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American English Grammar
Proper noun
Learning objectives
  • Learn the definition of a proper noun
  • Study examples of proper nouns
Definition of a proper noun
  • A proper noun is:

    • a word used to name a specific person, animal, place, or thing

    • usually written beginning with an uppercase (capital)

    • the opposite of a common noun

Examples of proper nouns
  • Names of people

    • Albert Einstein, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie

  • Pet names of animals

    • Rocky, Rover, Spot

  • Religions, scriptures, deities

    • Judaism, Buddhism, Christianity, the Torah, the Bible, Buddha

  • Geographical and astronomical names

    • the Universe, Uranus, the Pacific Ocean, Mount Everest

  • Months, days of the week, holidays

    • January, Monday, New Years

  • Historical events

    • the Industrial Revolution, the Civil War

  • Country names and words derived from those names

    • America, Americans, England, English, Japan, Japanese

  • City names

    • New York, London, Paris

  • Monuments, buildings, rooms

    • Washington Monument, Taj Mahal, Room 248

  • The names of companies, organizations, trade marks, brand names

    • Microsoft, NAFTA, Coca Cola

  • Vehicle names

    • Toyota, Toyota 4Runner, Chevrolet, Chevrolet Malibu

  • Awards

    • the Nobel Peace Prize, the Lombardi Trophy

  • Note: some words can be used as both common nouns and proper nouns

    • The Internet is a proper noun when it refers to the specific global information network.

    • The internet is a common noun when it refers to "internet technologies" such as TCP/IP, DNS, HTTP.

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