Nouns (Common & Proper) — Answer Key
Part A: Multiple Choice
Circle the best answer for each question.
1. Which word is a proper noun?
A) apple
B) table
C) Texas
D) lamp
Texas is the name of one specific state, and state names are proper nouns. The other words name everyday things you could find anywhere.
2. Which sentence has a proper noun?
A) I see a bird.
B) The cat is soft.
C) We went to Lake Tahoe.
D) She has a red hat.
Lake Tahoe is the name of one specific lake, so it is a proper noun. The other sentences only use common nouns like bird, cat, and hat.
3. Which word is a common noun?
A) fast
B) flower
C) sing
D) pretty
Flower names a thing you can see and smell, so it is a common noun. Fast, sing, and pretty describe or do something — they don't name a person, place, or thing.
4. What kind of noun is Saturday?
A) common noun
B) action word
C) proper noun
D) describing word
Saturday is the name of one certain day of the week, and the days of the week are proper nouns that begin with a capital letter.
Part B: Fill in the Blank
Write the correct answer on each line.
1. In the sentence I walked to the store, the common noun is store.
Walked is an action and the are not nouns, but store names a place — a common one — so store is the common noun in the sentence.
2. The word doctor is a common noun.
Doctor names a kind of person without saying which doctor, so it is a common noun. It would only become proper if you used a real name like Dr. Lee.
3. Names of states like Texas always begin with a capital letter.
Texas is a proper noun because it names one specific state, and proper nouns always start with a capital letter.
4. The common noun for Spot (a dog name) is dog.
Spot is the special name of one pet, but the everyday word for the kind of animal it is — the common noun — is dog.
5. In the phrase my sister Lily, the proper noun is Lily.
Sister is the everyday common noun, but Lily is the actual name of one person, which makes Lily the proper noun in the phrase.