Capitalization Rules
Key capitalization rules with examples:
By using these examples and clarifying the rules, students can better understand when and why to capitalize certain words, enhancing their writing skills.
- Capitalize the First Word of a Sentence: Start every sentence with a capital letter.
- Example: "Every morning, we have assembly before classes start."
- Capitalize Proper Nouns and Titles: Proper nouns (specific names of people, places, organizations, etc.) and titles when they precede names should be capitalized.
- Examples: "We will visit the Statue of Liberty during our trip to New York City." / "Dr. Smith will give us a lecture on human anatomy."
- Capitalize Days, Months, and Holidays, but not Seasons: Days, months, and holidays are capitalized, but the names of seasons are not unless they are part of a proper noun.
- Examples: "We have a test on Monday, in the month of October, right before Halloween." / "I love spring because everything is so green."
- Capitalize the First Word and Major Words in Titles of Books, Movies, etc.: In titles, capitalize the first word, nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and subordinating conjunctions. Do not capitalize articles, coordinating conjunctions, or prepositions unless they are the first or last word.
- Example: "My favorite book is 'To Kill a Mockingbird' by Harper Lee."
- Capitalize the Pronoun 'I': The pronoun 'I' is always capitalized, no matter where it appears in a sentence.
- Example: "My friend and I will work on the project together."
- Capitalize Specific Geographical Locations: Specific places and regions are capitalized, but general geographical terms are not.
- Examples: "We live in the Pacific Northwest, which is known for its rain." / "The river flows through the valley."
- Capitalize Nationalities, Languages, and Religions: Words that denote a specific nationality, language, or religion are capitalized.
- Examples: "She speaks Spanish fluently." / "They practice Buddhism."
- Capitalize Family Relationships When Used as Proper Nouns: When terms denoting family relationships are used as proper nouns (i.e., as names), they are capitalized.
- Example: "I asked Uncle John to pass the salt." vs. "My uncle is coming to visit."
- Example: "I asked Uncle John to pass the salt." vs. "My uncle is coming to visit."
By using these examples and clarifying the rules, students can better understand when and why to capitalize certain words, enhancing their writing skills.