What does common noun mean

The United States has had four presidents this century. George Washington was the first President of the United States. George Washington was the first president of the United States. In , the tenure of president George Washington began. In , the tenure of President George Washington began. In the penultimate example, the fact that George Washington is named at the beginning of the sentence may tempt you to capitalize president afterward, but you must resist this temptation.

Here, George Washington is referred to as the first president of the United States—that is, the first in a number of presidents of the United States.

Thus, in that example, president is a common noun. In business writing, the common compound noun board of directors is often incorrectly capitalized in this way. This principle applies to every common noun , no matter how monumental its significance. Even if your noun represents the most momentous event the universe has seen, it must be named specifically to be proper and to don its capitals. Hubble and Einstein contributed to the theory of the Cosmological Expansion of the Universe.

Hubble and Einstein contributed to the theory of the cosmological expansion of the universe. The Big Bang is a theory regarding the cosmological expansion of the universe. At the time, screen quotas were far more common among film producing industries. The Smooth Naked Horsetail is a common plant, specially by the sides of streams and pools. I would ask you to imagine it translated into every language, a common material of understanding throughout all the world.

Our social life is aimless without it, we are a crowd without a common understanding. Diplococci without capsules are common in the sputum, but have no special significance. He had discovered that the all-glorious boast of Spain was not exempt from the infirmities of common men. New Word List Word List. Save This Word! See synonyms for common noun on Thesaurus. Accessed 12 Nov.

More Definitions for common noun. See the full definition for common noun in the English Language Learners Dictionary. Nglish: Translation of common noun for Spanish Speakers. Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free! Log in Sign Up.

Save Word. Definition of common noun. Examples of common noun in a Sentence Recent Examples on the Web His proper name would become a common noun , a contemptible exclamation and novel profanity. First Known Use of common noun , in the meaning defined above. Learn More About common noun.