Common and Proper Nouns Worksheets and Exercises

Last updated on May 19, 2025 by Alma Webster
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Our common and proper nouns worksheets are filled with fun activities like sorting, matching, and sentence rewriting to help students easily recognize and use both types of nouns correctly.

Common and Proper Nouns Worksheets

Understanding the difference between common and proper nouns is a big step toward mastering English grammar. Common nouns name general people, places, or things, while proper nouns name specific ones — and always start with a capital letter!

Learn more:

Matching Common and Proper Nouns Worksheet

Draw a line to match the common noun on the left to the proper noun on the right. 

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Fill in the Blank Common and Proper Nouns Worksheet

  1. Write a proper noun for each common noun in the box. 

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2. Look at the common noun on the left, identify its proper noun, and write them in the right column. 

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3. Below are two categories: Common nouns and proper nouns. Sort the words below into the correct category. 

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Circle the Correct Common and Proper Nouns Worksheet

Circle the nouns in each sentence and add them to the chart below. 

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2.

Task 1: Use the color code to circle common and proper nouns in the box.

Task 2: Write 3 examples of proper nouns for each category: People, places, and title.

Task 3: Write a sentence using at least two proper nouns. 

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Cut and Paste the Common and Proper Nouns Worksheet

Cut out the noun cards. Sort them as common and proper nouns, and paste them in the appropriate boxes

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Common and Proper Nouns Exercises

Common and Proper Nouns Exercise 1: Sort the Nouns

Direction:

Look at the list of words. Sort them into two groups: Common Nouns and Proper Nouns. Write each word under the correct heading.

Word List:

  • dog

  • Paris

  • river

  • Sarah

  • holiday

  • Monday

  • apple

  • Amazon

  • school

  • Mr. Smith

  • pencil

  • Opera House

  • city

  • Christmas

Answer Key:

Common Nouns Proper Nouns
dog Paris
river Sarah
holiday Monday
apple Amazon
school Mr. Smith
pencil Opera House
city Christmas

Common and Proper Nouns Exercise 2: Fill in the Blank with a Proper Noun

Direction:

Fill in the blank with a proper noun from the word bank to complete the sentence correctly.

Word Bank:

  • Emma

  • Nike

  • New York

  • Mr. Johnson

  • Easter

  • Saturday

  • McDonald’s

  • Harry Potter

  • Amazon River

  • December

Sentences:

  1. My best friend _______ loves to paint beautiful pictures.

  2. We will have lunch at _______ after the game.

  3. I want to visit _______ to see the Statue of Liberty.

  4. _______ is a fun holiday where we hunt for eggs.

  5. My new shoes are from _______.

  6. Our family usually decorates the Christmas tree in _______.

  7. _______ teaches our math class every morning.

  8. We are going to watch the movie _______ tonight.

  9. The longest river in South America is the _______.

  10. Our school picnic will be on _______ this week.

Answer Key:

No. Correct Answer
1 Emma
2 McDonald’s
3 New York
4 Easter
5 Nike
6 December
7 Mr. Johnson
8 Harry Potter
9 Amazon River
10 Saturday

Common and Proper Nouns Exercise 3: Choose Proper Nouns

Direction:

For each common noun, choose three proper nouns from the word bank that match it.
Write your answers on the lines next to each common noun.

Word Bank:

  • Harry Potter

  • McDonald’s

  • Paris

  • Dr. Smith

  • The Hobbit

  • New York

  • KFC

  • Charlotte’s Web

  • Lisa

  • Thanksgiving

  • Burger King

  • Tokyo

  • Mr. Brown

  • Christmas

  • Easter

Common Nouns to Match:

  1. city → __________ , __________ , __________

  2. holiday → __________ , __________ , __________

  3. person → __________ , __________ , __________

  4. restaurant → __________ , __________ , __________

  5. book → __________ , __________ , __________

Answer Key:

Common Noun Proper Nouns
city New York, Paris, Tokyo
holiday Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving
person Mr. Brown, Lisa, Dr. Smith
restaurant McDonald’s, Burger King, KFC
book Harry Potter, The Hobbit, Charlotte’s Web
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