A common noun is a name which applies to individuals of a class of objects.

For example

The nouns woman, melon, boy, and house in their normal use are common nouns.

Common nouns may become proper, when, by personification or special use, the object named is regarded as an individual.

For example

O Justice, thou art fled to brutish beasts, and men have lost their reason.
Shakespeare
The Common in Boston is a wonderful place to walk.

Common nouns commonly include:

• collective nouns
• abstract nouns
• verbal nouns

A collective noun is a noun that, in the singular, denotes more than one object.

For example

The nouns army, family, and flock are collective nouns.

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