Grammar
Proper and common nouns: capitalization and use
A teacher can be any teacher. Mr. Rivera is one particular teacher. Both words are nouns, but the name needs capital letters because it identifies a specific person.
Tell proper nouns from common nouns and use capital letters for names while keeping ordinary category words in lowercase.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
proper noun; common noun /ˈprɑpər naʊn/; /ˈkɑmən naʊn/
The short answer
Use capital letters for a proper noun because it is a name. Use lowercase for a common noun unless it begins a sentence or is part of a title.
Nora works at the library on King Street.
Why it works: Nora and King Street are names, so they begin with capital letters. Library is a general place word, so it is lowercase.
5 more examples
-
My neighbor Ana lives in Mexico.
Ana and Mexico name one person and one country, so they are proper nouns.
Not this:My
neighborlives in a country near the sea. What changes: Neighbor and country name general categories, so they are common nouns. -
We have English class on Tuesday.
English is the name of a language, and Tuesday is the name of a day, so both use capital letters.
Not this:We have a
classon a busy day. What changes: Class and day are common nouns when they do not name a particular class or day. -
The train stops at Central Station.
Central Station is the name of one station, so the words in the name are capitalized.
Not this:The train stops at the next
station. What changes: Station is a common noun because it does not give the station's name. -
President Garcia spoke to the students.
President is capitalized here because it is used as a title directly before Garcia's name.
Not this:The
presidentspoke to the students. What changes: President is a common noun here because it is not used with a person's name. -
Our meeting is in Riverside Park.
Riverside Park is the complete name of one park, so it is a proper noun.
Not this:Our meeting is in the
parknear my home. What changes: Park is a common noun because the phrase describes a place without giving its name.
Read the full guide
Ask whether the noun gives a name or only a category. Doctor, river, and school are common nouns when they refer to any doctor, river, or school. Dr. Patel, the Nile, and Greenfield School are proper nouns because they identify particular people or places. Then check the beginning of each word.
Name or category?
Start with a simple question: does the noun name one particular person, place, or thing? If it does, it is probably a proper noun. If it only names a type of person, place, or thing, it is a common noun.
I met a doctor named Dr. Patel.
Doctor is a general job word. Dr. Patel identifies one particular doctor.
Which word is a proper noun: city or London?
London is a proper noun because it is the name of one city.
Capitalize names of people and places
Use capital letters for names of people, countries, cities, streets, buildings, and many organizations. A name can have more than one word. Capitalize the words that belong to the established name.
Leila moved from Cairo to Canada.
Leila, Cairo, and Canada are names, so each begins with a capital letter.
We waited outside the Grand Hotel.
Grand Hotel is the name of one hotel. Hotel alone is a common noun.
Capitalize days, months, languages, and nationalities
Days, months, languages, and nationalities are also proper nouns in English. Write Monday, April, Spanish, and Korean with capital letters. The general words day, month, language, and nationality stay lowercase.
Jin starts a Spanish course in April.
Spanish and April are names. Course is a common noun, so it is lowercase.
Which form is correct: french or French?
Use French because it is the name of a language.
Keep common nouns lowercase
Do not capitalize every noun. Common nouns are usually lowercase in the middle of a sentence. Words such as teacher, restaurant, phone, river, and company need a capital letter only when they are part of a name or begin a sentence.
The restaurant closes at nine.
Restaurant is a general word here, so it stays lowercase.
We ate at Blue River Restaurant.
Blue River Restaurant is a name, so its name words are capitalized.
Use titles carefully
A job title is often lowercase when it is a general description. It can begin with a capital letter when it is used directly before a person's name. Look at the whole phrase before you decide.
Professor Lee answered my question.
Professor is capitalized because it comes directly before Lee's name.
The professor answered my question.
Professor is lowercase because it is a general job word in this sentence.
Which form fits before a name: manager or Manager in Manager Ortiz?
Use Manager Ortiz when the title is used directly with Ortiz's name.
Check the sentence position too
Every sentence starts with a capital letter. That rule can make a common noun look like a proper noun. Use the meaning to decide. The first letter alone does not tell you whether a word is a name.
School begins at eight on Monday.
School has a capital letter because it starts the sentence. It is still a common noun.
Greenfield School begins at eight on Monday.
Greenfield School is a proper noun because it gives the school's name.
Why does School have a capital letter in School begins at eight?
It is capitalized because it is the first word of the sentence, not because it is a name.
Before you go
Remember this
A common noun names a category, such as teacher, street, or month. A proper noun names a particular person, place, day, language, or organization, such as Ana, King Street, Monday, English, or Greenfield School. Capitalize names, and use lowercase for ordinary category words unless another capitalization rule applies.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Proper and common nouns: capitalization and use"
What is the difference between a proper noun and a common noun?
A proper noun gives the name of one particular person, place, organization, day, month, or language. A common noun names a general category. For example, Ana is a proper noun, while neighbor is a common noun. Proper nouns usually begin with capital letters.
My neighbor Ana lives in Mexico.
Do proper nouns always need capital letters?
In ordinary English writing, proper nouns usually begin with capital letters because they are names. This includes names such as Leila, Cairo, Canada, April, and Spanish. Check the complete established name when a place or organization has more than one word.
My neighbor lives in a country near the sea.
Why are days and languages capitalized in English?
English treats names of days, months, languages, and nationalities as proper nouns. Write Tuesday, April, English, and Korean with capital letters. Use lowercase for the general category words day, month, language, and nationality when they are not part of a name.
We have English class on Tuesday.
When is a job title capitalized?
A job title is often capitalized when it comes directly before a person's name, as in Professor Lee or President Garcia. Use lowercase when the word is a general description, as in the professor or the president. Read the whole noun phrase before choosing a capital letter.
We have a class on a busy day.
Does a capital letter always mean that a word is a proper noun?
No. The first word of every sentence begins with a capital letter, including common nouns. In School begins at eight, school is a common noun. In Greenfield School begins at eight, Greenfield School is a proper noun because it names a particular school.
The train stops at Central Station.