Proper nouns
Which nouns are names, why they take capital letters, and the words children most often get wrong.
The answer
A proper noun is the name of one particular person, place, day, month or thing, and it always starts with a capital letter.
Examples
Mrs Patel took the class to the Science Museum in London.
My birthday is on a Tuesday in March this year.
Days of the week and months of the year are proper nouns.
Oliver walked his dog Biscuit along the River Thames.
A pet’s name is a proper noun, and so is every main word in a place name.
Our school is next to Hillside Park.
Park on its own is common. As part of a name, it takes a capital.
How to spot it
- It names one particular person, place or thing, not any one of a kind: city is common, Manchester is proper.
- It starts with a capital letter, even in the middle of a sentence.
- Days of the week and months are proper nouns, but the seasons (spring, summer, autumn, winter) are not.
The common mistake
Giving capitals to words that feel important but are not names.
Dog, school and summer only take a capital at the start of a sentence. The opposite mistake is just as common: writing monday or london in lower case.
When it is taught
- First met
- Year 1
- On the pupil word list
- Not as a separate term
Year 1 children learn capital letters for names, for places and the days of the week, and for the word I. Proper noun is not on the Appendix 2 terminology list, but the national curriculum glossary uses it, and schools teach it alongside noun from Year 2.
Try a question
Which word in this sentence should start with a capital letter?
On friday we are going to the cinema with my cousins.
Show the answer
Answer: friday, which should be Friday
Days of the week are proper nouns. Cinema and cousins are common nouns, so they stay in lower case.
Practise it
An interactive exercise where your child taps words to switch their capital letters on or off.
Related terms
- Practise the 11+ skill: Use capital letters
More grammar terms
Questions parents ask
Are the seasons proper nouns?
No. Spring, summer, autumn and winter are common nouns in British English, so they do not take a capital letter unless they start a sentence.
Does Mum need a capital letter?
When you use it as a name, yes: ‘Can I go out, Mum?’ After a word such as my or our (my mum), it is a common noun and stays in lower case.
Is the name of a school a proper noun?
Yes. School on its own is a common noun, but Oakfield Primary School is the name of one particular school, so each main word takes a capital.
Grammar turns up in 11+ English too
Many 11+ English papers include grammar and punctuation questions alongside comprehension. The free diagnostic checks maths, English and both kinds of reasoning, and shows what to practise next. No card is required.