Final answer:
A proper noun is a word that uniquely identifies a specific person, place, or thing and always begins with a capital letter, such as 'Paris' or 'NASA'. Unlike common nouns, proper nouns specify a particular entity, offering clear distinction and vibrant imagery in sentences.
Step-by-step explanation:
A proper noun is a type of noun that signifies a unique entity, such as a specific person, place, organization, or event, and is always capitalized. It stands in contrast to common nouns, which represent general items or categories of things. Proper nouns serve as the names of distinct individuals or entities and can often be identified by their requirement for capital letters at the beginning, like "London" or "Eiffel Tower."
For example, in the sentence "Mary jogged," "Mary" is a proper noun that functions as the subject of the sentence. This is different from the sentence "That tall woman jogged," where "woman" is a common noun accompanied by the determiner "that" and the adjective "tall" to form a noun phrase. Proper nouns uniquely identify a subject, much like in Bertrand Russell's idea where "Max," presumably the name of a dog, can be replaced by a descriptive sentence that uniquely identifies that particular dog.
Proper nouns provide a more vibrant reading experience because they evoke specific imagery and associations. They help to distinguish between the general and the specific, such as "dog" (a general, common noun) versus "Max" (a specific, proper noun).