Types of nouns

Common or proper

Common nounsExamples
  • name general persons, places, things, or ideas
  • begin with lowercase
religionbeauty
knowledgestudent
raincountry
Proper nounsExamples
  • name specific persons, places, things, or ideas
  • begin with capital letter
HinduismPresident Adams
PhilipWashington Monument
New JerseySupreme Court
VietnamRenaissance

Count or noncount (common nouns only)

Count nounsExamples
  • name persons, places, things, or ideas that can be counted
  • have plural forms
girl, girls
city, cities
goose, geese
philosophy, philosophies
Noncount nounsExamples
  • name things or abstract ideas that cannot be counted
  • cannot be made plural
waterpatience
silverknowledge
furnitureair

note: See the chart on page 383 for lists of commonly used noncount nouns.

Singular or plural (both common and proper)

Singular nouns (count and noncount)Examples
  • represent one person, place, thing, or idea
backpackrain
countrybeauty
womanNile River
achievementBlock Island
Plural nouns (count only)Examples
  • represent more than one person, place, thing, or idea
  • must be count nouns
backpacksUral Mountains
countriesFalkland Islands
womenachievements

Specific (definite) or general (indefinite) (count and noncount)

Specific nounsExamples
  • name persons, places, things, or ideas that can be identified within a group of the same type
The students in Professor Martin's class should study.
The airplane carrying the senator was late.
The furniture in the truck was damaged.
General nounsExamples
  • name categories of persons, places, things, or ideas (often plural)
Students should study.
Books bridge gaps between cultures.
The airplane has made commuting between cities easy.