What’s the difference between common and proper nouns?

A common noun is not capitalized, as it names a category of person, place, thing, or concept. Common nouns often require articles (e.g., “a”) or determiners (e.g., “many,” “his”).

In contrast, a proper noun is capitalized and names a specific person, place, thing, or concept. Most common nouns don’t require an article, but some require “the” (e.g., “the Great Lakes”).

The same goes for proper adjectives (e.g., “my Indian colleague”) and common adjectives (e.g., “the blue house”).

Nouns and pronouns: Other interesting questions

Is it yall or y’all?: Y’all is the correct way to write the contraction for “you all.” “Yall” is a misspelling.

Use QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker to make sure you’re spelling y’all correctly.
Is them singular or plural?: “Them” can be either singular or plural and, like the singular they, it is used to refer to someone when gender is unknown or irrelevant or to refer to a nonbinary person who uses “they/them” personal pronouns.

For example, “If a student misses a class, let them know they can come to office hours.”
Is themself or themselves singular?: Both “themselves” and “themself” can be used with the singular they. “Themselves” tends to be more widely accepted, especially for style guides, but “themself” has become more common in the English language.

For example, “Justin helped themself/themselves to another serving of dinner.”
What’s the difference between subject and object pronouns?: Subject pronouns (“I,” “we,” “she,” “he,” “they,” “you,” “who,” and “it”) perform the action in a sentence or clause (e.g., “We watched a documentary about pyramids yesterday”).

Object pronouns (“me,” “us,” “him,” “her,” “them,” “whom”) receive the action (e.g., “The instructor gave us a new assignment today”).

QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker can help you avoid mistakes with subject and object pronouns.
What are the plural subject pronouns?: The plural subject pronouns are “we,” “you,” “they,” and “who.”

“We” is always plural and means “one or more other people and I” (e.g., “We all love working here because our jobs are so fun”).

“You,” “they,” and “who” can be singular or plural (e.g., “I know all of the people who live in this building” and “The person who lives next door is my best friend”).

If you’re unsure about when to use singular or plural pronouns, QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker can help you avoid mistakes.
Is who a singular or plural pronoun?: Who can be a singular or plural subject pronoun.

Sometimes “who” represents one person (e.g., “The person who shares my office has a terrific sense of humor”).

“Who” can also represent two or more people (e.g., “The people who live across the street have a new puppy”).

If you’re unsure about when to use who in your writing, QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker can help you choose the correct pronoun.
Is you singular or plural?: The subject pronoun “you” can be singular or plural.

If you’re talking to one person, “you” is singular (e.g., “You are a motivated student”).

If you’re talking to two or more people, “you” is plural (e.g., “You are all great students”).

If you’re unsure about when to use you in your writing, QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker can help you choose the correct pronoun.
Is are singular or plural?: Because “are” is a verb and not a noun, it’s not plural or singular. However, the verb “are” agrees with the plural subject pronoun “we” and plural nouns, such as “cats” (e.g., “My cats are watching the birds out the window”).

The verb “are” also agrees with the subject pronouns “you” and “they,” which can be singular or plural (e.g., “You are such a good friend” or “Babies cry when they are hungry”).

If you’re unsure about when to use are in your writing, QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker can help you choose the correct verb.
How do you spell y’all?: The contraction for “you all” is spelled y’all, with the apostrophe immediately following the “y.” A common misspelling is “ya’ll,” but this is always incorrect.

QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker can help you make sure you’re spelling y’all correctly.
What does all y’all mean?: All y’all essentially means the same thing as y’all. It is used in place of the second-person pronoun “you” to address a group of people. The addition of “all” typically serves to emphasize the size of the group.

The phrase all y’all (or “all of y’all”) is an example of a pleonasm (a redundant phrase), and it is often used for an intentionally humorous or exaggerated effect.

All y’all examples
All y’all better show up tomorrow. We’ve got a lot of work to do!

When I finally get done with this project, I’m buying all y’all drinks to celebrate.

QuillBot’s free Paraphraser can help you vary your tone in your writing.
Is they singular or plural?: They has been traditionally used as a plural pronoun, but it can be either singular or plural depending on the context.

The singular they can be used when referring to someone whose gender is unknown or irrelevant, as well as someone who identifies as nonbinary, gender-nonconforming, or otherwise uses “they/them” personal pronouns.

For example, “If a customer has any questions, they can ask the staff.”
Should I say you all or y’all?: Y’all is a contraction of you all, but the two phrases are not completely interchangeable. The choice of which to use depends on the context.

Y’all is not typically used in formal contexts, while you all can be (e.g., “Would you all please bow your heads for a moment of silence?”).

Y’all can be used to address two people (e.g., “Mom and Dad, will y’all loan me twenty dollars?”), while you all is reserved for groups of three or more.

Y’all can be used in greetings as a substitute for “everyone” or “guys” (e.g., “Hi y’all!”), while you all cannot.

Even though y’all is quite common in the southern United States and some other regions, it is not used in all variants of English.

If you’re uncertain whether to choose you all or y’all, you can usually substitute the second-person pronoun “you,” which can be either singular or plural and is appropriate in any context.

