Nouns
What's Your Name?
Definition:
Nouns are also called naming words. Everything around us has a name. So nouns are words for people, places, animals, and things.
Example:
1)
Telephone
A telephone is a thing. Other nouns which indicate things are given below.
2.car
3.tree
4.bulb
There are so many people around us. Can you think of any nouns that name a person?
Examples:
1. Rohan is a boy
Other nouns which indicate people are:
2. doctor
3. chef
4. farmer
Names of places around us are also nouns.
Examples:
1. zoo
2. beach
3. park
4. school
Nouns create the largest class of words in English. There are different kinds of nouns. In this lesson, we learn about Proper Nouns.
Proper Noun:
A noun that gives a special name to a particular person, animal, place or thing is called a proper noun.
Example:
Look at this dog. Its name is Pluto. The dog lives with Atul. Atul is a boy. Pluto is a special name given to this dog. Similarly, Atul is a special name given to this boy.
Therefore, special names are given to identify a particular person, animal, place, or thing.
General Rules:
1. The days of the weeks are proper nouns. We should always capitalize them.
Examples:
- We will visit the museum on Sunday.
- I will go to school on Monday.
2. The months of the year are proper nouns. We must capitalize them.
Examples:
- My birthday is in April.
- June is the sixth month of the year.
3. Holidays are Proper nouns. Capitalize them.
Examples:
- My favourite holiday is Christmas.
- We celebrated New Year’s Eve at my grandmother’s house.
4. The name of a city, country, river, ocean is also a proper noun. Always capitalize them.
Examples:
- Mumbai, Kolkata, and Chennai are important ports of India.
- The Ganges is one of the longest rivers in India.
Remember:
Some proper nouns have more than one word, like the United Kingdom, Statue of Liberty etc. Capitalize the first letter of the proper noun.
Example:
United Kingdom
Uncle Sunil
Statue of Liberty
Common Mistake:
1. Proper nouns must be capitalized, no matter where it is placed in a sentence.
Example:
Rinku and Reeta are best friends. ✓
Rinku and reeta are best friends.❌
2. Do not mistake the name of a season as a proper noun. Always write the names of seasons in small letters.
Example:
I love the summer season.✓
I love the Summer season. ❌