Identifying a Noun

A noun is a part of speech that denotes a person, animal, place, thing, or idea. The English word
noun has its roots in the Latin word nomen, which means name. Every language has words that
are nouns. As you read the following explanations, think about some words that might fit into
each category.

Person A term for a person, whether proper name, gender, title, or class, is a noun.
Animal A term for an animal, whether proper name, species, gender, or class is a noun.
Place A term for a place, whether proper name, physical location, or general locale is a noun.
Thing A term for a thing, whether it exists now, will exist, or existed in the past is a noun.
Idea A term for an idea, be it a real, workable idea or a fantasy that might never come to
fruition is a noun.

Noun Examples
When we first start to learn the parts of speech, trying to identify different words can seem like a
challenge. This process gets easier with practice. Here are some noun examples to help you get
started. The nouns in each sentence have been italicized.

Person He is the person to see.

Person John started to run.
Person Plato was an influential Greek philosopher.
Person Sharon admires her grandfather.
Person My mother looks a lot like my grandmother, and I look very much like them.

Animal The dog barked at the cat.

Animal Elephants never forget.
Animal Sophie is my favorite horse.

Place The restaurant is open.

Place Lets go to the beach.
Place Look over there.
Place Come here.
Place Harvard and Yale are two famous universities.
Place Look! Theres the Eiffel Tower.

Thing Throw the ball.

 Thing Please close the door and lock it.
Thing Use words properly to be understood.
Thing The lamp sits on a table next to the sofa.
Thing Money doesnt grow on trees.

Idea Follow the rules.

Idea The theory of relativity is an important concept.
Idea Love is a wonderful emotion.

How Nouns Function

Nouns have several important functions. While its impossible to list them all here, well go over
the most important jobs nouns are tasked with.

Nouns are subjects. Every sentence has a subject, which is a noun that tells us what that
sentence is all about. John swung the baseball bat.
Nouns are direct objects. These nouns receive action from verbs. John swung the baseball bat.
Nouns are indirect objects. These nouns receive the direct object. Brad threw John the ball.
Nouns are objects of prepositions. These nouns follow the prepositions in prepositional
phrases. John swung the baseball bat at Greg.
Nouns are predicate nominatives. These nouns follow linking verbs and rename the subject.
John is a baseball player.
Nouns are object complements. These nouns complete the direct object. They named their
dog Max.
This is just the beginning. Be sure to dig deeper and explore more for additional information
about nouns and even more noun examples.

Proper Nouns
What is a Proper Noun?
Proper nouns have two distinct features: They name specific one-of-a-kind items, and they begin
with capital letters, no matter where they occur within a sentence. Here, well take a closer look
at proper nouns, provide proper noun examples, and help you learn how to use a proper noun
the right way.

Remember that all nouns are words naming people, animals, places, things, and ideas. Every
noun can be further classified as either common or proper. The distinction is very easy to make
once you see some examples and come up with a few of your own.

Proper Noun Examples

 In the following sentences, proper noun examples are compared with common nouns. Notice
that the proper nouns are specific and unique, while the common nouns are much more general
in nature.

1. Common noun: I want to be a writer.

Proper noun: Agatha Christie wrote many books.

2. Common noun: Id like to adopt a cat.

Proper noun: Cleopatra is the cutest kitten ever.

3. Common noun: Would you like a cookie?

Proper noun: Im craving Oreos.

4. Common noun: Lets go to the city.

Proper noun: Lets go to San Francisco.

5. Common noun: My teacher starts work before sunup.

Proper noun: Mr. Bell seems to understand what students need.

6. Common noun: I think thats a planet, not a star.

Proper noun: I can see Jupiter tonight.

7. Common noun: Hes always hanging out with his girlfriend.

Proper noun: He never goes anywhere without Sarah.

8. Common noun: There are a lot of important documents in the archives.

Proper noun: There are many important documents at The Library of Congress.

How to Use Proper Nouns

Its easy to use proper nouns, once you know what they are. Simply place them in your
sentences as you would common nouns, ensuring that you capitalize them. Here are some
examples to help you get started.

