Final answer:
A noun that names general people, places, or things is called a Common Noun, which is not capitalized unless it's at the beginning of a sentence.
Step-by-step explanation:
We traditionally define a noun as any word that represents a person, place, or thing. Nouns can be categorized into several types, including common nouns, proper nouns, collective nouns, and abstract nouns.
Here are the definitions for each option provided:
- Common Noun: Refers to generic items or classes of things, such as 'dog', 'city', or 'athlete'. It is not capitalized unless it's the first word in a sentence.
- Proper Noun: Names a specific person, place, or thing and is always capitalized. Examples include 'Michael', 'Chicago', or 'Pepsi'.
- Collective Noun: Refers to a collection or group of individuals, such as 'team', 'fleet', or 'choir'.
- Abstract Noun: Represents an idea or concept rather than a tangible object, such as 'freedom', 'love', or 'bravery'.
In this case, the answer to the question 'What do we call a noun that names people, places, things?' is a Common Noun.