Level: A2
Unit 12
Common and Proper Nouns Review
Can-do Objective: I can identify common and proper nouns and apply correct capitalization to specific names of people, places, and landmarks.
1. Vocabulary Focus
| Word / POS | Definition & Translation | Contextual Example |
|---|---|---|
| monument noun |
a building or statue built to help people remember a person or event đài tưởng niệm |
The Washington Monument is a very tall building. |
| memorial noun |
a structure built in memory of a person or an event công trình tưởng niệm |
They visited the Lincoln Memorial last winter. |
| capital noun |
the city where the government of a country or state is located thủ đô |
Washington, D.C. is the capital of the United States. |
| university noun |
a place of higher education where people study for degrees trường đại học |
Stephen attends a famous university in the city. |
| president noun |
the official leader of a country tổng thống |
The family hoped to see the president at the White House. |
| souvenir noun |
something you buy or keep to help you remember a place or a holiday quà lưu niệm |
I bought a small flag as a souvenir of my trip. |
| postcard noun |
a card with a picture on one side that you send by mail bưu thiếp |
Joseph bought postcards to send to his friends. |
| avenue noun |
a wide street or road, often with trees or important buildings đại lộ |
They walked along Pennsylvania Avenue to take photos. |
2. Grammar & Usage Rules
Grammar Point 1: Identifying Common Nouns
Explanation: Common nouns name general people, places, or things. They do not start with a capital letter unless they are the very first word in a sentence.
| Structure | Examples in Context |
|---|---|
| General Noun (lowercase) |
|
Grammar Point 2: Capitalizing Proper Nouns
Explanation: Proper nouns name specific people, specific places, unique landmarks, or official organizations. They must always start with a capital letter, no matter where they appear in a sentence.
| Structure | Examples in Context |
|---|---|
| Specific Name (Capitalized) |
|
3. Practice Exercises
Exercise 1: Vocabulary Matching
Match the vocabulary words (1-7) with their correct definitions (A-G).
1. monument
2. capital
3. university
4. president
5. souvenir
6. postcard
7. avenue
A. A wide street or road, often with trees.
B. The official leader of a nation or country.
C. An institution of higher education for degrees.
D. An object kept to remember a holiday or place.
E. A city where the state or national government sits.
F. A rectangular card with a photo sent by mail.
G. A tall statue or structure honoring a historical event.
? Click to see Answer Key & Explanation (Đáp án & Giải thích)
1 – G: ‘Monument’ maps to a historical structure/statue. (Đài tưởng niệm phù hợp với công trình lịch sử).
2 – E: ‘Capital’ is the legislative city center. (Thủ đô là nơi đặt cơ quan chính phủ).
3 – C: ‘University’ is an institute for higher learning degrees. (Trường đại học là nơi học bằng cử nhân/cao học).
4 – B: ‘President’ is the official head of state. (Tổng thống là người đứng đầu đất nước).
5 – D: ‘Souvenir’ is a memento item from travels. (Quà lưu niệm là vật để nhớ về chuyến đi).
6 – F: ‘Postcard’ is an image card mailed without an envelope. (Bưu thiếp là thẻ ảnh gửi qua bưu điện).
7 – A: ‘Avenue’ refers to a wide boulevard style road. (Đại lộ là con đường rộng lớn có hàng cây).
Exercise 2: Vocabulary & Grammar Gap Fill
Fill in each blank with a suitable word from the box. Capitalize the word if it acts as a proper noun in the sentence.
monument | university | president | capital | avenue | postcard | memorial
1. Washington, D.C. is the official _______________ of the United States.
2. Last summer, they visited the Lincoln _______________ near the National Mall.
3. We walked down Fifth _______________ in New York to see the historic shops.
4. The _______________ of the company signed the modern peace treaty yesterday.
5. He bought a beautiful photo _______________ to mail to his family in Hanoi.
6. Stephen is currently studying engineering at a local _______________.
7. The Washington _______________ looks like a giant stone obelisk piercing the sky.
? Click to see Answer Key & Explanation (Đáp án & Giải thích)
1. capital: Used as a common noun meaning a type of city. No capital letter needed. (Dùng như danh từ chung chỉ thành phố chính trị).