Brett had hoped for an easy teacher for his algebra class, but he got Ms. Boggs, whose
unreasonable demands and short temper made the semester unbearable.
Teacher is a common noun. Ms. Boggs is a proper noun.

Gloria had a craving, and not just any cookie would do. She went to the store and bought a box
of Oreos.
Cookie is a common noun. Oreos is a proper noun.
 We wanted to try a new restaurant, so we went to Taste of Thai.
Restaurant is a common noun. Taste of Thai is a proper noun.

Types of Nouns in English

Nouns are among the most important words in the English language without them, wed have a
difficult time speaking and writing about anything. This guide to noun types is intended as a basic
overview. Every type of noun comes with its own rules, so be sure to read more in our pages
about specific types of nouns.

Abstract Nouns

Abstract nouns are those referring to ideas, concepts, emotions, and other things you cant
physically interact with. You cant see, taste, touch, smell, or hear something named with an
abstract noun. Some abstract noun examples are included in the following sentences.

Success seems to come easily to certain people.

His hatred of people smoking indoors is legendary.

She has an incredible love for nature.

This is of great importance.

He received an award for his bravery.

Collective Nouns

When talking about types of noun, its important to remember collective nouns. A collective noun
is a word that refers to a group. It can be either singular or plural, but is usually used in the
singular. Some collective noun examples are included in the following sentences.

Our team is enjoying an unbroken winning streak.

Theres a pack of hyenas outside.

Watch out for that swarm of bees.

You havent lived until youve seen a herd of wild horses.

Our class graduates two years from now.

Common Nouns

Common nouns are used to refer to general things rather than specific examples. Common
nouns are not normally capitalized unless they are used as part of a proper name or are placed
at the beginning of a sentence. Some common noun examples are included in the following
sentences.

Be sure to pick a top university.

Stack those boxes carefully.

Would you like a cookie with your coffee?

People are strange.

My dog wont stop barking.

Concrete Nouns

Concrete nouns are words used for actual things you can touch, see, taste, feel, and hear
things you interact with every day. Notice that concrete nouns can also be countable,
uncountable, common, proper, and collective nouns. Some concrete noun examples are included
in the following sentences.

Please remember to buy oranges.

Have a seat in that chair.

What is a Common Noun

A noun is a word that names a person, animal, place, thing, or idea. All nouns can be further
classified as proper or common. Common nouns are words used to name general items rather
than specific ones. Go into your living room. What do you see? Lamp, chair, couch, TV, window,
painting, pillow, candle all of these items are named using common nouns.
Common nouns are everywhere, and you use them all the time, even if you dont realize it.
Wherever you go, youll find at least one common noun. Street, closet, bathroom, school, mall,
gas station; all of these places are named using common nouns.
People in general are named using common nouns, though their official titles or given names are
proper nouns. When we refer to people using common nouns, we use words like teacher, clerk,
police officer, preacher, delivery driver, boyfriend, girlfriend, grandma, cousin, and barista.

The takeaway is this: common nouns are general names and unless they are part of a title like
Postmaster General or begin a sentence, theyre not usually capitalized.

Common Noun Examples

The following common noun examples will help you to recognize common nouns. In the
sentences that follow, common noun examples are italicized. Notice that the examples providing
proper nouns name specific versions of the same type of person, animal, place, thing, or idea.

1. Common Noun: You broke my favorite mug.Proper Noun: I cant believe you broke
my Snoopy mug.
2. Common Noun: I really want a new pair of jeans.Proper Noun: I really want to buy a new
pair of Levis.
3. Common Noun: I wish I could remember the name of that painter.Proper Noun: I really
love art by Van Gogh.
4. Common Noun: Theyre all waiting for us at the restaurant.Proper Noun: Everyone else is
at Bills Burgers.
5. Common Noun: I really want to live in a big city someday.Proper Noun: Of all the places
Ive lived, Denver was best.
6. Common Noun: Lets go to watch a live game at the stadium.Proper Noun: Lets try to get
good seats at Wrigley Field.