How can you spot a proper noun even if you don't know what it is?

Answer 1

A proper noun is the name of a specific person, place, thing, or a title. A proper noun is always capitalized.

That being said, if you don't recognize a word that is capitalized as the name of someone or something, you should look up the word. Search engines are very good at finding obscure words.

You can't rely solely on a capitalized word being a proper noun, both individuals and professionals sometimes capitalize incorrectly or fail to capitalize when necessary. Many words can be both a common noun and a proper noun and it's best to know which is which. Examples:

My mom used to make apple jelly. Fiona Apple is an American singer.

We went to the lake for a week this summer. Here is a map of Lake Michigan.

We can paint the room cream and yellow. We have some Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream.

My secretary can make an appointment for you. Hilary Clinton is the US Secretary of State.

Answer 2

A proper noun is the name of a specific person, place, or thing.

The quick answer would be that a proper noun can be identified because it starts with a capital letter. But that would rely on the writer of the text using correct capitalization and would not help if the unknown word is the first word in a sentence.

Another pitfall in relying on capitalization to spot a proper noun is that there are some common nouns that are traditionally capitalized. For example, the word TV (originally an acronym for the common noun television) or IV (originally an acronym for the adjective intravenous) have become accepted as nouns themselves, common nouns, for example:

He was watching TV when I came in.

It's time to replace the IV for this patient.

The best way to spot a proper noun is to understand what a proper noun is. For example:

No matter who is actually flying the plane, the captain is responsible for the plane and the flight. (captain is the general word for the person in charge, a common noun)

Although US Airways Flight 1549 had a crew of five, Captain Sullenberger is credited with successfully landing the plane on the river. (Captain is the title of a specific person, a proper noun)

In what city do you change planes? (city is a general word for any city, a common noun)

I change planes in Chicago. (Chicago is the name of a specific city, a proper noun)

I would like a hamburger. (hamburger is a general word for a type of sandwich filling, a common noun)

I would like a Big Mac. (Big Mac is the name of a specific hamburger sandwich, a proper noun)

Answer 3

because it has a capital letter