FAQs about nouns and pronouns

What does “appositive” mean?

“Appositive” describes a noun or noun phrase that follows another noun phrase (its antecedent) to provide additional information about it (e.g., “Our new student, Rita, loves reading”).

The relationship between the appositive and its antecedent is called apposition.

The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help you punctuate appositive phrases correctly.

Read this FAQ: What does “appositive” mean?

Is summer a proper noun?

The word “summer” is a common noun. Like the other seasons (e.g., “fall”), it doesn’t require capitalization unless it is part of a proper noun (e.g., “the 1984 Summer Olympics”).

In contrast, the names of specific months (e.g., “December”) and days of the week (e.g., “Friday”) are proper nouns and require capitalization.

Read this FAQ: Is summer a proper noun?

Is earth a proper noun?

The word “earth” is treated as a proper noun only when it refers to the celestial body (e.g., “The Earth is the third planet from the sun”).

“Earth” is typically treated as a common noun (i.e., lowercase) when it denotes the surface of the planet, the sum of its inhabitants, the realm of the living, or the dry land as opposed to water or sky.

• The earth has been nicknamed “the Blue Planet.”
• The Earth has been nicknamed “the Blue Planet.”
• You’re my favorite person on Earth.
• You’re my favorite person on earth.

Read this FAQ: Is earth a proper noun?

Is a name a proper noun?

People’s names are proper nouns. This includes first names (e.g., “Kyle,” “Sarai”), family names (e.g., “Klein,” “the Ruperts”), and titles that are part of an individual’s name (e.g., “Pope Francis,” “Professor Martinez”).

The names of many non-human entities are also proper nouns. This includes brands (e.g., “Coca-Cola,” “Microsoft”), organizations (e.g., “New York University,” “the World Health Organization”), religions (e.g., “Eastern Orthodoxy,” “Buddhism”), and holidays (e.g., “New Year’s Day,” “Mid-Autumn Festival”), among other things.

When these names are used as adjectives, they are proper adjectives (e.g., “the Elizabethan era”).

Read this FAQ: Is a name a proper noun?

What’s the difference between common and proper nouns?

A common noun is not capitalized, as it names a category of person, place, thing, or concept. Common nouns often require articles (e.g., “a”) or determiners (e.g., “many,” “his”).

In contrast, a proper noun is capitalized and names a specific person, place, thing, or concept. Most common nouns don’t require an article, but some require “the” (e.g., “the Great Lakes”).

The same goes for proper adjectives (e.g., “my Indian colleague”) and common adjectives (e.g., “the blue house”).

Read this FAQ: What’s the difference between common and proper nouns?

What is a relative adverb?

A relative adverb is a type of adverb that introduces a dependent clause (i.e., a group of words with a subject and a verb that cannot stand on its own as a sentence).

There are three relative adverbs in English:

• Where (e.g., “The restaurant where we ate last Friday was really good”)
• When (e.g., “Do you remember that time when Sonia sang karaoke?”)
• Why (e.g., “The reason why I was late was traffic”)

Read this FAQ: What is a relative adverb?

What is the difference between “that” and “which”?

“That” and “which” are two of the four most common relative pronouns in English (along with “who” and “whom”).

That is used to introduce restrictive relative clauses—those that give essential information about the noun or noun phrase they modify (e.g., “Book the flight that leaves at 7 a.m.”). Restrictive clauses are not set off by commas.

Which is used to introduce nonrestrictive relative clauses—those that give nonessential details about the noun or noun phrase they modify (e.g., “My assistant booked the earliest flight, which leaves at 7 a.m.”). Nonrestrictive clauses are set off by commas.

In British English, “which” can also be used (without commas) in restrictive clauses. However, in American English, “which” is only used in nonrestrictive clauses.

Read this FAQ: What is the difference between “that” and “which”?

Is “that” a relative pronoun?

Yes, “that” is one of the four most common relative pronouns in English (“that,” “which,” “who,” and “whom”).

Relative pronouns are used to introduce relative clauses, which give more information about a noun or noun phrase (e.g., “the shirt that Dylan is wearing” or “the book that is on the table”).

In other contexts, “that” is also used as an adverb, conjunction, or determiner.

Read this FAQ: Is “that” a relative pronoun?

What is the difference between a gerund and a gerund phrase?

A gerund is a noun that is derived from a verb, using the “-ing” ending (e.g., “swimming,” cooking”).

A gerund phrase is a group of words that begins with a gerund and includes any of its modifiers or objects (e.g., “swimming in the ocean,” “cooking dinner every night for my friends”).

Both gerunds and gerund phrases act as nouns in sentences and can be subjects, direct objects, indirect objects, objects of prepositions, and subject complements.

Read this FAQ: What is the difference between a gerund and a gerund phrase?

What is the difference between a gerund phrase and a participial phrase?

Both gerund phrases and participial phrases begin with the “-ing” form of a verb (e.g., “running,” “eating”).

However, gerund phrases act as nouns in a sentence (e.g., “Running long distances is a great stress reliever), while participial phrases act as adjectives to describe a noun or pronoun (e.g., “Running quickly, Matt tried to catch the bus”).

Read this FAQ: What is the difference between a gerund phrase and a participial phrase?