The Mother Tongue, Book I: Lessons in Speaking, Reading and Writing English · Secs. 388–393 · Part 2: Part Second
108. Common and proper nouns
Goal: Your child tells common nouns from proper nouns and capitalizes every proper noun.
You'll need
- The book, open to this lesson
- Paper and pencil (a notebook kept just for this book works well)
What's in the book
Sections 388 to 390 ask for names of things we can only think about and sentences using words as nouns. Section 391 compares common nouns (person, city, steamship) with proper nouns (James Ryder, Chicago, the Etruria) and gives the definitions. Sections 392 and 393 ask for lists of names to use in sentences.
The lesson, step by step
Think-about nouns (Section 388)
Your child writes five names of things we can think about but not see or hear (goodness, courage, wisdom ...) and uses two in sentences.
Common or proper? (Section 391)
Read the six sentences and the two columns.
A Proper Noun is the name of a particular person, place, or thing.
A Proper Noun should always begin with a Capital Letter.
Ask: Is "city" the name of one particular city? Is "Chicago"?
Pairs
Play a quick game: you say a common noun (river, dog, street, book), your child says a proper noun of that kind (the Hudson, Rover, Main Street, "Heidi").
Lists (Section 392)
Your child writes five names of towns or cities, five birds, and two each of trees, holidays and months. Ask: Which of these are proper nouns? (Towns, holidays, months. Birds and trees are common: robin, oak.)
Sentences (Section 393)
Your child uses six of the names in sentences.
Check it gently
Check capitals: every proper noun capitalized, and no capitals on common nouns like robin or oak in the middle of a sentence. Your child fixes any slip.
What a good result looks like
Example (written for this guide, not from the book):
I saw a robin in Lincoln Park. (robin is common; Lincoln Park is proper)
Our town, Mill Creek, has one bakery.