Common vs. Proper Nouns

Introduction to Naming: The Foundation of Grammatical Range

In the architecture of the English language, nouns serve as the primary load-bearing walls. Every sentence you construct in your IELTS exam relies on your ability to categorize entities correctly. Among the most fundamental yet frequently misunderstood distinctions is that between Common and Proper nouns.

The defining characteristic of common nouns is that they are never capitalized unless they start a sentence. Proper nouns refer to unique entities and must always start with a capital letter.

Real Exam Case Study:

Imagine a recording where a receptionist says: "We are located right next to Royal Park." If you write "royal park," you lose the mark. Always keep an eye out for titles like Street, Road, Avenue, Square, and University—these are almost always part of a proper noun.