Three Sisters = volcanic peaks in Oregon Independence = city in Missouri & starting point of the Oregon Trail independence = ability to do things on one's own Grandmother = what I call my grandmother

grandmother = any woman who has grandchildren If you read about 'apple' you know it's a fruit.īut if you read about 'Apple' then you realize it's probably the computer company (or possibly someone named Apple). Knowing the difference can be helpful when you are reading, too. The most obvious difference between common nouns and proper nouns is that proper nouns are always capitalized. Gauss and the gauss unit of magnetic flux density Ångström and the ångström unit of atomic distancesĭalton and the dalton unit of atomic mass Volt and the volt unit of electric potential Kelvin and the kelvin unit of temperatureįahrenheit and the fahrenheit unit of temperatureĬelsius and the celsius unit of temperature Tesla and the tesla unit of magnetic flux density Mississippi River and that river over thereĪnd don't forget all the units where proper nouns became common nouns:īecquerel and the becquerel unit of radioactivity Since English is full of equivocal terms, some common nouns also function as proper nouns.

What is a proper noun