QuillBot’s free Paraphraser can help you select the right tone for your writing.
How do you make United States possessive?: The possessive noun form is United States’ (e.g., “the United States’ largest park”). Even though “United States” is treated as a singular noun, “States” itself is plural. So, it follows the rule of adding only an apostrophe to form the possessive.

“United States” is not typically used in its possessive form, though. It is often more natural to use a prepositional phrase (e.g., “the largest park in the United States”).

Additionally, “United States,” or “US,” is often used as an adjective rather than a possessive (e.g., “the US economy”).
What are countable and uncountable nouns?: Countable nouns refer to things that can be counted (e.g., “book”). They can be pluralized (e.g., “books”) or preceded by an indefinite article (e.g., “a book”) or a number (e.g., “three books”).

Uncountable nouns (also known as mass nouns) refer to anything that cannot be counted and is always treated as a mass (e.g., “information,” “research,” “advice”). They cannot be pluralized and are never preceded by an indefinite article or a number, though they can be preceded by an indefinite quantifier (e.g., “some,” “any,” “little”) or the definite article, “the.”

QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker can help you avoid mistakes with count and noncount nouns.
What are reciprocal pronouns?: The reciprocal pronouns in English are each other and one another. They indicate a mutual relationship between two or more people or things in which each performs the same action toward the other (e.g., “We gave each other a gift”; “Everyone should respect one another”).
What’s a noun phrase with a verb in -ing?: A noun phrase with a verb in -ing is typically a gerund phrase (e.g., “swimming in the ocean”).

A gerund is a verb ending in -ing that functions as a noun (e.g., “eating”).

A gerund phrase includes the gerund and modifiers, which add the extra information. In the gerund phrase above, the modifier is the prepositional phrase “in the ocean.”

QuillBot’s Grammar Checker can make sure you use gerund phrases correctly in your writing.
What is a phrase?: A phrase is a group of words that work together as a unit (e.g., “the book in my bag”). They don’t contain both a subject and a verb; instead, they function as a specific part of speech (verb, noun, adjective, adverb, etc.).

A few examples are noun phrases, verb phrases, prepositional phrases, adjective phrases, and adverbial phrases.

Regardless of the types of phrases in your writing, QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker can make sure they are error-free.
Is check up a compound noun?: Not exactly. “Checkup,” written as one word, is a compound noun that means “an examination.”

“Check up,” written as two words, is a phrasal verb that means “to get information about.” You can check up on someone or something.

Use QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker if you have any doubts about how to use these words.
Is follow up a compound noun?: Not quite. “Follow-up,” written with a hyphen, is a compound noun meaning “a continuation or repetition of something already started.”

“Follow up,” written as two words, is a phrasal verb that means “to pursue or investigate something further.”

QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker can make sure you use these words correctly in your writing.
What is an antecedent?: An antecedent is a noun or noun phrase that a pronoun, possessive adjective, or appositive refers back to.

Sentences with pronouns or possessive adjectives need to have pronoun-antecedent agreement. To achieve this, use plural pronouns/possessive adjectives for plural antecedents and singular pronouns/possessive adjectives for singular antecedents.

In this example sentence, “their” and “them” are both plural to agree with the antecedent “flowers”: “Manish took the dead flowers out of their vase and put them in the trash.”

An appositive is a noun or noun phrase that provides information about its antecedent. For example in the sentence: “The poet Emily Dickinson was reclusive,” the antecedent is “Emily Dickinson,” and the appositive is “the poet.”

QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker can help you use antecedents correctly in your writing.
What is the difference between a gerund and a gerund phrase?: A gerund is a noun that is derived from a verb, using the “-ing” ending (e.g., “swimming,” cooking”).

A gerund phrase is a group of words that begins with a gerund and includes any of its modifiers or objects (e.g., “swimming in the ocean,” “cooking dinner every night for my friends”).

Both gerunds and gerund phrases act as nouns in sentences and can be subjects, direct objects, indirect objects, objects of prepositions, and subject complements.
Is “that” a relative pronoun?: Yes, “that” is one of the four most common relative pronouns in English (“that,” “which,” “who,” and “whom”).

Relative pronouns are used to introduce relative clauses, which give more information about a noun or noun phrase (e.g., “the shirt that Dylan is wearing” or “the book that is on the table”).

In other contexts, “that” is also used as an adverb, conjunction, or determiner.
What is the difference between “that” and “which”?: “That” and “which” are two of the four most common relative pronouns in English (along with “who” and “whom”).

That is used to introduce restrictive relative clauses—those that give essential information about the noun or noun phrase they modify (e.g., “Book the flight that leaves at 7 a.m.”). Restrictive clauses are not set off by commas.

Which is used to introduce nonrestrictive relative clauses—those that give nonessential details about the noun or noun phrase they modify (e.g., “My assistant booked the earliest flight, which leaves at 7 a.m.”). Nonrestrictive clauses are set off by commas.

In British English, “which” can also be used (without commas) in restrictive clauses. However, in American English, “which” is only used in nonrestrictive clauses.
What is a relative adverb?: A relative adverb is a type of adverb that introduces a dependent clause (i.e., a group of words with a subject and a verb that cannot stand on its own as a sentence).

