Kinds Of Nouns And Examples

When it comes to the subject of grammar kinds of nouns and examples must be studied properly. As defined in rules of English grammar, a noun is a part of speech that gives a name or label to a person, place, thing, animal, or idea. It may be generic (common nouns), or specific (proper nouns), and also fills in a wide range of other categories. If you are unfamiliar with the different kinds of nouns in English, stick around and keep reading. This article serves as an introductory and informative piece on the kinds of nouns, for those who wish to learn more of the subject.

– Common nouns

Common nouns are the easiest kinds of nouns to identify. They are basically used to label a certain class of people, places, things, animals or ideas. In other words, common nouns are simple and general, and have no complexities whatsoever. Try to do the following exercise and see how many common nouns you can identify; chances are, you’ll find a lot. Stand in the middle of your living room and start pointing out everything your eyes fall on: your television set, your rug, your sofa, even the curtains. Without specific labels, names or brands, these are all common nouns. Examples of common nouns are: dog, truck, jeans, and mall.

– Proper nouns

Proper nouns, on the other hand, are nouns that are more specific. These nouns give an actual name to people, places, things, animals or ideas. They represent the individuality of any entity. To illustrate, if you are a man and your name is Joe, ‘man’ falls under the category of common nouns, while ‘Joe’ belongs to the group of proper nouns. Birth names, brands of electronic appliances and clothing, the name of automobile manufacturers, names of countries