Common and Proper Nouns Live Worksheet

 

Instructions: Type “common” or “proper” for each noun below, then click Check Answers to see how you did!

1. Ali –
2. bird –
3. Karachi –
4. father –
5. Apple –
6. dog –
7. Ayesha –
8. books –
9. Fluffy –
10. Dubai –

What Are Common and Proper Nouns?

In English grammar, nouns are words that name people, places, things, or ideas. Among the many types of nouns, common nouns and proper nouns are essential for building a strong foundation in language learning.

 Common Nouns

Common nouns refer to general or non-specific people, places, or things. These nouns are not capitalized unless they begin a sentence. For example:

• teacher

• city

• animal

• book

• country

These are everyday names we use without referring to any one specific object. If I say "a car," you don’t know which car I mean—it’s a general category.

 Proper Nouns

On the other hand, proper nouns name a specific person, place, or thing and always begin with a capital letter. Examples include:

• Mr. Ali

• Lahore

• Holy Quran

• Pakistan

• Monday

Proper nouns are unique identifiers. If I say "Lahore," you know exactly which city I mean. That’s what makes it "proper."

 Why Students Confuse Them

Many students confuse common and proper nouns because the difference feels subtle. But here's a trick:

If the noun can be replaced with a name or title, it's probably proper.

For example:

• “My brother is a doctor.”
  → doctor is a common noun

• “Dr. Ahmed is my brother.”
  → Dr. Ahmed is a proper noun

 Real-Life Examples

Let’s break it down with examples from everyday life.

Common Noun	Proper Noun
book	Harry Potter
country	Pakistan
boy	Ali
month	Ramzan
day	Friday

You’ll notice proper nouns always stand out—they’re specific and important!

Classroom Tip

A fun classroom activity is to bring in a bag of labeled pictures (e.g., a dog, a specific brand of chips, a flag, a school name). Ask students to sort them into “Common” and “Proper” groups. It makes the difference stick.

Extra Practice Sentences

You can also encourage students to write 5 of their own sentences:

1. I saw a cat near the mosque.

2. Zara bought a dress from Outfitters.

3. We visited Islamabad last summer.

4. My uncle is a pilot.

5. Quran is a holy book for Muslims.

Now ask them: Which are common nouns? Which are proper?

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Learning Value of This Worksheet

This interactive worksheet combines typing, drag-and-drop sorting, and self-assessment, which:

• Improves concept clarity

• Encourages active learning

• Provides instant feedback

• Boosts confidence in grammar usage

Whether you're teaching in a classroom or homeschooling, this tool can be used again and again to solidify noun knowledge.