Proper nouns
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Proper nouns: grammar rules with examples
Proper nouns are the names of particular people, animals, organizations, places and other things. Unlike common nouns they always begin with capital letters.
Compare common nouns/proper nouns:
teacher/Mrs. Clark, gallery/the National Gallery, mountain/Mount Everest, month/January
There are many types of proper nouns that begin with a capital letter. Some of them are used with the definite article the, others are used without the.
Proper nouns with the
The definite article is used before:
Plural names of people: the Collins (= the Collin family)
Plural names of countries and country names that include common names: the Netherlands,
the Philippines, the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic
Nations (the + adjective): the Spanish, the Polish, the British
Seas and rivers: the Adriatic, the Atlantic Ocean, the Thames, the Mississippi River
Groups of islands and chains of mountains: the Azores, the Bahamas, the British Isles, the Alps, the Andes, the Himalayas
Deserts and regions: the Sahara, the Gobi Desert, the Riviera, the Crimea
Most organizations: the Bush Administration, the Rotary Club, the Ford Foundation, the Supreme Court, the Senate (but Congress)
Newspapers: The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, The Daily Mirror (but USA Today)
Historical and cultural periods: the Bronze Age, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance
Most names made with 'of': the London School of Economics, the Statue of Liberty, the Tower of London, the Bank of New York (but Bank of America)
Most names consisting of adjective + common noun: the National Gallery, the British Museum, the North Pole, the West End, the High Street, the Republican Party (but North America, West Germany = an adjective + proper name)
Some other names: the City, the Mall, the Bronx
Proper nouns without the
The definite article is not used before:
Names and titles of people: William, Angelina Jolie, President Kennedy, Captain Cook, Detective Poirot, Doctor Watson
Names of animals: Simba, Spot, Fluffy
Languages, nationalities or ethnic groups: Spanish, Polish, Hindi, Han Chinese
Countries consisting of a singular proper name and continents: Spain, Vietnam, Britain, Ghana, India, Asia, Australia, Europe
Streets, squares, towns, cities: Broadway, Oxford Street, Times Square, Trafalgar Square, Dover, New York (but the Cathedral Square, the Hague)
Lakes and ponds: Lake Victoria, Lake Superior, Great Pond
Islands and mountain peaks: Borneo, New Guinea, Madagascar, Mont Blanc, Mount Everest, Aconcagua, Mount Kenya
Parks and amusement parks: Central Park, Hyde Park, Disneyland, Europa Park, Everland
Most magazines: Newsweek, Vogue, National Geographic, PC World, Better Homes and Gardens (but The New Yorker, The Economist)
Brands: Jack Daniel's, Kit Kat, Coca - Cola, Mercedes - Benz, Panasonic
Days, months and holidays: Monday, July, New Year's Eve, Halloween, Labour Day, Thanksgiving
Religious names: Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism
Most places named after a person or a town: Mario's Pizzeria, McDonald's, St Peter's Cathedral, Vaclav Havel Airport, Edinburgh Castle, Carnegie Hall, Rockefeller Center (but the Royal Albert Hall, the John Hancock Center, the Sears Tower)
Proper nouns with the or without the
There are, however, many categories of proper nouns used with the or without the. For example:
Buildings and places of interest: Burj Khalifa, Capital Hotel, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey/ the Hilton Hotel, the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Taj Mahal, the Sydney Opera House
Schools: Columbia University, Boston College/the Sorbonne, the U. S. Military Academy
Companies: General Motors, Bank of America/the Ford Motor Company, the World Bank
Bridges: London Bridge, Tower Bridge/the Golden Gate Bridge, the Brooklyn Bridge
Works of art: Mona Lisa, Girl with a Pearl Earring, Guitar, Bust of Nefertiti/the Sistine Madonna, the Nightwatch, the Burghers of Calais, the Terracota Army
Capitalizing tricky proper nouns
If a common noun (mum, pope, president, captain) becomes a proper noun, it begins with a capital letter. The rule is, when we use such words, we capitalize them only if we use them exactly as names.
You can ask Mom. (but You can ask your mum.)
I'd like to meet Pope Francis. (but I'd like to meet the pope.)
Where was President Lincoln assassinated? (but Who was the first president of the USA?)
It was in 1778, when Captain Cook discovered the Hawaiian Islands. (but Who is the captain of this ship?)
See also:
English nouns Countable and uncountable nouns, singular and plural nouns, group nouns, compound nouns and proper nouns.
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