

Names

These include names of individual people. Pets name are also proper nouns and require capitalization.

For example:

• Albert Einstein is famous for developing the theory of relativity.
• Robert is my cousin.

Titles of people

These refer to the titles used with names like Mr., Dr., President, Prime Minister etc.

Example:

• Dr. Mehta is our family cardiologist.
• At the event, our Prime Minster Narendra Modi was the chief guest.

Places

These refer to specific places, including countries, states, cities, and other specific locations.

For example:

• Taj Mahal is located in Agra, India
• I love travelling to New York.

Calendar days

In English grammar, days of the week and months like August, Saturday, Monday are proper nouns and so are capitalized.

Example:

• We will be working this Saturday.
• It rained continuously in August this year.

Holidays

Days such as Christmas, Diwali, Holi are proper nouns.

Example:

• Diwali is the festival of lights.
• I love decorating the tree during Christmas.

Brand and Organisations names

Names of companies, institutions and brands are proper nouns and are capitalized. Examples: Google, InfoEdge, Dell etc.

For example:

• My brother is the CEO of Amazon.
• I love to wear Nike footwear.

Titles of Works

These refer to names of books, artworks, movies, etc like Titanic, Harry Potter.

For example:

• His favourite book is Five Point Someone by Chetan Bhagat.
• I enjoy watching the movie “3 Idiots”.

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Certain rules need to be followed while using proper nouns. These are listed below:

1. The first letter of a proper noun is always capitalized.
   For example: I will travel to London next Monday.
   I love speaking in English.
   This Monday is my holiday.
2. Articles in proper nouns indicate how many/much etc. of the thing there are. The three articles are ‘a, an and the, out of which ‘the’ is used most commonly with proper nouns; however, it isn’t always necessary.

Note: We don’t use articles with people’s name, when referring to organisations, or when naming a particular place, or lakes, continents or islands.

When do we use articles with proper nouns?

In situations where proper noun uses ‘Kingdom’, ‘Republic’ or ‘State’, the article ‘the’ is used.

For example:

• The United States
• The United Arab Emirates
• When referring to a group of rivers, canals, oceans, and seas, like The Indian Ocean, The Atlantic Ocean
• When referring to pluralized names, groups, or places.

For instance:

• The Himalayas
• The British Royal Family
• When referring to specific and well-known hotels, restaurants, cinemas, architecture, cultural buildings, and organizations
• The White House
• The World Health Organization
• With proper nouns that use ‘of’, like:
• The Tower of London
• The Republic of Korea
• We sometimes use ‘the’ for well-known names of theories, ideas, effects, and devices like The Big Bang Theory.

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There are certain exceptions regarding proper nouns mentioned below:

• Usage of Article ‘the’ as a part of the name

Some proper nouns naturally contain ‘the’ as a part of the name, due to traditions, grammar patterns or clarity. Check a few examples below:

• • The Sun is the biggest star. (‘the’ is used with unique things to show that there is only one of them.)
  • The Himalayas are the biggest mountain ranges in the world. (Certain geographical names take ‘the’ with them)

• Hyphenated Names

Some proper nouns are hyphenated to show connection between words, clarify meaning, or follow established naming conventions. In case of hyphenated proper nouns, we capitalize both parts.

For example:

• • World-War-II was fought between 1939 and 1945.
  • He is throwing a big party on the New-Year’s Day.

• Seasons and Compass Directions & Regions

Seasons are common nouns (Summer, Winter) unless they are a part of a formal name like the Summer Olympics. Similarly, compass directions (north, east, south, west) are not capitalized unless they are part of a recognized region, such as South Africa or North America.

For example:

• • He will be playing in the Winter Olympics.
  • This gentleman is from North America.

• Family Titles

Words like "mom," "aunt," "uncle," and "bhua" are used in lowercase until they form part of the name.

For example:

• • She admires Aunt Kim.
  • I forgot my dress at Baby Bhua's house.

• Titles and Job Descriptions

Titles are capitalized when used directly with names of people while addressing formally, like Prime Minister Modi, Dr Sehgal etc. While speaking generally, we say, prime minister will address the nation today.

For example:

• • My family doctor is Dr. Sehgal.
  • I am going to interview Prime Minister Modi today.

• Deities and Religious Words

Names used for deities and religions are capitalized like God, Guru Nanak Dev, Allah, Hinduism etc. While generic terms like god, devil, heaven remain lowercase.

Example:

• • Today is the birthday of Guru Nanak Dev ji.
  • She is an avid follower of Hinduism.

• Acronyms and Abbreviations

These remain fully uppercase like NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India), FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation), etc.

For example:

• • NASA's missions have significantly expanded our understanding of the solar system and the universe
  • The CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) is investigating the corruption scandal.

Students can understand the difference between proper and common noun from the table blow:

Proper Noun	Common Noun
A proper noun names a specific person, place, animal, or thing.	A common noun names a general person, place, or thing
The first letter is always capitalized, regardless of its position in the sentence.	A common noun is only capitalized at the beginning of a sentence.
Example: Mr. Tom is going to the office. I will be travelling to New York City tonight.	Example: A man is going to the office. I will be travelling to the city tonight.

Students can follow the tips shared below to become a proper noun expert and improve writing accuracy.

• Firstly, understand the meaning of proper nouns, that it is a specific name of a person, place, animal or object. It is different from a common noun, which is used in general category.
• The first letter of a proper noun is always capitalized, regardless of their position in a sentence.
• Read and observe well-edited textbooks, news and magazines. Pay attention to how brands like ‘iPhone’ break usual rules.
• Learn and reinforce rules of capitalization. For example: first word in a sentence, usage of the pronoun I, names of specific people, brands, places, days, months, holidays.
• Practice exercises and focus on identifying and using proper nouns correctly.
• Ask your peers or teachers to review your writing and give feedback on your use of proper nouns.
• Practice daily to build awareness and memorize patterns.

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