My pet dog’s name is Tommy. “Tommy” is a proper noun and “dog” is a common noun.
The correct answer and explanation is:
The correct answer is: “Tommy” is a proper noun and “dog” is a common noun.
Explanation:
Nouns can be categorized into two main types: proper nouns and common nouns. A proper noun is the name of a specific person, place, thing, or idea, and it always begins with a capital letter. A common noun, on the other hand, refers to a general name for a person, place, thing, or idea, and it is not capitalized unless it starts a sentence.
In this case, “Tommy” is a proper noun because it is the specific name of your dog. Proper nouns are used to identify particular entities, such as a person’s name (e.g., “John”), a city (e.g., “Nairobi”), or, as in this case, a pet’s name. Since it refers to a specific individual (your dog), it is capitalized.
On the other hand, the word “dog” is a common noun. Common nouns are general terms for a class of things or people, not specific ones. “Dog” refers to any dog in general, not one particular dog. It could refer to any breed, species, or individual dog, which is why it is not capitalized unless it begins a sentence.
The distinction between proper and common nouns is important because it helps us understand the specificity and generality of the words we use. Proper nouns are unique, while common nouns are used to refer to things in a broader sense. This understanding also helps us with correct grammar, especially when writing, as we know to capitalize proper nouns but leave common nouns in lowercase unless necessary.