Nouns and Pronouns

Nouns

A noun is a person, place, thing, or idea. Some examples of nouns are Billy, teacher, Paris, bathroom, cup, cat, and joy. The nouns in the following sentences are bolded.

The boy walked his dog.

When the student ran into the classroom, the bell rang.

My friend ate lunch quickly.

Common vs. Proper Nouns

There are two types of nouns: common nouns and proper nouns.

Common nouns, which were used in the sentences above, begin with lowercase letters and refer to generic people, places, or things.

Proper nouns are used to refer to specific people, places, or things, and are always capitalized.

For example, 'state' is a common noun while 'Virginia' is a proper noun.

Pronouns

Pronouns are words that can be used in place of nouns. We use pronouns because we don't need to keep repeating the same word over again. Take a look at the following example sentences.

The ants are carrying food because the ants are hardworking.

The ants are carrying food because they are hardworking.


Billy did the homework because Billy's teacher asked him to.

Billy did the homework because his teacher asked him to.


Sarah wants to go to the mall because Sarah thinks Sarah needs clothes.

Sarah wants to go to the mall because she thinks she needs clothes.


The sentences sound smoother and less repetitive with pronouns.

Some more examples of pronouns are her, we, I, and them.

Quiz

Sources and Useful Links