We give things names to assign meaning to them and to identify them. We name people, places, and things, and there are all sorts of conventions and traditions associated with giving names. But are these names words?
Names are considered words, as a word is a single unit of language that means something and can be either spoken or written. A name is a type of noun referred to as a proper noun, and it is always capitalized. All names certainly fit that definition and are, therefore, words.
To fully understand why names are considered words, we’ll look at what makes a word and what makes a name. We’ll also examine the parts of speech that compose nouns and pronouns and how names are categorized grammatically.
Words and Names
Let’s define words and names so that we know what tools we’re working with as we explore our understanding of language.
What is a Word?
A word is the most fundamental unit of language. It is a sound, or combination of sounds, in written or verbal language that communicates a specific meaning.
What is a Name?
A name is a term used to identify something or someone. It can sometimes be made up of more than one word — as in New York or Jack Marshall — and it represents a person, place, or thing.
We use names all the time to identify what we’re talking about. Names can be used to describe a single thing or a category of things. There are many types of names, including the following:
- Personal names, such as Jane or David.
- Brand names, such as Microsoft or McDonald’s.
- Place names, such as London or Boston.
- Scientific names, such as Homo Sapiens.
Names are Nouns
More specifically, names are nouns. A noun is used to identify a person, place, or thing. There are many different categories of nouns, and it’s important to understand the role each of them plays in our pursuit of mastering English.
Common Nouns and Proper Nouns
All nouns are either common nouns or proper nouns. Read on to see if you are clear on each of these.
Common Nouns
Common nouns are the words we use to name people, places, or things in general. Examples of these are sister, cat, house, or jelly. They are never capitalized unless they are used at the beginning of a sentence or as part of a title.
Proper Nouns
Proper nouns are the words we use to describe specific people, places, or things. Examples of these are Michael, Canada, or Macbook. Proper nouns are always capitalized (source).
Below are some examples used in sentences.
| Sentence | Common or proper noun |
|---|---|
| The girls ate a pizza at the party. | pizza — common party — common |
| There was an earthquake in Chile last week. | earthquake — common Chile — proper |
| Kevin bought some candy for Jeff. | Kevin — proper candy — common Jeff — proper |
| The USA is a highly developed country. | USA — proper country — common |
| The Hudson River runs through New York. | Hudson River — proper New York — proper |
Concrete and Abstract Nouns
All nouns can also be divided into concrete or abstract nouns.
Concrete Nouns
Concrete nouns are nouns that you can perceive using your five senses, something that is physical and has substance. These include words like cat, house, flower, shoe, etc. and also include names.
Abstract Nouns
Abstract nouns are nouns that cannot be perceived by the senses. We know it exists, but it isn’t physical. These include words like love, fear, courage, etc.
Here are some examples of the above:
| Sentence | Concrete or abstract noun |
|---|---|
| Have you met Jack Sparrow? | Jack Sparrow — concrete noun |
| There are five children in the garden. | children, garden — concrete nouns |
| She will need courage to tell the truth. | courage, love — abstract nouns |
| He has a great love for animals. | love — abstract noun animals — common noun |
Countable and Uncountable Nouns
Another subcategory of nouns is whether they can be counted. For this definition, they are split into countable and uncountable nouns.
Countable Nouns
Countable nouns, very predictably, can be counted and have a plural form. This would refer to most nouns and includes words like pen/s, dog/s, child/ren, etc. For more information on plurals, read, “Can Two Plurals be used in a Sentence?”
Uncountable Nouns
Uncountable nouns, conversely, cannot be counted and cannot be spoken of in the plural. This includes nouns such as food, rice, water, etc.
Here are some examples of these nouns:
| Sentence | Countable or uncountable noun |
|---|---|
| I have twenty dollars. | countable |
| She is twenty-five years old. | countable |
| How much money do you earn? | uncountable |
| I’d like some water. | uncountable |
Collective Nouns
Collective nouns describe a group of things as one whole, such as group, family, flock, bunch, etc. They can be referred to as singular or plural. Below are some examples of collective nouns in sentences.
- His family consists of two parents, three grandparents, and four children.
- I helped the flock of geese to cross the road.
- She ordered five bunches of flowers for the actors.
Compound Nouns
Compound nouns are nouns that are made up of two or more words but act as a single unit. They can be written as separate words, hyphenated or joined together, such as in the following examples: washing machine, football, sister-in-law.
Below are some examples of compound nouns used in sentences:
- I will meet you at sunset.
- He wrote the class notes on the blackboard.
- She jumped into the swimming pool.
- He bought a six-pack for the party.
It’s important to remember that all nouns are more than just one type of noun. For example, “hope” is a common noun that is also an abstract noun, and “Simon” is a proper noun that is also a concrete noun.
Names are always proper nouns, but they can also be concrete, collective, and countable, as shown in the examples below.
| How many Karens are there in your class? | Proper, concrete, countable |
| Italians love ice cream. | Proper, concrete, collective |
| Jack dances beautifully. | Proper, concrete |
Pronouns
Pronouns are a subcategory of nouns and are defined by their ability to be substituted by other nouns.
Pronouns are important in both written and spoken English because they save us from repeating ourselves and give a smoother flow to writing and speaking (source).
To illustrate the point, here are two examples with and without using pronouns.
Without pronouns:
My sister, Sally, loves cooking and baking. Sally is always in the kitchen, and Sally makes the most delicious treats. It is Sally’s dream to go to cooking school.
With pronouns:
My sister, Sally, loves cooking and baking. She is always in the kitchen, and she makes the most delicious treats. It is her dream to go to cooking school.
I’m sure you agree that the second version sounds much better!
The word or phrase that is replaced by a pronoun is called an antecedent. In the example above, the antecedent is Sally.
There are various types of pronouns, depending on its function in the sentence. Very briefly, pronouns are categorized into the following eight types (source):
| Personal pronouns | Refers to a particular person or thing | I, me, you, we, us, he, she, it, they, him, her, them |
| Indefinite pronouns | Refers to unspecified things | anyone, anything, nobody, either, any, some, etc. |
| Reflexive/intensive pronouns | Refers back to the subject or emphasizes the antecedent | himself, herself, myself, yourself, itself, etc. |
| Possessive pronouns | Demonstrates ownership | my, your, her, mine, etc. |
| Relative pronouns | Links one clause to another | that, which, whom, what, etc. |
| Demonstrative pronouns | Points to a noun | this, that, these & those |
| Interrogative pronouns | Asks questions | who, whom, whose, which & what |
| Reciprocal pronouns | Refers to groups that perform the same action | each other & one another |
For more information about pronouns and other parts of speech, refer to The Oxford English Dictionary and the Dreyer’s English style guide. Both are easy to use and available on Amazon.
Pronouns are used in place of proper nouns when the name has already been used or is not known. Using pronouns rather than proper nouns introduces more varied points of view in writing, rather than allowing it to be all about the main character.
Below are some sentences that use both proper nouns and pronouns to show the difference between the two.
| Tom lost his book, so he went to buy a new one. | Tom — proper noun he — personal pronoun |
| Apple is proud of its rating as a top company. | Apple — proper noun its — possessive pronoun |
| Emma always sends a copy of emails to herself. | Emma — proper noun herself — reflexive pronoun |
| Andrew will accept whichever quote he receives first. | Andrew — proper noun whichever — relative pronoun |
Final Thoughts
So, to summarize, names are clearly words and, more specifically, they are nouns. They can sometimes comprise one or more words, and pronouns can replace them for better flow in both spoken and written English.
The English language takes time to master, so keep that in mind as your knowledge grows and refer to your trusted resources when in doubt.