Proper Nouns Study Guide

A proper noun is a specific name used for an individual person, place, or thing. Proper nouns always begin with a capital letter, regardless of where they appear in a sentence.

Examples of Proper Nouns:

Person: Mary, John, Dr. Smith
Place: Paris, Mount Everest, Great Wall of China
Thing: Coca-Cola, Titanic, The Mona Lisa

Functions of Proper Nouns:

Proper nouns serve to specify and identify unique entities. They help in distinguishing one from another.

Rules for Capitalizing Proper Nouns:

Always capitalize the first letter of a proper noun.
Capitalize proper adjectives derived from proper nouns (e.g., Italian, Shakespearean).
Do not capitalize common nouns that are used as part of proper nouns (e.g., river in Mississippi River, university in Harvard University).

Practice Example:

Identify the proper nouns and correct any capitalization errors in the following sentence:

the eiffel tower in paris, france is a popular tourist attraction.

Corrected Sentence: The Eiffel Tower in Paris, France is a popular tourist attraction.

Now you can try identifying and correcting proper nouns in your own writing!

◂English Language Arts Worksheets and Study Guides Fifth Grade. Root Words

The resources above cover the following skills:

Reading Standards: Foundational Skills

Phonics and Word Recognition

Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words. [RF.5.3]

Use combined knowledge of all letter-sound correspondences, syllabication patterns, and morphology (e.g., roots and affixes) to read accurately unfamiliar multisyllabic words in context and out of context. [RF.5.3a]

Language Standards

Vocabulary Acquisition and Use

Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on Grade 5 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies. [L.5.4]

Use common, grade-appropriate Greek and Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., photograph, photosynthesis). [L.5.4b]