A proper noun or proper name is a capitalized noun representing a unique entity as opposed to a common noun, which represents a class of entities or nonunique instances of that class.
9
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4answers
743 views
What does the most common usage of 'Korea' mean in modern-day English-speaking world?
On Meta.Travel.SE, we have a debate whether our 'Korea' tag should be mapped to 'South Korea'. One of the answers - from the moderator who made the synonym mapping - is that common usage of the word ...
2
votes
1answer
796 views
Are software titles italicized?
The titles of freestanding works (books, movies, plays, albums, etc.) are italicized; smaller parts within these works (chapters in a book, articles in a magazine, songs within an album) are not (they ...
6
votes
3answers
9k views
Does one capitalize “communism” and “communist”?
Suppose I have the following sentence:
I lived in a communist country during the fall of communism in 1989.
Should "communist" and "communism" be capitalized?
2
votes
1answer
314 views
Plurals, Possesives, and Proper Nouns ending with 'S' [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
What is the correct possessive for nouns ending in s?
I just took a grammar quiz in 10th grade English Honors, and one of the questions was very interesting to me.
In ...
4
votes
3answers
436 views
Are the names of game tokens capitalized?
Are the names of game tokens considered proper nouns, and hence need to be capitalized? Apparently not for chess, as king, queen, bishop etc. are written in lowercase. But what about games whose terms ...
6
votes
3answers
806 views
Capitalization: when does a phrase become a proper noun?
This is a question on capitalization. Proper nouns are capitalized. But how can I tell which parts of a term constitute a proper noun?
Take, for example, the nickname for traveler's diarrhea (sorry, ...
0
votes
1answer
308 views
Is 'town' or 'Barrie' a proper noun in this sentence?
I live in a small town called Barrie.
Which noun is proper – town or Barrie?
I answered Barrie and the examiner marked it as wrong.
And another one:
Last night, I watched the movie My ...
0
votes
1answer
249 views
Capitalisation of domain names and URLs [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Should I use capitalization when mentioning a domain name?
Is there a rule or preference for capitalisation of domain names?
I'm aware that folder and file names are ...
10
votes
2answers
744 views
When referring to a specific war (or other named event), should the word “war” be capitalized when it appears alone?
The Cold War instilled a fear of nuclear war in the public; additionally, the [war] was responsible for an extreme anti-Communist sentiment that lingers to this day.
Should the bracketed instance ...
3
votes
1answer
880 views
Is “Monday” a proper noun or a common noun?
I can understand why Monday is an abstract noun (it isn't something we can perceive with any of our 5 senses),
But is Monday considered a proper noun or a common noun?
6
votes
3answers
216 views
Why isn't “ecliptic” a proper noun?
Why isn't ecliptic a proper noun? There is only one, and it has a name.
Example (context):
... the true Sun is not always exactly on the ecliptic for a hypothetical observer at Earth's center, ...
1
vote
3answers
398 views
Getting to the bottom of common nouns
What would you call a noun which lives at the very bottom of a hierarchy of common/proper nouns?
For example, say we have the proper noun "Regent Street".
The common noun is "Street", which is a ...
2
votes
2answers
2k views
Yoga (proper-case) or yoga (lowercase)?
I've seen it written in both ways. I'm tempted to use the proper case, because I was under the impression that it is also a form/name of religion. What do you think?
3
votes
5answers
4k views
Correct punctuation in company names
My father's company is named the following:
Xyz Trading Co. (L.L.C.)
I find the use of periods excessive, at the abbreviation of company and the last period in the parenthesis.
Is it ...
2
votes
1answer
3k views
How to write company name
This is the name of a company:
Taobao Network Co., Ltd.
Is it correct that every first letter is capitalised? Also, why is there a comma?
2
votes
2answers
104 views
Does this situation have a name? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Is there a word for an acronym which spells out one of its component words?
My coworker's wife is Margaret Elizabeth G... (I'll withhold the last name to protect the ...
1
vote
1answer
302 views
How do I refer to Congress?
When referring to Congress do I refer to it as a single body or a collective? For example, is it
Congress is stupid.
or
Congress are stupid.
