Common Nouns:
1. General vs. Specific: Common nouns refer to general things (e.g., cat, city, day). Proper nouns refer to specific things (e.g., Fluffy, London, Tuesday).
2. No Capitalization: Common nouns are not capitalized unless they start a sentence or are part of a title.
3. Plural Forms: Common nouns typically form their plurals by adding "-s" or "-es" (e.g., cats, cities, days).
Proper Nouns:
1. Always Capitalized: Proper nouns are always capitalized, even when used in the middle of a sentence.
2. Specific People, Places, and Things: Proper nouns name specific people (e.g., John Smith), places (e.g., Paris), or things (e.g., the Great Wall of China).
3. Unique: Proper nouns are unique and refer to only one specific entity.
General Rules:
4. Consistency: Always use the same capitalization for a proper noun throughout your writing.
5. Avoid Repetition: Once you've introduced a proper noun, use a common noun to refer to it again (e.g., "I visited London. The city is beautiful.")
6. Formal vs. Informal: Use formal language (proper nouns) when writing formally and more informal language (common nouns) in casual settings.
7. Titles: Titles of books, movies, and other works are considered proper nouns and are capitalized.
8. Organizations: Names of organizations, companies, and institutions are proper nouns.
9. Days of the Week and Months: Days of the week and months are proper nouns (e.g., Monday, January).
10. Holidays: Holidays are considered proper nouns (e.g., Christmas, Thanksgiving).
Examples:
* Incorrect: I went to the store yesterday.
* Correct: I went to the grocery store yesterday. (Common noun)
* Incorrect: My cat's name is Luna. she is a beautiful cat.
* Correct: My cat's name is Luna. She is a beautiful cat. (Capitalize proper noun "Luna," use common noun "cat" to avoid repetition).
By following these rules, you can significantly reduce your risk of making errors with common and proper nouns.