Why is correct capitalization important?

First word of a sentence

Salutations and closings of letters

The pronoun I

Proper nouns

Proper adjectives

Abbreviations

School subjects

Titles

Review A

Review B

Using Capital Letters

Why is correct capitalization important?

Capital letters are signals to readers. They can mark important differences in meaning.

the White House the white house

First word of a sentence

Capitalize the first word in every sentence.

Daily workouts have many benefits. For instance, they can help you sleep better at night.

More and more people are exercising regularly.

First word of a sentence

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.”

Salutations and closings of letters

In letters or e-mails, capitalize the first word in

the salutation the closing

Dear Sir:

My dear Brenda,

Sincerely,

Very truly yours,

The pronoun I

Capitalize the pronoun I.

When I visited Denver, I went to the zoo and to the museum.

If you like, I’ll show you photos from my trip there.

On Your Own

Using capital letters

Correct each capitalization error in the following sentences.

1. our report is due at the end of the month.

2. my parents let me watch TV only after i have finished all my chores.

3. the clerk said, “tomorrow is a holiday, isn’t it?”

4. the letter began “dear Manager: i have a complaint about the service at your store.”

[End of Section]

Proper nouns

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

Proper nouns

Capitalize proper nouns.

Names of persons and animals

Eric

W. C. Handy Ms. Levine

the Garza family

LassieHarriet Tubman

Proper nouns

Capitalize proper nouns.

Geographical names

Asia (continent)

Costa Rica (country)

San Diego (city)

Hudson Bay (body of water)

Proper nouns

Capitalize proper nouns.

Names of organizations, teams, institutions, and government bodies

League of Women Voters (organization)

Los Angeles Dodgers (team)

Kennedy Middle School (institution)

Louisiana State Senate (government body)

Proper nouns

Capitalize proper nouns.

Names of historical events and periods, special events, calendar items, and holidays

Battle of Bunker Hill (historical event)

Texas State Fair (special event)

Thanksgiving Day (holiday)

December(calendar item)

Proper nouns

Capitalize proper nouns.

Names of nationalities, races, and peoples

Cherokee Asian African AmericanMexican

Proper nouns

Capitalize proper nouns.

Names of religions and their followers, holy days and celebrations, sacred writings, and specific deities

Christianity (religion)Christian (follower)

Yom Kippur (holy day)

the Torah (sacred writing)

Allah (specific deity)

Proper nouns

Capitalize proper nouns.

Names of businesses and the brand names of business products

Tan’s Dry Cleaners

Aunt Oaties Identify MMGood (brand names)

Bank of Here (businesses)

Proper nouns

Capitalize proper nouns.

Names of planets, constellations, stars, and other heavenly bodies

Venus Big Dipper Jupiter Milky Way Ursa Major

Proper nouns

Capitalize proper nouns.

Names of ships, trains, aircraft, and spacecraft

Queen Elizabeth 2

SputnikAir Force One Mayflower

Atlantis

Proper nouns

Capitalize proper nouns.

Names of monuments, memorials, and awards

Mount Rushmore Jefferson Memorial

Academy AwardNavajo National Monument

Proper nouns

Capitalize proper nouns.

Names of specific buildings and other structures

Fairmont Hotel Eiffel Tower

Brooklyn Bridge

Hoover Dam St. Louis Cathedral

Tower of London

Proper adjectives

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

On Your Own

Correct the capitalization errors in the following word groups.

1. decorated with chinese lanterns

2. pictures of the golden gate bridge in san francisco

3. to see the florida marlins play in the world series

4. winner of the nobel prize

5. riding on the orient express

[End of Section]

Proper nouns and proper adjectives

Abbreviations

Capitalize abbreviations if the words they stand for are capitalized.

Abbreviations that come before or after personal names

Mr. Edward Yowe Gary Stamos, Sr. Gen. Crane

Abbreviations of the names of organizations, businesses, and government bodies

UN (United Nations) CIA (Central Intelligence Agency)

Abbreviations

Capitalize abbreviations if the words they stand for are capitalized.

Abbreviations used in addresses

9120 Maple Ave. Apt. 206 P.O. Box 9410

Abbreviations of geographical names

St. Louis Bahama Is. Cook Co. Okla.

School subjects

Do not capitalize the names of school subjects.

health

English

Exception: Do capitalize the names of language classes and courses that contain a number.

sciencehistory art social studies

German Music III American History 201

Titles

Capitalize a person’s title when the title comes before the name.

Judge O’Conner

Generally, a title that is used alone or following a person’s name is not capitalized.

Has the judge arrived, yet?

Mrs. Santos Mayor Bradley

Titles

Capitalize a word showing a family relationship when the word is used before or in place of a person’s name.

Do not capitalize a word showing a family relationship when the word follows a possessive noun or pronoun.

Aunt Susan

your aunt Susan

Cousin Ben Grandmother

my cousin Ben Ty’s grandmother

Titles

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)

Abbreviations, school subjects, and titles

On Your Own

Correct the capitalization errors in the following sentences.

1. According to mom, judge Johnson is very strict.

2. Doesn’t dr. Perry live in st. Louis now?

3. My sister works for the fbi.

4. I asked mrs. Jones for a copy of reader’s digest.

5. Mara just read the short story “gorilla, my love.”

[End of Section]

Review A

Correct the following sentences by capitalizing or lowercasing letters as needed.

1. Volunteers from the peace corps helped build a Bridge.

2. one of the best dentists in york is dr. ken winslow.

3. In english class on Monday, we watched a Scene from romeo and juliet.

4. The french revolution changed european Society.

5. Did your Sister’s favorite show win an emmy award?

6. this year i hope to visit the rocky mountains.

[End of Section]

Review B

[End of Section]

Correct the sentences in the following paragraph by capitalizing or lowercasing letters as needed.

(1) The titanic, a huge ocean liner, sank on april 15, 1912. (2) It lay untouched in the icy waters of the atlantic ocean for more than seventy years. (3) on September 1, 1985, dr. robert ballard of the woods hole oceanographic institution and his Crew found the ship. (4) The Scientists used a remote-controlled vehicle called argos to view the ocean floor. (5) they used a special underwater sled with lights and cameras to take Photographs of the Titanic.

The End