Sentence Rewrites

Worksheet Description

This worksheet is designed to teach the distinction between common and proper nouns through a two-step exercise. Students are asked to first underline the proper nouns in each of the given sentences. Then, they must rewrite each sentence, substituting the proper noun with an appropriate common noun. The activity includes a variety of sentences that contextualize proper nouns in everyday situations, such as clothing brands, personal names, and institutional names.

The educational goal of this worksheet is to reinforce students’ understanding of the difference between specific, unique proper nouns and the more general common nouns that apply to a class of items or individuals. It encourages students to think creatively to find common nouns that can replace proper nouns without losing the sentence’s meaning. This exercise also helps in enhancing vocabulary and understanding the context in which nouns can be interchangeable. Moreover, it serves as a practical application of the concept that proper nouns are capitalized, whereas common nouns are not, unless they are at the beginning of a sentence.