common, proper, concrete, abstract, and collective nouns

A proper noun names one specific person, place, or thing and is capitalized (Maria); a common noun names a general member of a category (teacher). A concrete noun names something perceivable by the senses (table); an abstract noun names a quality or idea that cannot be touched or seen (honesty). A collective noun is a singular noun that names a group of individual members (committee, team, family). These are independent axes — a single noun can be common, concrete, and collective all at once.