2. Memorial: Needs capitalization because it forms part of a specific title (“Lincoln Memorial”). (Cần viết hoa vì là tên riêng của công trình cụ thể).
3. Avenue: Must be capitalized because it belongs to the name of a specific street (“Fifth Avenue”). (Cần viết hoa vì đi liền với tên đường cụ thể).
4. president: Regular job title here without a specific name attached, so it remains common. (Danh từ chung vì chỉ chức danh nói chung).
5. postcard: A regular object name, common noun, lowercase. (Danh từ chung chỉ tấm bưu thiếp thông thường).
6. university: General reference to higher education, not naming a specific campus. (Danh từ chung chỉ trường đại học nói chung).
7. Monument: Capitalized because it forms the official full name of that specific structure (“Washington Monument”). (Viết hoa vì là tên riêng của đài tưởng niệm cụ thể).
Exercise 3: Multiple Choice Selection
Choose the sentence that demonstrates the completely accurate capitalization rules.
1. Identify the correct sentence:
2. Identify the correct sentence:
3. Identify the correct sentence:
4. Identify the correct sentence:
5. Identify the correct sentence:
6. Identify the correct sentence:
? Click to see Answer Key & Explanation (Đáp án & Giải thích)
1 – B: ‘Pennsylvania Avenue’ requires both initial letters capitalized because it names a specific street. (Cả hai từ phải viết hoa vì là tên đường cụ thể).
2 – B: Title + Name combination requires ‘President Biden’ to be fully capitalized. (Chức danh đi liền tên riêng bắt buộc viết hoa cả hai).
3 – A: ‘capital’ is a common noun here, whereas ‘France’ is a proper noun country name. (‘capital’ là danh từ chung, ‘France’ là tên nước nên phải viết hoa).
4 – C: ‘Washington Monument’ is a landmark proper noun; ‘souvenir’ is a regular item. (Tên đài tưởng niệm cụ thể viết hoa toàn bộ).
5 – A: The official institution name is ‘Harvard University’, requiring double capitals. (Tên đầy đủ của trường đại học danh tiếng phải viết hoa toàn bộ).
6 – B: ‘postcard’ and ‘post office’ are common nouns, while ‘London’ is a proper city name. (‘postcard’ và ‘post office’ là danh từ chung giữ nguyên chữ thường, ‘London’ viết hoa).
Exercise 4: True or False Capitalization Review
Determine if the underlined words are capitalized correctly according to grammar rules. Write TRUE or FALSE.
1. We walked around the historic city to look at ancient architecture. (_____)
2. Stephen will enroll in a prestigious University next autumn semester. (_____)
3. They took photos of the tall Washington Monument during the midday sun. (_____)
4. The President of the United States lives in the executive building. (_____)
5. Joseph needs to purchase a cheap Souvenir before leaving the city airport. (_____)
6. Her grandmother always writes a short message on a colorful postcard. (_____)
7. They live near a busy road called maryland avenue. (_____)
? Click to see Answer Key & Explanation (Đáp án & Giải thích)
1. TRUE: ‘city’ is a common noun and should remain lowercase. (Đúng vì ‘city’ là danh từ chung chỉ thành phố nói chung).
2. FALSE: ‘University’ should be lowercase because no specific university name is provided. (Sai vì không có tên riêng đi kèm, phải viết thường).
3. TRUE: The landmark name ‘Washington Monument’ is fully capitalized properly. (Đúng vì đây là cụm danh từ chỉ công trình cụ thể).
4. TRUE: Capitalized when referring to the specific official head of the US state. (Đúng vì nói về vị Tổng thống cụ thể của nước Mỹ).
5. FALSE: ‘Souvenir’ is a common noun and should not be capitalized mid-sentence. (Sai vì vật lưu niệm là danh từ chung, không viết hoa).
