In English grammar, we often hear the terms proper noun and common noun. They are two different types of nouns with some distinct differences. The difference between proper nouns and common nouns will be detailed below.
1.Definitions:
Proper nouns are nouns used to refer to specific people, places, organizations, or things. They usually begin with a capital letter, such as a person's name (John, Mary), a place name (London, Paris), or an organization (Apple Inc.).etc.
Common nouns are nouns used to refer to a class of people, things, or concepts. They usually start with lowercase letters, such as people (man, woman), animals (dog, cat), objects (book, table), etc.
2.Specificity:
Proper nouns are specific and are only used to refer to a specific person, place, organization, or thing. They are often unique and distinct from other nouns.
A common noun is general and denotes a class of people, things, or concepts, and is not specific. They can be used to refer to any number or type of person or thing.
3.Case:
Proper nouns usually begin with a capital letter to indicate their particularity. For example, John, London, Apple Incetc.
Common nouns usually begin with lowercase letters, unless they are used as the beginning of a sentence or appear in a heading.
4.Countability:
Proper nouns are usually uncountable because they only represent a specific entity or concept. For example, we don't say "two Londons" or "three apples".
Common nouns can be countable or uncountable, depending on the entity or concept they represent. Countable nouns can have singular and plural forms, whereas uncountable nouns only have singular forms.
5.Usage:
Proper nouns are often used to identify or refer to a specific person, place, organization, or thing. They can be used to name people, geographies, companies, brands, etc.
Common nouns are used to describe a class of people, things, or concepts. They are the most commonly used type of noun in our daily communication.
Summary: The difference between proper nouns and common nouns can be summarized as follows:
Proper nouns are specific and are used to refer to a specific person, place, organization, or thing; A common noun is general and is used to refer to a class of people, things, or concepts.
Proper nouns begin with uppercase letters, and common nouns begin with lowercase letters.
Proper nouns are usually uncountable, and common nouns can be countable or uncountable.
Proper nouns are used to identify or refer to a specific person, place, organization, or thing; Common nouns are used to describe a class of people, things, or concepts.
Hope the above explanation helps!