1
vote
2answers
4k views
Jones's or Jones'? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
What is the correct possessive for nouns ending in s?
When did it become correct to add an 's' to a singular possessive already ending in 's'?
I've always heard that ...
3
votes
4answers
337 views
Should I capitalize the “G” in “God Particle” when referring to the Higgs Boson particle?
I'm researching the Higgs Boson particle and have always preferred to call it the "god Particle" or even the "Champagne Particle". But the capitalization of the "G" has thrown me off.
I'm conflicted ...
12
votes
4answers
1k views
Use of definite article before phrases like Heathrow Airport, Hyde Park, Waterloo Station, Edgware Road and Parliament Square
In this related question (Definite article with proper nouns, titles followed by a common noun), the OP asks if it is grammatical to use the definite article before phrases like Advanced programming ...
5
votes
8answers
666 views
Should Philip have P. or Ph. as an initial?
In the context of scientific articles and technical white papers, references to other publications typically include the author’s surname with, depending on the format of the specific publication, ...
19
votes
10answers
4k views
About definite article before “Earth”, “Moon” and “Sun”
In what cases do we have to put the definite article the before each of these words:
Sun
Moon
Earth
and in what cases do we not need to?
3
votes
6answers
1k views
What is the pronunciation of “Aussie”? [closed]
I know that Australians pronounce Aussie like Oz-ee. However, how should Americans pronounce it?
I have, in the past, politely corrected Americans when I hear the typical "aw-see" (\ä-sē\). It ...
4
votes
3answers
952 views
Adjective with proper noun
Rephrasing the entire question:
Do we use the article "the" when we use an adjective with a proper noun? Which of these is correct, and why?
The terrible Mr. Brown set my boat on fire.
...
2
votes
2answers
648 views
Capitalising a sentence whose first word is explicitly lowercase [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Capitalization of names that begin lowercased, at the beginning of a sentence
Let's say that you have a word that should be typed with leading lowercase letter. Perhaps ...
4
votes
6answers
746 views
City names with articles
Typically we don't use articles with city names, e.g. "Seattle" and not "the Seattle." I know at least one exception though which is The Hague. Are there any other city names which we use with the ...
4
votes
3answers
4k views
Pronunciation of “Azure” in “Windows Azure”
This is not a techie query. I am just unclear on how to pronounce the word "Azure" which is brand name for Microsoft's cloud service offerings.
8
votes
3answers
342 views
Capitalization of “Internet” [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Should the words “internet” and “web” be capitalized?
For the most part Internet is capitalized, less frequently it occurs uncapitalized. Is ...
1
vote
3answers
343 views
Housekeeping App — does it make sense?
We are providing an app which manages your finances — like a housekeeping book. Our space is limited; therefore, we want to use the slogan "Housekeeping App".
Would an English speaker know what is ...
3
votes
1answer
150 views
Apostrophe or assume the possessive?
This question has divided the office into two camps. Camp 1 believes the correct way to indicate the relationship in this sentence is to use the client's name as a possessive, as in "When ...
4
votes
10answers
703 views
Why does English have city/country names that differ from the local language?
For example:
Italy = Italia
Florence = Firenze
Rome = Roma
Venice = Venezia
Munich = München
Different reasons for different cities? Anglicised for pronunciation? The name changed and English ...
11
votes
6answers
989 views
How would you spell “Tehran” in English for it to be pronounced “correctly” (i.e. as in Persian)?
Native English speakers do not pronounce the h in Tehran so it is pronounced like "Teran". But in the original pronunciation in Persian the h is pronounced, resulting in /tehˈɾɒːn/.
Is there any ...
7
votes
2answers
360 views
How do I perform presidential proper noun declension?
I'm unfamiliar with how one approaches the declension of proper nouns, especially as it pertains to presidents, e.g., Jeffersonian. I suspect it's kind of a black art. I need to do this with Coolidge ...
5
votes
2answers
1k views
What does “Clyst” mean?