There are three relative adverbs in English:

Where (e.g., “The restaurant where we ate last Friday was really good”)

When (e.g., “Do you remember that time when Sonia sang karaoke?”)

Why (e.g., “The reason why I was late was traffic”)
Is a name a proper noun?: People’s names are proper nouns. This includes first names (e.g., “Kyle,” “Sarai”), family names (e.g., “Klein,” “the Ruperts”), and titles that are part of an individual’s name (e.g., “Pope Francis,” “Professor Martinez”).

The names of many non-human entities are also proper nouns. This includes brands (e.g., “Coca-Cola,” “Microsoft”), organizations (e.g., “New York University,” “the World Health Organization”), religions (e.g., “Eastern Orthodoxy,” “Buddhism”), and holidays (e.g., “New Year’s Day,” “Mid-Autumn Festival”), among other things.

When these names are used as adjectives, they are proper adjectives (e.g., “the Elizabethan era”).
Is earth a proper noun?: The word “earth” is treated as a proper noun only when it refers to the celestial body (e.g., “The Earth is the third planet from the sun”).

“Earth” is typically treated as a common noun (i.e., lowercase) when it denotes the surface of the planet, the sum of its inhabitants, the realm of the living, or the dry land as opposed to water or sky.

The earth has been nicknamed “the Blue Planet.”

The Earth has been nicknamed “the Blue Planet.”

You’re my favorite person on Earth.

You’re my favorite person on earth.
Is summer a proper noun?: The word “summer” is a common noun. Like the other seasons (e.g., “fall”), it doesn’t require capitalization unless it is part of a proper noun (e.g., “the 1984 Summer Olympics”).

In contrast, the names of specific months (e.g., “December”) and days of the week (e.g., “Friday”) are proper nouns and require capitalization.
What does “appositive” mean?: “Appositive” describes a noun or noun phrase that follows another noun phrase (its antecedent) to provide additional information about it (e.g., “Our new student, Rita, loves reading”).

The relationship between the appositive and its antecedent is called apposition.

The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help you punctuate appositive phrases correctly.
What is the difference between a gerund phrase and a participial phrase?: Both gerund phrases and participial phrases begin with the “-ing” form of a verb (e.g., “running,” “eating”).

However, gerund phrases act as nouns in a sentence (e.g., “Running long distances is a great stress reliever), while participial phrases act as adjectives to describe a noun or pronoun (e.g., “Running quickly, Matt tried to catch the bus”).
How is a concrete noun different from an abstract noun?: Concrete nouns refer to people, places, or things that are physically observable to the senses. Examples include “Mrs. Robins,” “snowstorm,” “San Juan,” “moonlight,” and “book.”

Abstract nouns, in contrast, name constructs that can’t be observed with the senses, such as ideas, moods, and values. Examples include “nostalgia,” “weekday,” “peace,” “era,” and “academia.”
Is freedom an abstract or concrete noun?: “Freedom” is an abstract noun. It denotes a conceptual state beyond the reach of the five senses. Although we can observe tangible expressions of freedom, such as unrestricted movement, the concept exists in the mind and not in the physical realm.
Is talent an abstract or concrete noun?: “Talent” is an abstract noun, signifying a conceptual quality, not a physical object. It encompasses innate abilities or skills individuals possess, making it impossible to touch or perceive directly.
What are the different types of nouns?: Nouns can be categorized in a wide variety of ways, including the following:

Concrete nouns and abstract nouns

Common nouns and proper nouns

Countable nouns and uncountable nouns

Plural nouns and singular nouns

Gerunds

Appositive nouns

Generic nouns

Collective nouns

Attributive nouns

Possessive nouns
Are academic concepts capitalized?: In general, academic concepts are not capitalized; most are common nouns. This includes disciplines, models, theories, and frameworks (e.g., “string theory,” “existentialism”).

Common nouns are not capitalized even when they are used alongside proper nouns or adjectives (which are always capitalized) in the name of an academic concept (e.g., “Newton’s laws,” “Juvenalian satire”).

QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker can help you make sure you’re using capitalization correctly.
How do noun clauses work?: Noun clauses essentially function as nouns, but they can serve various grammatical functions. Their roles include the following: subject, object, appositive, and subject complement (e.g., predicate nominative).

A QuillBot grammar check can help ensure you’re using noun clauses correctly.
How can you identify a noun clause?: Noun clauses often (but not always) begin with relative pronouns (e.g., “which,” “that,” “who”) or subordinating conjunctions (e.g., “if,” “whether”).

A noun clause functions as a noun in a sentence (unlike a relative clause, which functions as an adjective), and it is the only type of noun that contains a verb.
What is a predicate noun?: A predicate noun is another term for a predicate nominative. It’s a noun or pronoun that follows a linking verb and identifies, describes, or redefines the subject.

For example, in the sentence “you are my best friend,” “you” is the subject and “my best friend” is the predicate nominative describing the subject.

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What’s the difference between common and proper nouns?

Nouns and pronouns: Other interesting questions