Common and Proper Nouns Worksheet with Answers for Practice

Explore Common and Proper Nouns Worksheets with Answers

Common nouns are general names for people, places, things, or ideas. Moreover, these are not capitalized unless at the start of a sentence and can be used with articles. For example: ‘man’, ‘city’, ‘book’, and more. Proper nouns, on the other hand, are specific and unique names that are always capitalized. Besides, these can not be used with articles. For example: ‘Kashika’, ‘Jaipur’, ‘Harry Potter’, and more.

Understanding these will be easier after solving the common and proper nouns worksheet with answers. The solutions are provided below the worksheet for your reference so that after attempting the questions, you can check your answers and identify them as correct or incorrect instantly.

Exercise 1: Identify the Common or Proper Nouns

Here is a common and proper nouns worksheet. You must read the following sentences and identify the common or proper nouns in these.

1. I gave my pencil to Sanya to work.
2. Mr Sharma was bit by a dog on his way back home.
3. The college was in the middle of 2nd
4. The reporter went to Kashmir to collect first hand news.
5. The Yashika wrote an essay.
6. The captain saved the ship from hitting the iceberg.
7. The judge passed a fair judgement.
8. I regularly read the Indian Express newspaper.
9. Albert Einstein was an intelligent theoretical physicist.
10. My aunt works in Bank of India.

 Answers for Exercise 1 :-

 The answers for proper and common nouns worksheet exercise 1 are as follows:

1. Pencil – Common noun, Sanya– Proper noun
2. Mr Sharma – Proper noun; dog – Common noun
3. College– Common noun; 2ndStreet – Proper noun
4. Reporter, first hand news – Common nouns; Kashmir – Proper noun
5. Essay – Common nouns; Yashika – Proper noun
6. Captain, ship, iceberg – Common nouns
7. Judge, judgement – Common nouns
8. The Indian Express – Proper noun; newspaper – Common noun
9. Albert Einstein – Pronoun noun; theoretical physicist – Common noun
10. Aunt – Common noun; Bank of India – Proper noun

Exercise 2: Categorize as Common Nouns and Proper Nouns

Given below is a proper and common nouns worksheet in which you have to categorize each of the following as common noun and proper noun.

Answers for Exercise 2 :-

The solutions for common noun proper noun worksheet exercise 2 are as follows:

Exercise 3: Match the Common Nouns with Groups of Proper Nouns 

Here is a common noun proper noun worksheet for your practice. You will be required to match the common nouns with the group of proper nouns provided in the table.

Answers for Exercise 3 :-

The solution for common noun proper noun worksheet exercise 3 are provided in the table below:

Exercise 4: Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQ): Choose the Correct Common Noun 

The exercise contains a few questions along with four options for each question, you must select the best suited answer.

1. Which of the following is a common noun? 

• London  
• Teacher  
• Mars  
• Everest  

2. Identify the common noun in the options below:  

• Apple  
• Jupiter  
• Microsoft  
• Amazon (river)   

3. Choose the common noun from the list:  

• Sarah  
• City  
• Eiffel Tower  
• Google  

4. Which word is a common noun?  

• Dog  
• Mount Fuji  
• Nile  
• Facebook  

5. Pick the common noun:

• Car  
• Tesla  
• Pacific Ocean  
• Shakespeare  

6. Select the common noun:

• Hospital  
• Mona Lisa  
• Nike  
• Sahara Desert  

7. Which of these is a common noun?  

• River  
• Amazon (company)  
• Mount Everest  
• Barack Obama  

8. Identify the common noun:

• Chair  
• Google  
• Paris  
• Nile   

9. Choose the common noun:  

• Book  
• Harry Potter  
• Facebook  
• Mount Kilimanjaro  

10. Which word is a common noun?  

• School  
• Tesla  
• Atlantic Ocean  
• Mona Lisa  

Answer Key for Exercise 4 :-

1. Teacher  
2. Apple  
3. City  
4. Dog  
5. Car  
6. Hospital  
7. River  
8. Chair  
9. Book  
10. School 

Exercise 5: Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQ): Choose the Correct Proper Noun 

The exercise contains a few questions along with four options for each question, you must select the best suited answer. 

1. Which of the following is a proper noun?

• mountain
• Himalayas
• hill
• rock

2. Identify the proper noun:

• book
• fruit
• April
• tree

3. Which is a proper noun? 

• ocean
• Pacific
• water
• sea

4. Select the proper noun:

• actor
• movie
• Rabir Kapoor
• role

5. Which word is a proper noun?

• planet
• Earth
• space
• star 

6. Identify the proper noun:

• holiday
• Easter
• weekend
• vacation 

7. Which of the following is a proper noun?

• river
• Amazon
• water
• stream 

8. Choose the proper noun:

• car
• Ford
• vehicle
• engine

9. Which word is a proper noun?

• school
• Harvard University
• classroom
• teacher

10. Identify the proper noun:

• city
• Mumbai
• town
• village 

Answer Key for Exercise 5 :-

1. Himalayas
2. April
3. Pacific
4. Rabir Kapoor  
5. Earth  
6. Easter
7. Amazon
8. Ford
9. Harvard University
10. Mumbai  

These were a few common noun and proper noun exercises for your practice. Further, read the tips and common mistakes to avoid, in the next section.

Tips & Common Mistakes to Avoid 

Solving the worksheets above will provide you with a better understanding of the topic. However, here are a few tips below that will help you avoid mistakes with nouns (common and proper). 

• To avoid grammatical errors and confusion, always capitalize proper nouns, even within sentences. Moreover, only capitalize common nouns when they are at the beginning of a sentence.
• Be mindful of the context where you use both nouns. The usage of proper nouns is only done for specific things, names, and entities while common nouns are used for general things.
• Ensure proper nouns are capitalized correctly in names and titles, such as book titles or company names. Read common noun and proper noun examples for reference.
• Avoid overusing proper nouns or mistaking common nouns for proper nouns. For example, "human resources managers" is correct, not "Human Resources Managers".

Conclusion 

To wrap up, the blog covered a few common noun and proper noun exercises for your practice. Understanding common and proper nouns is essential and considered fundamental to mastering the language. Thus, each student must learn all English grammar rules related to common and proper nouns. These will help you with clear and specific communication. Besides, learning these may also help you prepare for various exams and tests. For this, you may seek professional help from Gradding.com as our experts provide excellent coaching in this domain.

FAQ’s 

1. How Can I Distinguish Between a Common Noun and a Proper Noun?

To distinguish between a common and a proper noun you must see if the word refers to a general or specific entity. Common nouns generally refer to the general names for people, places, or things while proper nouns are specific names for people, places, or things.  

2. Can a Common Noun Become a Proper Noun?

Yes, a common noun can definitely become a proper noun when it's used as a specific name or part of a name. For example, ‘a cat’ is a common noun, but if someone names their cat then cat becomes a proper noun.

3. Why Is It Important to Know the Difference Between Common Nouns and Proper Nouns?

To know and understand the difference between common nouns and proper nouns is crucial because it helps you communicate clearly. Besides, the use of accurate grammar is essential in each and every aspect be it for exams or in general as well.

4. What are the Functions of Common Nouns and Proper Nouns?

The common nouns are used with articles and other determiners, for example, 'dog’ and 'city’. Besides, proper nouns are usually not used with articles and other determiners for example ‘Aditya’ and ‘London’.