Proper Nouns

A proper noun is a noun that refers to a unique thing, such as (names, names of cities, planets, corporations etc.).

London is the capital of Great Britain

Note that proper nouns are unique names. They are capitalized.

Olivia wants to travel around Europe next year

We should also capitalize:

• Festivals

  Christmas and Thanksgiving are my two favourite holidays!

• People's titles

  Everything depends on President Trump and his decisions

• The names of books, films, plays, and paintings. We use capital letters for the nouns, adjectives, and verbs in the titles.

  I've just finished reading 'The Old Man and the Sea'

Sometimes we use a person's name to refer to something they have created.

We were listening to Mozart the other day

I'm reading an Iris Murdoch now

When you use a word about a family member (e.g. mom, dad, uncle), capitalize it only if the word is being used exactly as you would use a name, i.e. if you were addressing the person directly. If the word is not being used as a name, it is not capitalized.

Please ask Dad if he can buy wine on his way home

Is your dad coming over for dinner?

Whenever you see a capitalized word, question whether or not it is a proper noun. Make sure that the capitalized word is in fact a noun as there are also proper adjectives.

Asia is one of the continents of the world *

I don't really like Asian food *

Guided Practice#

• Brendan went to Germany last year. He liked Berlin and Munich the most.

• When are we celebrating Easter this year?

• You need to contact Doctor Drake to receive further information.

• I am dying to see 'Heartbreak House'!

• I heard that a Van Gogh was sold for 20 million dollars!

• Please ask Mom if she knows that I'll be late.
• Does your mom know that I'll come home later today?

• At Easter kids get candies from Easter bunnies.

Short Story using Proper Nouns#

-Emma, what did you get for Christmas?

-My mom and dad got me a Polaroid! I was beyond happy!

-Wow! That's such a cool gift!

-Yeah, I know! And what did you get?

-My parents bought me a trip to New York for 5 days. I've never been to the East Coast so I'm looking forward to it. I'll go there in summer though.

-That's amazing! Don't forget to take photos!

Independent Practice#

Decide whether the highlighted words should be capitalized.

1. Honestly, I don't really like coca cola.
2. My aunt kelly is a wonderful person.
3. See the list of 2018 oscar Nominations including best picture, best actors and actresses, and more.
4. I'm sure you'll like 'pride and prejudice'.
5. Maybe we should get some fast food for dinner.
6. Pam studied engineering at college.
7. Texas is the second largest state in the united states by both area and population.
8. When I saw a monet for the first time, I was blown away!
9. Kate doesn't like winter months that much.
10. Under the US constitution, each state is given a number of electoral votes in rough proportion to its population.