Help your students learn how to use common nouns to create powerful sentences.

Common nouns are words that represent a person, place, or thing and we see them a great deal in an average day (either in spoken or written form). As one of the foundational building blocks of grammar, common nouns provide elementary school students with a solid starting point for composing sentences. Fourteen interactive worksheets start with basic lessons such as knowing the difference between common and proper nouns. Your students then move on to identify nouns in sentences and eventually, they will compose sentences using common nouns on their own. You do not have to monitor every student at the same time, as helpful answer keys keep your kids on track.

When we use a noun that is not specific to a certain person, place, or thing we called it common. We often use these terms when we are discussing things that we are not acquainted with such as: that girl, the dog, and the stadium. The opposite of these forms of nouns are proper nouns which pinpoint what they are talking about. The best way to navigate or classify the word form in this case is to ask yourself if this noun were in a group would you be able to spot them? If you could place them, it is a proper noun, otherwise it is only common. This form of the word is often helpful when introducing and identifying things as well as describing features or qualities. Think outside the textbook and motivate your students to learn by using Common Noun worksheets to teach the basics of writing smooth flowing and highly communicative sentences.



Get Free Worksheets In Your Inbox!


Printable Common Nouns Worksheets

Click the buttons to print each worksheet and answer key.

Common or Proper

A noun can be a common noun or a proper noun. Proper nouns are the names of specific people, places, things, or ideas. A proper noun always begins with a capital letter.

Find the Noun

A proper noun is a specific person, place or thing. A proper noun always begins with a capital letter.

The Commoner

Read each sentence. If the bolded noun in each sentence is common, circle "common." If it is a proper noun, circle "proper."

Category For Me

Read each word. Write it in the box in the proper place.

Sentence Writing

Underline the proper noun in each sentence. Then rewrite each sentence, changing the proper noun to a common noun.

Check Marks the Spot

Read each sentence. Write the nouns in the correct columns.

On the Line

Find the nouns in each sentence. Write them on the lines.

Underline It

Read each sentence. Circle the nouns. Underline the proper nouns, which need to be capitalized.

Be Bold

Fill in the correct bubble for each bold word.

Common or Not?

Read the words in the Word Bank. Sort them into the correct categories.

Labelling It

Label each noun as common or proper. Then use it in a sentence, capitalizing the proper nouns correctly.

Poster Maker

Can you think of more proper noun/common noun pairs? Write them on the lines below.

Switch It Out!

Read each sentence. Then rewrite it, substituting a common noun for the underlined proper noun.

Fictional Characters

Replace each proper noun with a common noun that tells what kind of creature or object each character is.

Word Pairs

Choose the common noun from each pair and use it in a sentence.