Capitalize This!
Name: ______________________________
Date: ______________
Hour: ______________
Why is correct capitalization important?
Capital letters are __signals__ to readers. They can mark important _differences_ in meaning.
1. First word of a sentence
A. Capitalize the __first___ word in every __sentence__.
More and more people are exercising regularly.
Daily workouts have many benefits. For instance, they can help you sleep better at night.
B. Capitalize the first word of a __quoted__ sentence.
“How many pets does your family have?” asked Gwen.
Felipe said, “We have two dogs, one cat, and two parakeets, for a grand total of five.”
2. Salutations and closings of letters
A. In letters or e-mails, capitalize the first word in the _salutation_ and the _closing_.
Dear Sir:
Sincerely,
My dear Brenda,
Very truly yours,
3. The pronoun I
A. Capitalize the _pronoun__ I.
When I visited Denver, I went to the zoo and the museum.
If you like, I’ll show you photos from my trip there.
Capitalize This!
4. Proper nouns
A. Capitalize __proper__ nouns.
A __common___ noun names ____any one of a group_________
of persons, places, things, or ideas. A __proper___ noun names a
____particular______ person, place, thing, or idea.
Common Nouns
Proper Nouns
month
November
country
Kenya
writer
Toni Morrison
B. Names of persons and _animals_.
Eric
the Garza family
W.C. Handy
Ms. Levine
Harriet Tubman
Lassie
C. __Geographical____ names.
Asia
(continent)
Costa Rica
(country)
San Diego
Hudson Bay
(city)
(body of water)
Grammar Girls Says… Words such as _south__, ___east___, and
____northeast____ are NOT capitalized when they indicate
___direction___. They ARE capitalized when they name a geographical
region.
Turn east when you reach the river.
Meg goes to college in the East.
D. Names of __organizations____, __teams_, institutions, and government bodies.
League of Women Voters
(organization)
Kennedy Middle School
(institution)
Los Angeles Dodgers
(team)
Louisiana State Senate
(government body)
E. Names of __historical____ events and periods, _special_ events, calendar
items, and _holidays_.
Battle of Bunker Hill
(historical event)
Thanksgiving Day
(holiday)
Texas State Fair
(special event)
December
(calendar item)
Grammar Gal Says… Don’t capitalize the name of a __season__
unless it is part of a proper name.
Tomorrow is the first day of summer.
Will you attend the Oak Ridge Summer Carnival?
F. Names of nationalities, __race___, and peoples.
Mexican
Cherokee
Asian
African American
G. Names of religions and their followers, _holy_ days and celebrations,
__sacred__ writings, and specific _deities__.
Christianity
( religion)
the Torah
(sacred writing)
Christian
(follower)
Allah
(specific deity)
Yom Kippar
(holy day)
H. Names of businesses and the __brand__ names of business __products__.
Thrifty Dry Cleaners
Nike
Bank of the West
Wrangler
(businesses)
Goodyear
(brand names)
Grammar Gal Says… Do NOT capitalize a __common____ noun that
follows the brand name and identifies the _type_ of product.
Chevrolet car
Goodyear t ires
Wrangler jeans
I. Names of planets, constellations, __stars__, and other heavenly bodies.
Venus
Big Dipper
Milky Way
Jupiter
Ursa Major
Grammar Gal Says… Don’t capitalize _earth___unless it is used along
with the names of other heavenly bodies that are capitalized.
How far is Saturn from Earth?
Oceans cover three fourths of the earth’s surface.
The words _sun__ and __moon__ usually aren’t capitalized.
The sun rose at 7:09 this morning.
How many moons does Jupiter have?
J. Names of ships, ___trains__, aircraft, and spacecraft.
Millennium Falcon
Air Force One
Sputnik
Mayflower
Hogwarts Express
Atlantis
K. Names of monuments, __memorials__, and awards.
Mount Rushmore
Jefferson Memorial
Navajo National Monument
Academy Award
L. Names of specific buildings and other structures.
Fairmont Hotel
Eiffel Tower
Tower of London
Brooklyn Bridge
Hoover Dam
St. Louis Cathedral
5. Capitalize Proper Adjectives
A __proper___ __adjective___ is an adjective formed from a proper noun.
Proper Nouns
Proper Adjectives
Rome
Roman army
King Arthur
Arthurian legend
Japan
Japanese tea ceremony
Mars
Martian landscape
6. Abbreviations
Capitalize __abbreviations___ if the words they stand for are capitalized.
A. Abbreviations that come before or after __personal___ ____names___.
Mr. Edward Yowe
Gary Stamos, Sr.
Gen. George Crane
B. Abbreviations of the names of organizations, ___businesses___, and
government bodies.
UN (United Nations)
CIA (Central Intelligence Agency)
C. Abbreviations used in _____addresses____.
9120 Maple Ave.
Apt. 206
P.O. Box 9410
D. Abbreviations of geographical names.
St. Louis
Bahama Is.
Cook Co.
OK (Oklahoma)
7. School Subjects
A. Do not capitalize the names of ___school____ ____subjects_____.
health
history
science
art
social studies
B. Exceptions: DO capitalize the names of ____language_____ classes and courses
that contain a number.
English
German
Music III
American History 201
8. Titles
A. Capitalize a person’s _title__ when the title comes before the name.
Judge O’Conner
Mrs. Santos
Mayor Bradley
B. Generally, a title that is used alone or following a person’s name is NOT capitalized.
Has the judge arrived yet?
C. Capitalize a word showing a ___family_____ relationship when the word is used
before or in place of a person’s __name____.
Aunt Susan
Cousin Ben
Grandmother
D. Do NOT capitalize a word showing a family relationship when the word
____follows_____ a possessive noun or pronoun.
your aunt Susan
my cousin Ben
Ty’s grandmother
E. Capitalize the __first___ and last words and all _____important____
words in titles and subtitles.
Woman’s Day
(magazine)
“Broken Chain”
(short story)
The Wizard of Oz (movie)
The Ballet Class
(artwork)