Identify Common or Proper Nouns Worksheet - Free Printable

Let me work through each sentence carefully to identify whether the underlined nouns are common or proper nouns, and correct any capitalization errors for proper nouns.

Understanding the difference:
- Common nouns: General names for people, places, things (not capitalized unless at the start of a sentence)
- Proper nouns: Specific names of people, places, brands, titles (always capitalized)

Let me analyze each one:

1. "Sue and Diane" - These are specific names of people → Proper nouns ✓ (already correctly capitalized)
"Rhode Island" - This is a specific state name → Proper noun ✓ (already correctly capitalized)
"florida" - This is a specific state name → Proper noun, but needs capitalization correction → Florida

2. "bed" - This is a general item, not a specific brand or name → Common noun ✓
"LuAnn" - This is a specific person's name → Proper noun ✓ (already correctly capitalized)

3. "klondike bar" - Klondike is a specific brand name → Proper noun, needs capitalization → Klondike Bar

4. "motorcycle" - This is a general vehicle type, not a specific brand → Common noun ✓

5. "yellowstone park" - This is a specific national park name → Proper noun, needs capitalization → Yellowstone Park

6. "fluoride toothpaste" - Fluoride is a chemical element/type, and toothpaste is a general product category. However, "fluoride" here describes a type of toothpaste, not a brand name → Common noun ✓

7. "finding nemo" - This is a specific movie title → Proper noun, needs capitalization → Finding Nemo

8. "st. patrick's day" - This is a specific holiday name → Proper noun, needs capitalization → St. Patrick's Day

9. "street" - This is a general term, not a specific street name → Common noun ✓

10. "sunshine mall" - This is a specific place name → Proper noun, needs capitalization → Sunshine Mall

Now let me verify my answers before finalizing:

1. Sue, Diane, Rhode Island = proper (correct); florida = proper (needs Florida)
2. bed = common; LuAnn = proper (correct)
3. klondike bar = proper (needs Klondike Bar)
4. motorcycle = common
5. yellowstone park = proper (needs Yellowstone Park)
6. fluoride toothpaste = common
7. finding nemo = proper (needs Finding Nemo)
8. st. patrick's day = proper (needs St. Patrick's Day)
9. street = common
10. sunshine mall = proper (needs Sunshine Mall)

Final Answer:

1. Sue - proper, Diane - proper, Rhode Island - proper, florida - proper (should be Florida)
2. bed - common, LuAnn - proper
3. klondike bar - proper (should be Klondike Bar)
4. motorcycle - common
5. yellowstone park - proper (should be Yellowstone Park)
6. fluoride toothpaste - common
7. finding nemo - proper (should be Finding Nemo)
8. st. patrick's day - proper (should be St. Patrick's Day)
9. street - common
10. sunshine mall - proper (should be Sunshine Mall)