Common Nouns

Common Nouns :



These nouns denote generic terms. JOHNSON is Proper Noun. MAN is this type of noun which indicates a generic noun which is applicable to all belonging to that category. We can name any male person as MAN. But only that particular person could be termed as JOHNSON. The nouns that name a class of persons or places or things or ideas belong to this type of nouns.

This type of noun denotes no one person or thing in particular, but is common to any and every person or thing of the same kind as man, book and country.

Thus…

The word Man need not be used to point out any particular man, such as Kaja but could be used for any and every man.

River does not point out any particular river such as Ganges, but can be used for any and every river.

Country does not point out any particular country, such as India, but can be used for any country in any part of the world.

A Proper Noun becomes a Common Noun when it denotes a class of persons or things and is used in a descriptive sense.

He is the Newton of the age. That is…the greatest astronomer of the age.

Proper nouns are more specific whereas these nouns are non-specific nouns and can be referring to any person or place or thing or idea belonging to that ones. These types of nouns are usually not capitalized. Note these nouns in the following sentence.

My brother and sister have come from our country.

Proper noun and this type of noun

Amazon – river
India – country
Mary – woman
Singapore – city
Diwali --- festival
The Bible --- book
Tamil --- Language
Apple --- fruit
YOUTUBE – website

There are few exceptions to this rule. When a sentence begins with this type of noun, that noun is capitalized.

Brothers and Sisters are welcome.

This type of noun has their plurals.

Brother --- brothers
Sister --- sisters
City --- cities
River --- rivers
Man --- men
Festival --- festivals

This type of noun can be used either the subject or the object of the verb.

1. Brothers are not welcome inside.
2. They have brought their brothers inside the auditorium.

In the first sentence above, the noun BROTHERS is the subject of the sentence whereas in the second sentence the same noun BROTHERS is the object of the sentence. The object of the verb receives the action of the verb.

RELATED PAGES :

1. The Noun
   
2. Kinds of Nouns
   
3. Kinds of Nouns in English
   
4. Types of Nouns in English
   
5. Correct Usage of Nouns
   
6. Classification of Nouns
   
7. Proper Nouns
   
8. Common Nouns
   
9. Abstract Nouns
   
10. Collective Nouns
    
11. Nouns of Multitude
    
12. Material Nouns
    
13. Compound Nouns
    
14. Concrete Nouns
    
15. Countable Nouns
    
16. Uncountable Nouns
    
17. Count Nouns
    
18. Mass Nouns
    
19. Pronouns
20. Abstract Nouns formed from Adjectives
    
21. Abstract Nouns formed from Common Nouns
    
22. Abstract Nouns formed from Verbs
    
23. Abstract Nouns of the same form as Verbs
    
24. Absolute Phrases
    
25. Noun and Gender
    
26. Nouns and Gender
    
27. Masculine Nouns and Feminine Nouns
    
28. Masculine Nouns
    
29. Feminine Nouns
    
30. Ways of forming the feminine of nouns
    
31. Exceptional Masculine Nouns and Feminine Nouns
    
32. Exceptional Feminine Nouns
    
33. Foreign Feminine Nouns
    
34. Nouns in Common Gender
    
35. Common Gender Nouns
    
36. Neuter Pronouns
    
37. Neuter Gender Nouns
    
38. Gender of Personified Things
    
39. Noun and Case
    
40. Kinds of Cases in English
    
41. Noun and Number
    
42. Singular and Plural
    
43. Singular Nouns and Plural Nouns
    
44. Ways of forming plurals
    
45. Formation of Plurals
    
46. Compound Nouns and Plurals
    
47. Noun Infinitive
    
48. Noun to Verb
    
49. The Noun
    

Common Nouns :

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