In the picture above, we see a girl, a dog, a plant and a garden.

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'Girl', 'dog', 'plant' and 'garden' are the general names of people, animals, things and places.

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Such words are called common nouns.

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Common nouns do not begin with capital letters unless they appear at the beginning of sentences.

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Examples:

1. I have climbed a mountain before.

2. The teacher is teaching my favourite subject.

3. My neighbour drives a red car.

4. The boy moved to another country when he was five years old.

5. My friends are waiting for me at the hotel.

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Look at the picture again. The girl is called 'Amanda' and the dog is called 'Cookie'.

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'Amanda' and 'Cookie' are the special names given to the girl and the dog respectively.

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​These special names are called proper nouns.

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Proper nouns always begin with capital letters.

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Examples:

1. I have climbed Mount Everest before.

2. Mr. Wong is teaching Geography.

3. Amanda drives a red Honda Accord.

4. Freddy moved to Australia when he was five years old.

5. Wei Ming and Eileen are waiting for me at The Fullerton Hotel.

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