6. TRUE: ‘postcard’ is written in lowercase correctly as a common noun item. (Đúng vì tấm bưu thiếp là danh từ chung).
7. FALSE: It must be ‘Maryland Avenue’ with capitals because it names a unique street. (Sai vì tên đại lộ cụ thể phải viết hoa chữ cái đầu).
Exercise 5: Sentence Reordering
Rearrange the words to form complete sentences. Make sure to apply proper capitalization to proper nouns and sentence beginnings.
1. stephen / university / a / famous / studies / at / .
Answer: __________________________________________________________________
2. capital / washington, d.c. / the / is / country / of / the / .
Answer: __________________________________________________________________
3. bought / a / souvenir / joseph / white house / the / at / .
Answer: __________________________________________________________________
4. monument / they / the / saw / long / avenue / from / the / .
Answer: __________________________________________________________________
5. postcard / sent / a / friends / her / she / to / .
Answer: __________________________________________________________________
6. memorial / visited / winter / they / lincoln / the / last / .
Answer: __________________________________________________________________
? Click to see Answer Key & Explanation (Đáp án & Giải thích)
1. Stephen studies at a famous university. (‘Stephen’ capitalized as person’s name/sentence starter; ‘university’ is common). (Stephen viết hoa vì là tên người/đầu câu; ‘university’ viết thường).
2. Washington, D.C. is the capital of the country. (‘Washington, D.C.’ is a proper city name; ‘capital’ and ‘country’ remain common). (Tên thành phố lớn viết hoa; các danh từ chung viết thường).
3. Joseph bought a souvenir at the White House. (‘Joseph’ and ‘White House’ must be capitalized). (Viết hoa tên người và tên dinh thự cơ quan chính phủ cụ thể).
4. They saw the monument from the long avenue. (‘monument’ and ‘avenue’ are general places here, keep lowercase). (Cả đài tưởng niệm và đại lộ ở đây đều là danh từ chung chung).
5. She sent a postcard to her friends. (‘She’ is capitalized only because it starts the sentence; others common). (Chỉ viết hoa chữ đầu câu; bưu thiếp và bạn bè viết thường).
6. They visited the Lincoln Memorial last winter. (‘Lincoln Memorial’ requires capitals as an official historical landmark). (Viết hoa cụm từ Lincoln Memorial vì là tên di tích lịch sử cố định).
Exercise 6: Grammar Selection Grid
Read the short passage below. Identify whether each numbered underlined word is a Common Noun or a Proper Noun.
Yesterday, my (1) grandfather and I took a trip to the historic (2) city. We walked down Pennsylvania (3) Avenue to find a small gift shop. I wanted to buy a lovely (4) postcard. Suddenly, we saw a large crowd waiting near the (5) White House. Everyone wanted to see the (6) President as he arrived. Later, we rested near a marble (7) monument.
1. grandfather: [ Common / Proper ]
2. city: [ Common / Proper ]
3. Avenue: [ Common / Proper ]
4. postcard: [ Common / Proper ]
5. White House: [ Common / Proper ]
6. President: [ Common / Proper ]
7. monument: [ Common / Proper ]
? Click to see Answer Key & Explanation (Đáp án & Giải thích)
1. Common Noun: ‘grandfather’ is a general term for a family member. (Danh từ chung chỉ ông).
2. Common Noun: ‘city’ refers to any general urban area. (Danh từ chung chỉ thành phố tổng quát).
3. Proper Noun: It is part of the specific street name ‘Pennsylvania Avenue’. (Danh từ riêng vì nằm trong tên đường cụ thể).
4. Common Noun: ‘postcard’ is an everyday paper object. (Danh từ chung chỉ bưu thiếp).
5. Proper Noun: ‘White House’ is the specific official residence landmark. (Danh từ riêng chỉ tòa Nhà Trắng).
6. Proper Noun: Capitalized here because it points directly to the active head of state in context. (Danh từ riêng trong ngữ cảnh này vì chỉ đích danh nguyên thủ quốc gia đương nhiệm).
7. Common Noun: ‘monument’ is a generic structural description. (Danh từ chung chỉ công trình đài tưởng niệm nói chung).
