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COMMON NOUNS
English Grammar - Complete Notes
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Instructor: Miss Mono
Academic Year: 2026
Target Exams: STS, PST, JST, PPSC, SPSC, ASI, SI,
Junior Clerk, Teaching License
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CONTENTS
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1. Definition & Concept
2. Categories with Examples
3. Common vs Proper Nouns
4. Identification Rules & Tricks
5. Exam-Style Practice Questions
6. Sentence Examples
7. Plural Forms
8. Tricky Cases
9. Homework & Practice Plan
10. Summary & Key Points
11. Quick Reference Guide
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1. DEFINITION & BASIC CONCEPT
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ENGLISH DEFINITION:
A common noun is a general name for a person, place,
animal, or thing. It does not refer to a specific
individual, but to a general category.
ROMAN URDU EXPLANATION:
Common Noun ek general naam hota hai jo kisi bhi
insaan, jagah, janwar, ya cheez ka naam batata hai.
Yeh kisi specific cheez ke liye use nahi hota, balkay
poori category ke liye istemal hota hai.
KEY CHARACTERISTICS:
✓ General name (not specific)
✓ Starts with lowercase letter (except at sentence beginning)
✓ Can be singular or plural
✓ Can be used with articles (a, an, the)
✓ Represents a category or class
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2. CATEGORIES WITH EXAMPLES
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A. PERSONS (Insaan)
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• boy - larka
• girl - larki
• teacher - ustaad/ustaani
• doctor - doctor
• student - talib-e-ilm
• child - bacha
• parent - walid/walida
• friend - dost
• worker - mazdoor
B. PLACES (Jagah)
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• school - school
• city - shehar
• park - park
• hospital - hospital
• market - bazaar
• country - mulk
• village - gaon
• bank - bank
• shop - dukaan
C. ANIMALS (Janwar)
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• dog - kutta
• cat - billi
• bird - parinda
• lion - sher
• cow - gaay
• horse - ghora
• elephant - haathi
• tiger - cheeta
D. THINGS (Cheezein)
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• book - kitab
• pen - qalam
• car - gaari
• table - mez
• phone - phone
• chair - kursi
• bag - bag
• computer - computer
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3. COMMON vs PROPER NOUNS
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COMMON NOUNS PROPER NOUNS
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General names Specific names
Start with lowercase Start with capital letter
Represent categories Represent unique identities
Can be plural Usually singular
Use with articles Usually no articles
COMPARISON TABLE:
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Common | Proper | Rule
-------------|--------------|----------------
boy | Ali | General vs Specific
city | Karachi | Category vs Name
country | Pakistan | Common lowercase, Proper uppercase
school | City School | Proper nouns are always capitalized
book | Holy Quran | Common can use "a/an/the"
QUICK IDENTIFICATION:
• Common: "a boy", "the city", "an apple"
• Proper: "Ali", "Karachi", "Apple Inc."
(You wouldn't say "the Ali" or "a Karachi")
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4. IDENTIFICATION RULES & TRICKS
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GOLDEN RULES FOR EXAMS:
1. If word is GENERAL → Common Noun
2. If word is SPECIFIC → Proper Noun
3. Check capital letter → Proper Nouns always capitalized
4. Try adding "the", "a", "an" before word → if fits → Common
STEP-BY-STEP IDENTIFICATION:
Step 1: Is the word capitalized in middle of sentence?
Yes → Probably Proper
No → Could be Common
Step 2: Is it a specific person/place name?
Yes → Proper
No → Common
Step 3: Can you make it plural?
Yes → Common
Usually No → Proper
Step 4: Can you add "a", "an", or "the" before it?
Yes → Common
No → Proper
EXAM TIPS (STS/PST/JST):
• MCQs often ask: "Which is a common noun?"
• Sentence correction: Watch for capitalization errors
• Fill in blanks: Choose between common/proper
• Error spotting: Common mistakes in noun identification
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5. EXAM-STYLE PRACTICE QUESTIONS
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IDENTIFY COMMON NOUNS IN THESE SENTENCES:
Q1. The cat is sleeping on the mat.
Answer: cat (Common), mat (Common)
Q2. I visited London last summer.
Answer: London (Proper) - No common noun
Q3. The children are playing in the playground.
Answer: children (Common), playground (Common)
Q4. Ali bought a new pen from the market.
Answer: pen (Common), market (Common)
(Ali - Proper)
Q5. The hospital is near the shopping center.
Answer: hospital (Common), shopping center (Common)
Q6. Dr. Ahmed is a famous doctor in this city.
Answer: doctor (Common), city (Common)
(Dr. Ahmed - Proper)
Q7. She read the book in one day.
Answer: book (Common), day (Common)
Q8. Karachi is a large city in Pakistan.
Answer: city (Common)
(Karachi - Proper, Pakistan - Proper)
DIFFICULT LEVEL:
Q9. The River Nile flows through Egypt.
Answer: River (Common)
(Nile - Proper, Egypt - Proper)
Q10. My brother, Ali, studies at University.
Answer: brother (Common), University (Common)
(Ali - Proper)
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6. SENTENCE EXAMPLES & ANALYSIS
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MIXED SENTENCES ANALYSIS:
1. "Ali is reading a book in the park."
• Ali → Proper (specific person)
• book → Common (general thing)
• park → Common (general place)
2. "The teacher asked Sara to submit the assignment."
• teacher → Common (general profession)
• Sara → Proper (specific person)
• assignment → Common (general thing)
3. "A dog is running near the market in Lahore."
• dog → Common (general animal)
• market → Common (general place)
• Lahore → Proper (specific city)
4. "She bought fruits from Sunday Market yesterday."
