Common nouns name all persons, places, things or animals in a general way and they are not to be capitalized unless they begin a sentence or it's part of a title. Examples of this type of nouns are <em>castle, diamond, mint, finger, animal, person, thing.</em>
As for proper nouns, they name a particular person, place, or thing within a general class and they always begin with a capital letter. Some examples are <em>Robinson, Oxford, London, Peru.</em>
1. Abraham Lincoln - president
<em>Abraham Lincoln</em> is a proper noun that names a particular person, while <em>president</em> is a common noun that names a person in general.
2. automobile - Totoya
<em>Automobile</em> is a common noun because it names a type of vehicle in general, while <em>Toyota</em> is a proper noun because it names a particular type or brand of vehicle.
3. book - To Kill a Mockingbird
<em>Book</em> is a common noun because it names books in general, while <em>To Kill a Mockingbird</em> is a proper noun because it names a particular book.
4. state - Alabama
<em>State</em> is a common noun because it names states in general, while <em>Alabama</em> is a proper noun because it names a particular or specific state.
5. Meryl Streep - actress
<em>Meryl Streep</em> is a proper noun that names a particular person, while <em>actress</em> is a common noun because it names any person working as an actress.
6.Charles Dickens - writer
<em>Charles Dickens</em> is a proper noun because it names a particular person, while <em>writer</em> is a common noun because it names any person that makes a living with writing or that does it constantly.
7. movie - Toy Story
<em>Movie</em> is a common noun because it names a recorded sequence of images displayed on a screen in general, while <em>Toy Story</em> is a proper noun because it names a particular movie.