Questions tagged [proper-nouns]
A proper noun or proper name is a noun representing a unique entity as opposed to a common noun, which represents a class of entities or non-unique instances of that class. Proper nouns are usually, but not invariably, capitalized in English.
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Should you italicize names of aircraft if they are serial numbers?
In English, it's customary to italicize the names of vessels, aircraft, and spacecraft, e.g. USS Oklahoma, B-17 Ye Olde Pub, and space shuttle Discovery. Does that also apply to specific aircraft ...
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How to write the possessive of a proper noun that ends in a plural noun?
Say we have a hotel named the Springfield Arms. The name itself is singular, since it refers to an individual hotel, but it ends with the pluralized noun “Arms”.
What is the correct way to write the ...
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Do native English speakers tend to take the second part of a compound first name for a middle name?
My first name is "Jean-Baptiste". "Baptiste" is not a second or middle name, however I noticed that it's not unusual for native English speakers to address me just as "Jean&...
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Proper Noun Capitalization for Type of Thing
I'm writing a report. In the report we refer to program participants as either dedicated or auxiliary. Each has a unique situation in which they enter the program. Since they are a particular type of ...
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What is the rule for using the definite article in front of a name? [duplicate]
What is the rule on the basis of which there is a definite article in front of the name of a man-made object such as the Challenger or the Titan?
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When is a genus name without an initial capital letter acceptable in formal (but not necessarily in a scientific context) English? [duplicate]
In biology, the scientific name of a species (known as the "binomial name" or just the "binomial" or sometimes even just the "binomen") is written as a pair of words in ...
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Dual-use of Nouns as Proper and Common [closed]
I request some advice on the grammatical correctness of using a noun in both proper and common forms as part of the same article. The example I am particularly concerned with is related to college ...
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Object names as object's attributive nouns
Do names (e.g., proper nouns), when used as attributes for their referred objects, have the same stylistic constraints of use as other cases of attributive nouns? Specifically, the examples 5-8 are ...
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The New Year or New Year
Do we use articles with the names of celebrations? Maybe we can but haven't got to, that is, it's optional?
I shan't have written my essay by the time [the] New Year begins.
user470503
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Why do hotel names often break the “adjective-first” rule?
In English, we generally say the adjective first, then the noun it describes. Many or most hotel names, however, are called “hotel” then followed by an adjective. Such as “Hotel Hayden” and “Hotel ...
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Why isn't a "litmus test" a proper noun? [closed]
A test is a thing, which makes test a noun. A Litmus Test is a specific type of test so why do I never see it capitalized in example sentences. I would think it is a proper noun. What is wrong with my ...
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Capitalisation of "The" in a colloquially abbreviated proper noun [closed]
If you've got a company/venue name with "The" in it, e.g. "The Royal Hotel", you'd always capitalise the "The". Now imagine you colloquially call it "The Royal",...
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What is 'there is a God' supposed to mean?
There's no denying that the phrase there is a God is in use, as shown in these examples.
The New York Times, 2020:
When the nefarious Cardinal Richelieu died in 1642, Pope Urban VIII is said to have ...
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executive secretary [duplicate]
When I look up my dictionaries for 'executive secretary', I found the below 2 examples:
She’s executive secretary to New York University’s president.
He was executive secretary of the NAACP.
I have 3 ...
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What is the more precise name for the noun-phrase 'The Native' / 'The American'? [duplicate]
Been having a nightmare with this: in a phrase such as 'The native knows all this, and laughs to himself every time he spots an allusion to the animal world in the other's words' (Franz Fanon), or '...
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Should "time" be capitalized? [closed]
I would like to request some clarification on the capitalization of the word time. Is it possible in certain contexts to use it not as a common noun, but as a proper noun?
For example, what if you are ...
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Should I capitalize 'western' when it anticipates 'culture'?
The following sentences are from the transcription of a BBC podcast>
In the Western culture, we have got a bit of an uphill – I would say - struggle because pre-conceptions around eating insects ...
user442526
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Why are the names of the four seasons not proper nouns, but the names of the weekdays and months are?
My original question was: Why is summer not capitalized like Monday and June. After some research, my question became the one in the title.
From a shallow google search, I've read that months and ...
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Use of possessive apostrophe with the second word of a compound proper noun like “Australian States”
I have a relatively simple question, but I am just a little confused
and potentially misinformed. My understanding is that when
pluralising a possessive noun, you add an apostrophe ...
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Is there a name for separating two items with comma when listing them?
I noticed that journalists often write titles in which they connect two proper nouns (but not only those) with a comma, instead of using "and".
Two examples:
Poll shows gap between Le Pen, ...
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Why is the A in "Article" capitalized in legal articles when referring to itself? [closed]
I looked at ten different law articles; when refering to itself, the letter A in Article is capitalized. For example, in the abstract it would say something like:
This Article proposes modifying the ...
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What is the etymology of the name of the River Cherwell in England? [closed]
The River Cherwell is the second largest tributary of the Thames after the River Kennet. What is the etymology of its name?
I could not find any etymology after checking several websites.
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Is it a "Spanish-language movie" or a "Spanish language movie"?
As I understand it (please correct me if I'm wrong): "Spanish" is a proper noun and therefore must be capitalized; "Spanish-language" in this case is a compound adjective and those ...
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I find it awkward to say I live in the China but not I live in the Philippines or I live in The USA. What is the rule for this? [duplicate]
It is awkward to say "I live in the China", but not "I live in the Philippines" or "I live in The USA". The determiner 'the' of the sentences all precede a proper noun ...
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Should proper nouns be used as singulars or plurals? [duplicate]
My question is about whether proper nouns (used as the subject of a sentence) should be considered as singular or plural. The proper nouns "The United States" and "The Duck Variations&...
