Common noun examplesĬommon nouns are pretty easy to understand. They are only capitalized when they begin a sentence or are used in a title of something. Of all of the types of nouns, common nouns are the simplest. As another example, the word artist is a common noun that broadly refers to a person who creates art, and the word Michelangelo is not a common noun because it refers to a specific Italian artist (or pizza-loving turtle). The noun Saturn is not a common noun because it refers to a specific planet. The noun planet is a common noun that refers to a type of object that exists in outer space. For example, we all live on a planet in the solar system. In simpler terms, common nouns act as generic terms for nonspecific objects. All of the words we use to refer to these things have something in common: they are common nouns.Ī common noun is a noun that denotes any or all of a class of entities and not an individual. If you are outside, maybe you see a smartphone, people, cars, trees, or animals. If you are inside, maybe you see a computer, a desk, walls, windows, a trash can, or any number of other things. Take a minute to look around you and you’ll see many different things.

In writing and speaking, we use many different types of nouns to describe the things around us. A noun is a word that refers to a person, place, thing, or idea. One of the most common types of words we use in grammar are nouns.

What is common noun