Common Noun - Definition, Examples, List & Usage

A common noun is a general name for a person, place, thing, animal, or idea. Unlike proper nouns, common nouns do not refer to a specific name and are generally not capitalized unless they begin a sentence.

Examples include dog, city, book, and teacher.

Here is the list of some common nouns with the relations they belong to.

Related to Human Beings

• Man
• Women
• Child 
• Boy
• Girl
• Citizen
• Individual
• Life
• Student
• Businesswomen

Related to Animals

• Cow
• Kitten 
• Goat
• Dog
• Deer
• Donkey 
• Elephant
• Horse
• Lion
• Buffalo

Related to Insects

• Mosquito
• Honeybees
• Ant
• Beetle
• Butterfly
• Grasshopper
• Earthworm
• Ladybug
• Dragonfly
• Cicada

Related to Place

• Railway station 
• Junction 
• Airport 
• Bus Stand 
• Clinic  
• Park
• Garden
• Riverbank
• Beach
• Jungle

Related to object/things

• Bike
• Shoes
• Bottle 
• Pencil
• Mango
• Car
• iPod
• Mobile
• Newspaper 
• Cosmetic

Examples of common nouns

• Girl
• Chocolate
• Elephant
• Donkey
• Animal
• Dove
• Bird
• Book
• Carrot
• Shirt

Common Nouns Examples Used in Sentences

• My car is brand new.
• I felt sick yesterday, so I skipped school.
• I was shown images of you as a baby by your mother.
• Give me the novel of Prem Chandra. 
• We will go to the park tomorrow. 
• He was deeply involved in his computer because of his work.
• My favorite toy is lost.
• My niece is like her mother in looks.
• The water of the river Gomati is being polluted.

Common Noun vs. Proper Noun

Contrasting common nouns with proper nouns helps to define them. Accordingly, all nouns fall into one of two categories: common or proper, albeit the same noun might serve as both in various circumstances.

• Common nouns are broad; they typically refer to groups of objects, persons, and locations rather than specific ones. They can be changed by articles, determiners, and adjectives and are only capitalized at the beginning of a sentence.

• Proper nouns are the names of certain people, objects, locations, businesses, etc. They are often not modified by articles, determiners, or adjectives, and they are always capitalized.