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Does capitalisation change when a word moves from proper noun to adjective?
For the sake of this question I'll use the word Linux as an example, but I really want to ask about the principle generally.
The word Linux started as the name of an operating system kernel written by ...
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Capitalise or not foreign demonyms when original language uses lower case and English has no equivalent?
In English we capitalise demonyms. Someone from Paris is a Parisian. When we insert words from other languages we indicate the non-English nature of the word with quotation marks or italics. "He ...
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Why isn't the word "white" capitalized when referring to the race? [duplicate]
I was surprised to find that there's a growing convention of capitalizing the word "black" when referring to the race, i.e.:
A Black person.
I thought this was wrong, because I thought it ...
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Capitalisation when talking about a proper noun [closed]
So when I write a sentence like for example:
The word europe originated from ...
should the word be capitalised or not? It seems logical not to capitalise because in this sense it's not talking ...
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Referring to a specific instance of a common noun [closed]
Let's say I am planning an as of yet unnamed wall at the back of my garden, which I will build using gabion baskets.
If I temporarily refer to the wall according to its construction, should I write it ...
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Are there English toponyms that are pluralia tantum? [closed]
There are toponyms that are pluralia tantum in a few languages. What come off top of my mind are Mediterranean cities in classical languages, such as Athenae and Pompeii. A modern example I can come ...
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Should I Capitalize the Word "mom" in This Specific Context [duplicate]
In the book Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing is says the word "mom" is a proper noun in the following context and should be capitalized:
"How's Mom these days"...
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Is "Black" correct, incorrect, or could it be used as either "Black" or "black"? [duplicate]
I was reading an article that I was assigned by my professor, and I came across the following:
“We’re the ones getting killed,” Los Angeles Clippers coach Doc Rivers, who is Black, said in an ...
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Why is it 'the Corona virus' not 'Corona Virus'?
Corona is the name of a virus and hence is a proper noun. Please tell me why this exception arises. Also if there are other similar cases when 'the' is used before proper nouns, please let me know.
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Can capitalization be considered as a marker of definitness in proper nouns
Proper nouns are always definite (i.e. are names of people or names of places).
They are also always capitalized.
Does that mean that the capital letter is considered a marker for definiteness?
Do we ...
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"I see myself as" with personal names of well-known individuals [closed]
I'm not sure how to use articles when using personal names of well-known characters in this particular case.
For example it would be "I see myself as a nice person" or "I see myself as ...
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When referring to a specific person by title only within a specific office, should the title be capitalized?
When referring to a specific person by title only within a specific office, should that title be capitalized, as in:
"XYZ University's Board Chairman and Office Manager shall provide the ...
user295356
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Should "the" or "el" appear before a Spanish proper noun placed in an English text
I have a textbook that refers to the Spanish royal road that linked Mexico City and Santa Fe as "El Camino Real", though the full name in Spanish is "El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro&...
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Hydrophobic, hydrophobized, or hydrophobicized?
I found three adjectives which can be used in the following context: "velour (HYDROPHOBIC / HYDROPHOBIZED / HYDROPHOBICIZED) with alkenyl maleic anhydride composition". Which one should be ...
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When should we use "the" before the name of a university or institute?
Should I write "at Higher Institute for Applied Sciences and Technology (HIAST)" or "at the Higher Institute for Applied Sciences and Technology (HIAST)", and should I write "HIAST" or "the HIAST" in ...
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Should this name for an organization contain an apostrophe?
We're looking to start a small brewery and have decided to call it "Loons Landing". I'm wondering if perhaps it would be more correct to call it "Loon's Landing". I know that, as a business, we're ...
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Capitalization of "tribe" and its derivatives in the United States
In these examples, when should "Tribe" or "Tribal" be capitalized?
"This rulemaking will preempt State, local, and Tribal requirements but does not propose any regulation that has substantial direct ...
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Hyphenating proper noun rules
Is there any special rules for hyphenating proper nouns? I've seen information like "never split a proper noun", but in numerous scientific papers these words are hyphenated.
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Capitalization of "Gothic" as a genre descriptor
In the context of genres such as Gothic literature and Gothic music should "Gothic" be capitalized? Although names of genres are generally not capitalized, these happen to share the name of a historic ...
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What did the word "Ade" mean in the English of a hundred years ago?
Saw this in the news today and think I see the word Ade, but have never seen it before. Is it Ade? Or Ode? Wde? What does it mean? Is it an abbreviation?
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When creating an initialism of a country's full name, should the "o" in "of" be capitalized once initialized?
When creating an initialism of a country's full name, should the "o" in "of" be capitalized once initialized? For example, should Republic of Ireland be "ROI" or "RoI"?
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Capitalization and hyphenation of proper noun declensions [duplicate]
I'm transcribing some speech and I came across
One of the accusations that certain non-Orthodox Christians level against the Orthodox is that we worship idols.
However, I am not certain on how to ...
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How do I refer to multiple people with the same name
My daughter now has her own bedroom. She doesn't want her sister to come in. She has made a sign.
"No Paiges Allowed!"
What is the correct apostrophy use on "Paiges" when I want to refer to ...
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Possessive function of a business name which is made with a possessive
Garner's fourth edition, page 714, states regarding the name McDonald’s
It is quite defensible to write McDonald’s dinner combos (the name
functioning as a kind of possessive)
On what grounds ...
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What's the first vowel of Boston, MA?
The Wikipedia article on Boston states that the first vowel in the name of the city is that of "caught," not "cot," citing Longman Pronunciation Dictionary. This seems consistent with my own ...
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