• fruits → Common (general things)
• Sunday Market → Proper (specific market name)
5. "The city of Mumbai is very crowded."
• city → Common (general place)
• Mumbai → Proper (specific city)
MINI STORY FOR PRACTICE:
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"Ali is a boy who goes to school every day. His favorite
subject is English. Yesterday, he went to the park with
his friend. They saw a dog playing there. Both Ali and
his friend were happy to see the dog."
COMMON NOUNS IN STORY:
• boy, school, day, subject, park, friend, dog
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7. PLURAL FORMS OF COMMON NOUNS
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RULES FOR MAKING PLURALS:
1. Regular Nouns (add -s):
• book → books
• pen → pens
• dog → dogs
• city → cities (y changes to i + es)
2. Nouns ending with s, x, z, ch, sh (add -es):
• bus → buses
• box → boxes
• quiz → quizzes
• church → churches
• dish → dishes
3. Nouns ending with consonant + y (change y to i + es):
• city → cities
• baby → babies
• story → stories
• lady → ladies
4. Nouns ending with vowel + y (add -s):
• boy → boys
• day → days
• key → keys
• toy → toys
5. Irregular Plurals (must memorize):
• child → children
• man → men
• woman → women
• foot → feet
• tooth → teeth
• mouse → mice
6. Same Singular and Plural:
• sheep → sheep
• deer → deer
• fish → fish
• species → species
EXAM NOTE: In exams, plural common nouns are still
common nouns. "Boys" is common, "children" is common.
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8. TRICKY CASES & EXCEPTIONS
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CASE 1: Titles with Names
• Dr. Ali → "Dr." is part of proper noun
• Professor Ahmed → "Professor" is capitalized as title
• Uncle Ali → When used as name → Proper
• my uncle → When not used as name → Common
CASE 2: Geographical Features
• river → Common
• River Nile → "River" capitalized as part of name → Proper
• mountain → Common
• Mount Everest → Proper
CASE 3: Days, Months, Holidays
• day → Common
• Monday → Proper
• month → Common
• January → Proper
• holiday → Common
• Eid → Proper
CASE 4: Brand Names vs Products
• car → Common
• Toyota → Proper (brand)
• phone → Common
• iPhone → Proper (brand name)
CASE 5: Subjects and Languages
• subject → Common
• English → Proper (language name)
• science → Common
• Biology → Proper (subject name)
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9. HOMEWORK & PRACTICE PLAN
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DAILY PRACTICE (15-20 minutes):
✓ Write 10 sentences using common nouns
✓ Identify nouns in newspaper headlines
✓ Practice with past exam papers
✓ Create flashcards for difficult cases
WEEKLY TASKS:
1. List 50 common nouns (10 each category)
2. Write a short story using 15 common nouns
3. Solve 20 MCQs from practice books
4. Review all rules and exceptions
MONTHLY REVISION:
• Revisit all categories
• Practice plural forms
• Review tricky cases
• Take a mock test
PRACTICE SHEET SUGGESTIONS:
1. Make sentences with these common nouns:
- teacher, hospital, book, dog, city
2. Convert these to plural:
- child, city, box, boy, story
3. Identify common/proper:
- Karachi, boy, Dr. Ali, school, January
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10. SUMMARY & KEY POINTS
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ESSENTIAL RULES TO REMEMBER:
1. COMMON NOUNS ARE GENERAL
- They name categories, not specific items
- Example: "car" (any car), not "Toyota" (specific)
2. LOWERCASE LETTERS
- Start with lowercase (except at sentence beginning)
- Proper nouns always start with capital letters
3. USE WITH ARTICLES
- Can use "a", "an", "the"
- Proper nouns usually don't take articles
4. CAN BE PLURAL
- Most can be made plural
- Proper nouns usually remain singular
5. EXAM IMPORTANCE
- Frequently tested in government exams
- Foundation for other grammar topics
QUICK CHECKLIST:
□ Is it a general name? → Common
□ Does it start lowercase? → Common
□ Can I make it plural? → Common
□ Can I add "a/an/the"? → Common
□ Is it a specific person/place? → Proper
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11. QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE
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FOR EXAM QUICK REVISION:
COMMON NOUN = GENERAL + LOWERCASE + ARTICLE + PLURAL
COMMON: PROPER:
• boy, girl • Ali, Sara
• city, village • Karachi, Lahore
• dog, cat • Tommy, Kitty
• book, pen • Holy Quran, Parker
• day, month • Monday, January
• river, mountain • Nile, Everest
• subject, language • English, Mathematics
IDENTIFICATION FLOWCHART:
Is it capitalized? → No → Could be Common
→ Try adding "the" → Works? → Common
→ Doesn't work? → Recheck
→ Yes → Is it start of sentence? → Yes → Could be Common
→ No → Probably Proper
MEMORY TECHNIQUES:
1. Common = Crowd (many in category)
2. Proper = Person (specific individual)
3. C = Common = Category
4. P = Proper = Particular
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FINAL NOTES
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LAST-MINUTE EXAM TIPS:
1. Read the question carefully - sometimes they ask
"Which is NOT a common noun?"
2. In sentence correction, check if common nouns
are unnecessarily capitalized
3. When in doubt, ask: "Is this specific or general?"
4. Practice daily - even 10 minutes helps
5. Review these notes before exam
REMEMBER:
Common nouns are the building blocks of English
grammar. Master them, and you'll find sentence
structure, comprehension, and error spotting much
easier in your exams.
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© 2026 Miss Mono
English Grammar Series
For Government Exams Preparation
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Contact for queries: missmono.grammar@example.com
Practice Materials Available on Website
"Success in exams comes from consistent practice
and clear understanding of basics."
- Miss Mono