Definition: Common nouns name any person, place, thing, or idea. They are not capitalized unless they come at the beginning of a sentence. Proper nouns are the names of specific people, places, things, or ideas. Proper nouns should always be capitalized.
CommonProper boy ⇒ James river ⇒ Mississippi River car ⇒ Ford doctor ⇒ Doctor Jefferson town ⇒ Rockledge candy bar ⇒ Baby Ruth
Hint:Don't forget to capitalize all parts of proper nouns. Many people forget to capitalize words like river and county in proper nouns like Yellow River and Orange County.