Is "river" a common or proper noun?

Question

i think it's a Common noun, but now I'm not sure. Can sb help me, please? Thanks

Answer 1

River is not a proper noun unless it's part of the name of the river. For example, in the name Jack's River, river is part of the name, therefore it is 'proper'. If you are speaking generically of a river, of course it wouldn't be a proper noun. For example, the river is wide.

Answer 2

Like Jack said, river by itself is a common noun. If it's part of a name (Jack's River) it's part of a proper noun. Again, if it's capitalized in English it's a good clue that it's proper. If not, it's common.

I remember Jack's River because I fell in it during the winter in the Cohutta Wilderness in N. Georgia :~) - Jack-OBrien, Sep 24, 2010

Thanks!!! a lot!!! - jortosar, Sep 24, 2010

I thought it was a hypothetical river you named after yourself. Georgia sure can get cold for allegedly being a southern state. My wife's from Virginia and went to grad school at Ga Tech. - KevinB, Sep 24, 2010

Answer 3

Which river?

Is it a specific river like the Nile or the Mississippi or the Amazon (all proper nouns) - or is it any generic river?

It's a generic river. It says: "Lakes and rivers..." - jortosar, Sep 24, 2010

Answer 4

Yeap! thanks everybody!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!