Examples of Common noun

What is Common Noun?

In the English language, there are different types of nouns. Noun as commonly known is a naming word. All the different types of nouns have different English words that they describe. In the classification of the English parts of speech, nouns are one of the largest as there are a thousand things that need to be identified and with their different names, sometimes helping to describe what they do.

The English nouns have a world of their own as the types of nouns vary from abstract nouns to mass nouns, proper nouns, collective nouns, etc. Each of these noun types plays unique roles. Different names of places and objects fall under them and they all help in our everyday communication, though sentences contain nouns.

The most common type of noun one must likely come across is the common noun. Probably why it carries the name “common” noun. Since we’ve identified and established that noun is a part of speech, let us take a deeper look at the common noun as a type of noun.

Examples of Common noun

The easiest and most popularly known definition given to a noun is it is used to name a person, place, thing, or idea. There is also more to this part of speech called Noun.

A noun can, in any case at all can, refer to anything, it could be an object, a place, a person, an animal, an abstract thing or an idea. Common nouns are those things we come across daily. They include places we go to, objects we use at home, at work, in the kitchen, etc. Unlike the proper noun, the common noun is written in lowercase.

They can only be capitalised when they appear as the first word in a sentence. Typically, every sentence carries at least one noun. Except in situations where a speaker or a writer uses an implied sentence like “Get out, stand up”. Most likely, nouns are needed to complete sentences and to give better meanings.

Common nouns, unlike the proper nouns that give specifics, are more generalized. Some examples of common nouns; ocean, market, etc. It is important to note that these nouns usually occur with limiting qualifiers. For example; an ocean, a market,

According to English grammar rules, nouns are a basic component of sentences. As earlier stated, there is hardly any sentence without a subject which is usually a noun or in other cases, a pronoun, all seeking to play the same role.

When to use common nouns –Examples of Common noun

Common nouns are used to identify a class of ideas, objects or concepts. For example, the word car. Car, a common noun, used to identify moving machines or objects that carry people and things about, from one place to another.

It is a general name. Pluto, the name of a planet is a specific one. It can not be generalized. From this explanation, anything that can be generally classified is a common noun.

People are equally named using common nouns. . Whenever we refer to people, we common nouns, except a specific name is attached to the common noun, example;
We saw Aunt Mary at the bookstore. “aunt” is the common noun while “Mary” the specific name is a proper noun. That’s why it begins with a capital letter. Other common nouns for people are boyfriend, grandma, driver, preacher, mother, sister, etc.

following words which are varieties of professions also fall under the class of common nouns; nurse, politician, footballer, lawyer, teacher, doctor.
The lawyer agreed to stand in for me.
Our teacher is reliable.
The only time common nouns can be written in capital letters are when a person is identified, referred to by that word or is spoken to.

For example;
Mother, please come with me.
Teacher, help me sign my papers.
Objects under the common nouns are; magazine, table, chair, ball, house, car, etc.

As stated earlier, ideas, concepts and feelings can be common nouns, example; love, hatred, anger, peace, laughter, sadness, etc.

How to recognize a common noun

With the explanation given above, it should be easy to recognize a common noun. They simply are words used to name things, objects or places, more general than the English proper nouns.