Name: ______________________________ Common & Proper Nouns

Part 1. Terms
Using the word bank below, fill in the blanks with the correct terms.

lowercase proper common capital

A noun is used to represent people, places, things, and ideas. Nouns that do not identify a
specific person, place, or thing are _______________ nouns. _______________ nouns name a specific
person, place, thing, or idea. Common nouns are written in _______________ letters. Proper nouns
are spelled using _______________ letters. On proper nouns that are made up of more than one
word (example: Cool Springs Mall), the first letter of each word must be capitalized.

Part 2. Sort
Sort the words below into the correct columns. Capitalize proper nouns as needed.
store madeline soda marker jennifer lawrence
woman park wal-mart language car
actor new york city skywalker ranch team hurricane
farm girl judge judy disneyworld church
hurricane irma queen elizabeth st. patrick’s cathedral car spanish
judge city pepsi toy legos

Proper Nouns Common Nouns

Name: ______________________________ Common & Proper Nouns

Part 3. Practice
Write two proper nouns for each common noun below.
1. state __________________________________ __________________________________

2. city __________________________________ __________________________________

3. man __________________________________ __________________________________

4. place __________________________________ __________________________________

5. book __________________________________ __________________________________

6. country __________________________________ __________________________________

7. song __________________________________ __________________________________

8. store __________________________________ __________________________________

9. singer __________________________________ __________________________________

10. day __________________________________ __________________________________

Part 4. Editing
Find the capitalization errors in the paragraphs below. Draw three lines underneath letters
should be capitalized. Draw a slash through letters that should be lowercase. There are 25
errors.

In 1929, martin luther king, jr. was born in atlanta, georgia. This great american became

Pastor of the dexter avenue baptist church in montgomery, alabama. In 1955, he and other

african american leaders led the famous bus boycott in that City.

In 1963, dr. king delivered his most famous Speech in washington, d.c. More than

250,000 people gathered to hear him speak from the steps of the lincoln memorial.
Name: ______________________________ Common & Proper Nouns

Sources

Robbins, Lara M. “Common Vs. Proper Nouns.” Grammar & Style at Your Fingertips, Alpha Books,
2007, pp. 3–5.

Senn, J. A., and Carol Ann. Skinner. “Nouns and Pronouns.” English: Communication Skills in the
New Millennium Grade 6, Perfection Learning Corporation, 2008, pp. L53–L55.
 Name: ______________________________ Common & Proper Nouns

Part 1. Terms
Using the word bank below, fill in the blanks with the correct terms.

lowercase proper common capital

A noun is used to represent people, places, things, and ideas. Nouns that do not identify a
specific person, place, or thing are common nouns. Proper nouns name a specific person, place,
thing, or idea. Common nouns are written in lowercase letters. Proper nouns are spelled using
capital letters. On proper nouns that are made up of more than one word (example: Cool
Springs Mall), the first letter of each word must be capitalized.

Part 2. Sort
Sort the words below into the correct columns. Capitalize proper nouns as needed.
store madeline soda marker jennifer lawrence
woman park walmart language car
actor new york city skywalker ranch team hurricane
farm girl judge judy disneyworld church
hurricane irma queen elizabeth st. patrick’s cathedral sharpie spanish
judge city pepsi toyota legos

Proper Nouns Common Nouns

Madeline store
Jennifer Lawrence soda
Walmart marker
New York City woman
Skywalker Ranch park
Judge Judy language
Disneyworld car
Hurricane Irma actor
Queen Elizabeth team
St. Patrick’s Cathedral hurricane
Sharpie farm
Spanish girl
Pepsi church
Toyota judge
Name: ______________________________ Common & Proper Nouns

Legos city
Part 3. Practice
Write two proper nouns for each common noun below. (Answers will vary.)
1. state __________________________________ __________________________________

2. city __________________________________ __________________________________

3. man __________________________________ __________________________________

4. place __________________________________ __________________________________

5. book __________________________________ __________________________________

6. country __________________________________ __________________________________

7. song __________________________________ __________________________________

8. store __________________________________ __________________________________

9. singer __________________________________ __________________________________

10. day __________________________________ __________________________________

Part 4. Editing
Find the capitalization errors in the paragraphs below. Draw three lines underneath letters that
should be capitalized. Draw a slash through letters that should be lowercase.

In 1929, Martin Luther King, Jr. was born in Atlanta, Georgia. This great American

became pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. In 1955, he and

other African American leaders led the famous bus boycott in that city.

In 1963, Dr. King delivered his most famous speech in Washington, D.C. More than

250,000 people gathered to hear him speak from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.
Name: ______________________________ Common & Proper Nouns

Sources

Robbins, Lara M. “Common Vs. Proper Nouns.” Grammar & Style at Your Fingertips, Alpha Books,
2007, pp. 3–5.

Senn, J. A., and Carol Ann. Skinner. “Nouns and Pronouns.” English: Communication Skills in the
New Millennium Grade 6, Perfection Learning Corporation, 2008, pp. L53–L55.