Examples of common nouns:
* Person: teacher, student, doctor, child, friend
* Place: city, park, school, country, beach
* Thing: car, book, phone, table, chair
* Idea: love, happiness, freedom, justice, peace
Characteristics of common nouns:
* Not capitalized: They are not capitalized unless they are part of a proper noun (like "City Hall").
* General: They refer to a whole class or category, not a specific individual or entity.
* Can be singular or plural: "cat" vs. "cats", "city" vs. "cities"
Contrast with proper nouns:
Proper nouns are specific names for people, places, or things. They are always capitalized.
* Person: John, Mary, Shakespeare
* Place: New York City, Paris, Mount Everest
* Thing: iPhone, Mona Lisa, The Great Wall of China
Why are common nouns important?
Understanding common nouns is essential for understanding the structure and meaning of sentences. They are the building blocks of phrases and clauses, helping us identify and categorize the things we are talking about.