What part of speech names a person, place, or thing and can include specific names with capital letters?

The correct answer is a noun, as it is the part of speech that is responsible for naming a person, place, thing, or idea. Nouns can be either common or proper; common nouns refer to general items or concepts, such as "cat" or "city," while proper nouns name specific entities and are always capitalized, such as "Samantha" or "New York." This distinction highlights their role in identifying various subjects within sentences, making them essential for effective communication. Understanding this helps clarify the function of nouns in both written and spoken language.