Sentence Skills, Form B, 7E ©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc
Capital Letters
Capital LettersCapital Letters
Sentence Skills: A Workbook for Sentence Skills: A Workbook for Writers, Form BWriters, Form B
John LanganJohn Langan
Sentence Skills, Form B, 7E ©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc
Capital Letters
Capital Letters
There are seven main uses of
Let’s take a look. . . .
Sentence Skills, Form B, 7E ©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc
Capital Letters
Capital Letter Use
1. First Word in a Sentence or Direct Quotation:
No one tries to get arrested for jaywalking.
He said, “Are you talking to me?”
Sentence Skills, Form B, 7E ©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc
Capital Letters
Capital Letter Use
2. Names of Persons and the Word I:
Whenever I see Adam Sandler onscreen, I laugh out loud.
Sentence Skills, Form B, 7E ©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc
Capital Letters
Capital Letter Use
3. Names of Particular Places:
I have to go to Acme Products, then to the Grand Canyon.
But use small letters if the specifics aren’t given:
I have to go to the store, then to the park.
Sentence Skills, Form B, 7E ©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc
Capital Letters
Capital Letter Use
4. Names of Days of the Week, Months, and Holidays:
Last Friday, March 21, was Earth Day.
But use small letters for the seasons:
I love the fall and spring.
Sentence Skills, Form B, 7E ©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc
Capital Letters
Capital Letter Use
5. Names of Commercial Products:
Henry loves Oreos.
But use small letters for the type of product (cookies).
Sentence Skills, Form B, 7E ©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc
Capital Letters
Capital Letter Use
6. Titles of Books, Magazines, Newspapers, Articles, Stories, Poems, Films, TV Shows, Songs, Papers That You Write, and the like.
I just finished the book Hannibal.
Sentence Skills, Form B, 7E ©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc
Capital Letters
Capital Letter Use
7. Names of Companies, Associations, Unions, Clubs, Religious and Political Groups, and Other Organizations:
I’d like to join the NBA.
Sally works for the Rand Corporation.
Sentence Skills, Form B, 7E ©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc
Capital Letters
Other Uses of Capital Letters
• Names That Show Family Relationships. But do not capitalize words like mother or uncle when they are preceded by a possessive word like my.
Sentence Skills, Form B, 7E ©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc
Capital Letters
Other Uses of Capital Letters
• Titles of Persons When Used with Their Names: Dr. Jones. But use small letters without specific names.
• Specific School Courses: Zoology I. But use small letters for general subject areas.
Sentence Skills, Form B, 7E ©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc
Capital Letters
Other Uses of Capital Letters
• Languages: French• Geographic Locations:
the Southwest. But use small letters in directions: “Head east.”
• Historical Periods and Events: the Middle Ages
Sentence Skills, Form B, 7E ©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc
Capital Letters
Other Uses of Capital Letters
• Races, Nations, and Nationalities: Native American
• Opening and Closing of a Letter. Note: Capitalize only the first word in a closing, as in “Sincerely yours.”
Dear Jo