As a linguistic expert with a focus on English grammar and usage, I can provide a detailed explanation regarding the classification of nouns, specifically addressing whether "star" is considered a common noun.

Nouns are words that represent a person, place, thing, or idea. They can be categorized into two main types: proper nouns and common nouns.
Proper nouns are specific names for unique entities and are always capitalized in English. For example, "The Moon" and "The Sun" are proper nouns because they refer to specific celestial bodies that are unique within our solar system. On the other hand, common nouns are general terms for a class of people, places, animals, or objects and are not capitalized unless they begin a sentence or are part of a title.

When we consider the word "star," it can function as both a common noun and a proper noun, depending on the context in which it is used. As a common noun, "star" refers to any star in general, not a specific one. For instance, in the sentence "Stars twinkle in the night sky," "stars" is a common noun because it does not refer to a particular star but to stars as a category of celestial objects.

However, when "star" is used as a proper noun, it refers to a specific star with a unique name. For example, in the sentence "Polaris is the brightest star in the constellation Ursa Minor," "Polaris" is a proper noun because it is the specific name of a star. Similarly, if we were to say "The star Sirius is visible to the naked eye," "Sirius" would be a proper noun, as it is the name of a particular star.

It's important to note that the capitalization of celestial bodies can sometimes be misleading. While proper nouns are capitalized, not all capitalized words are proper nouns. For instance, "The Moon" is capitalized because it is a proper noun, referring to Earth's moon. However, "moon" as a general term for any moon of a planet is a common noun and not capitalized.

In conclusion, the word "star" can be both a common noun and a proper noun. It is a common noun when it refers to stars in a general sense, and it is a proper noun when it refers to a specific star by its unique name. The context in which the word is used will determine its classification.

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Capital Letters, The Moon and The Sun. Like all proper nouns, the names of moons, stars, and planets are written with capital letters. ... (In this example, the word moon is a common noun. However, Ganymede (the name of that moon) is a proper noun.)read more >>