Common and Proper Nouns — Answer Key
Part A: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. The word "park" is common, but "Yellowstone" is a proper noun.
Park is a general word, but Yellowstone is the name of one specific national park in the United States. That specific name makes it a proper noun.
2. A noun that names any animal is called a common noun.
Words like dog, cat, or bird do not name one specific animal. Because they can refer to any animal in that group, they are common nouns.
3. The word "Africa" begins with a capital letter because it is a proper noun.
Africa is the name of one specific continent on Earth. Proper nouns like this always start with a capital letter to show they are special names.
4. "Book" is a common noun, but the title "Charlotte's Web" is proper.
Any book is just a book, but Charlotte's Web is the title of one specific book. Book titles name specific things, so they are proper nouns with capital letters.
5. The word "pencil" is a common noun because it could be any pencil.
A pencil could be yellow, blue, long, or short, and the word does not point to one special pencil. That makes pencil a common noun.
6. Months like October and December always need a capital letter.
December is the twelfth month and has its own specific name, just like October. Month names are proper nouns, so they always get a capital letter.
7. A proper noun for the common noun "river" could be Nile.
River is a general word, but the Nile is the name of one specific river in Africa. Giving a river its own name turns it into a proper noun.
8. The name of your town or city is always a proper noun.
Every town and city has one specific name, like Chicago or Austin. Because these names point to one particular place, they are proper nouns.
9. Common nouns do not need a capital letter unless they start a sentence.
The first word of any sentence must begin with a capital letter. So even common nouns get capitalized when they appear at the start of a sentence.
Part B: Matching
Match each item on the left to the correct answer on the right.
1. Match each common noun to its proper noun example.
park
→ Yellowstone
Nile
book
→ Charlotte's Web
Africa
river
→ Nile
Yellowstone
continent
→ Africa
Charlotte's Web
Correct matches: park → Yellowstone; book → Charlotte's Web; river → Nile; continent → Africa.