I live in the south west of England and there are many villages and roads that feature the word "Clyst". For example, Broadclyst, Clyst St Mary, Clyst Honiton and so on.
What does clyst mean, and ...
0
votes
1answer
1k views
Capitalize names of a company's departments?
My understanding is that if the term department, unit, etc. is omitted, the name of a company's department becomes a proper noun and hence is capitalized:
Lisa works in the marketing department.
...
3
votes
1answer
2k views
Why is “I” capitalized in the English language, but not “me” or “you”? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Why should the first person pronoun 'I' always be capitalized?
I realize that at one time a lot of nouns in English were capitalized, but I can't understand the ...
10
votes
4answers
2k views
Is “Thank god”, as opposed to “Thank God”, acceptable?
People are quite stingy lately about anything with religious connotations, so I'm worried that the phrase "thank God" might tick some people off.
Is "thank god" acceptable? Would that offend people ...
1
vote
1answer
956 views
Capitalization of names that begin lowercased, at the beginning of a sentence [duplicate]
Possible Duplicates:
How Should Trademarks be Written?
How do you capitalize a proper noun such as “iPhone”?
Many products these days have names that intentionally begin with ...
4
votes
2answers
668 views
Store names & possessive
Observation: It seems that it's common to turn a store name into a possessive, for example a store named "Palisade" gets transformed to possessive in speech like, "Hey how about going to Palisade's ...
17
votes
3answers
5k views
Should “Hell” be capitalized?
I am of the belief that Hell should be capitalized because real or not, it is the name of a place, and thus a proper noun. It should be capitalized correct?
I have seen it written without ...
2
votes
4answers
1k views
Why is god, a common noun, capitalized? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
When should the word “God” be capitalized?
I thought god is a common noun, but many people capitalize it when it is not the first letter of a sentence or a ...
21
votes
5answers
2k views
How do you spell Muammar Qaddafi?
This name, which is spelled القذافي in Arabic, is spelled in so many different ways in the Latin alphabet:
Gadafi, Gadaffi, Gaddafi, Gaddaffi, Gadhafi, Gadhaffi, Ghadafi, Ghadaffi, Ghaddafi, ...
8
votes
4answers
1k views
Is “Mecca” capitalized when used figuratively?
Waleed made his pilgrimage to Mecca.
This is a given.
But I would write:
Bombay is India’s entertainment mecca
Is this correct, or is Mecca capitalized in its figurative use, as well?
3
votes
2answers
96 views
plural of 'Davidovici'
I know someone named Davidovici, pronounced /dəˈvɪɾəvɪtʃ/ (i.e., rhyming with witch. It's from Romanian). How is it pluralized (as, to refer to the family): Davidovicis or Davidovicies?
4
votes
2answers
494 views
Why does “The Punisher” get an article in his name and “Spiderman” doesn't?
Why not
Punisher vs. The Spider-man
?
Is the word "the" used however we feel like? Could I call them "Punisher" and "The Spider-man"?
20
votes
6answers
6k views
Why is the “ph” pronounced like a “v” in “Stephen”? Is this the only word like that?
While I know how my name is pronounced, I've run into many non-native english speakers who have stumbled over this unique exception to English. Even in the female name, "Stephanie", the ph is ...
20
votes
2answers
3k views
How do you capitalize a proper noun such as “iPhone”?
I was always taught to capitalize the first letter of the first word in a sentence, and also the first letter of proper nouns. In the last few years it's been common for certain firms to name their ...
11
votes
3answers
699 views
Is the game, “go,” a proper noun? What about “checkers” or “chess”?
The game of Go is...
or
The game of go is...
Apparently the International Go Federation capitalizes it. Its dictionary entry doesn't appear to be (from what I have seen). It seems to fit ...
12
votes
4answers
4k views
Why does Germany's English name differ from its German name?
Germany in German is Deutschland and the language is Deutsch. I'm used to words being anglicized, but why is there a complete replacement in this case?
13
votes
2answers
719 views
Family name pluralization
When pluralizing family (last) names that also happen to be common English words, does the pluralization follow the same rules as the common word?
For example, "the Smith family" can be pluralized as ...
