CAPITALIZATION RULES
Rules and Examples
Rule: Capitalize the first word in a sentences.
Example: Another dog ran by the boy.
Rule: Capitalize proper nouns.
Example: Billy, New York City, Miami Dolphins
Rule: Capitalize geographic names.
Example: Indian Ocean, Hawaii, Empire State Building
Rule: Capitalize the pronoun I.
Example: He ask if I wanted to read next.
Rule: Capitalize the name of days and months.
Example: Tuesday, October
Rule: Capitalize the name of national, religious, and local holiday.
Example: Memorial Day, Easter, Founder’s Day
Rule: Capitalize proper adjectives.
Example: French, Chinese
Rule: Capitalize words used as names.
Example: Do you need help, Mother?
Rule: Capitalize titles used with names.
Example: General Bradshaw, Mrs. Key, Chief Dann
Rule: Capitalize the first word in the greeting or closing of a letter.
Example: Dear friends, Yours truly
Capitalize the first, last, and all the main words in the title of a book, movie, song, magazine, play, newspaper, or television show.
Example: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, “The National Anthem”
Rule: Capitalize the names of organizations, associations, or teams and their members.
Example: American Red Cross, Parent-Teacher Association, Miami Heat
Rule: Capitalize the names of businesses and the official names of their products.
Example: McDonald’s hamburgers, Colgate toothpaste
Rule: Capitalize historical events, documents and periods of time.
Example: Boston Tea Party, Declaration of Independence, Stone Age
Rule: Capitalize initials and abbreviations that stands for names and also abbreviations of titles and organizations.
Example: Richard T. Smith, M.D. (Doctor of Medicine), PTA (Parent-Teacher Association)
PUNCTUATION RULES
Punctuation Marks, Descriptions, and Examples
Punctuation Mark: Apostrophe [‘]
Description: Use it to show possession, to take the place of missing letters in contractions and to form the plurals of letters and numerals.
Example: Sam’s best fried never got straight A’s, but Sam didn’t care.
Punctuation Mark: Colon [:]
Description: Use it after the greeting in a business letter; to introduce the list; between numbers in time; and to introduce an important quotation in a report, essay, or news story.
Example: Dear sir: Here are the rules: no gum, no baseball caps, no talking.
Punctuation Mark: Commas [,]
Description: To separate three or more items in a series.
Example: Marge loves spinach, Brussels sprouts, and asparagus.
Description: To separate adjectives that modify the same noun
Example: The loud, beeping buzzer woke me up.
Description: Between a city and a state.
Example: Miami, FL
Description: Between the day and year in a date.
Example: May 27, 2004
Description: After a greeting and closing of a friendly letter.
Example: Dear Susie,
Yours truly,
Description: Before a conjunctions that joins the independent clauses in a compound sentence.
Example: I tried to call you on Saturday afternoon, but your line was busy.
Description: After the dependent clause at the beginning of a complex sentence.
Example: When it began to rain, I knew our picnic would be cancelled.
Description: After introductory words or mild interjections at the beginning of a sentence.
Example: Yes, you can borrow my new CD. Oh, I didn’t know that the test was today.
Description: To set of the name off the person you’re speaking to.
Example: Jennie, can you have dinner at my house tonight.
Description: To set off an appositive (a noun or phrase that renames or further identifies the noun it follows).
Example: Mrs. Tyra, my math teacher, won the teaching award.
Description: With words that interrupt a sentence’s basic idea.
Example: Dad, of course, had to brag about our soccer team to everyone. Eddie, therefore, will have to leave the game early.
Description: In front of a short, direct quotation in the middle of a sentence.
Example: Callie ask, “Is that your uncle sitting over here?”
Description: At the end of a direct quotation that is a statement when it comes at the beginning of a sentence.
Example: “Mrs. Howard is giving a luncheon today,” explained Mom.
Punctuation Mark: Dash [–]
Description: Use it to separate and stress elements in a sentence.
Example: The cafeteria — and no other room – may be used for school lunches.
Description: Use after the interrupted or unfinished statement of thought or to introduce a list of items.
Example: You’ll need three things — a pencil, an eraser, and a ruler.
Description: Use after an introductory list. Also, use before and after comments inserted into a sentence to give information or add emphasis.
Example: Toys, hairbrushes, chewing gum, — these items must be left at home.
Punctuation Mark: Ellipsis […]
Description: Three dots in a row. It is used to replace words that have been left out. Use an ellipsis to indicate that something has been left out of the middle of the sentence. If something is left out at the end of a sentence, use a period and then an ellipsis.
Example: Mary, Mary…how does your garden grow? Four score and seven years ago our forefather brought forth this nation…
Punctuation Mark: Exclamation point [!]
Description: Use it after strong interjections, exclamatory sentences, and strong imperative sentences.
Example: Sarah! Get off that desk immediately!
Punctuation Mark: Hyphen [-]
Description: Use it to break a word between syllables at the end of a line, in two-part numbers from twenty-one to ninety-nine, in spelled-out fractions, and in some compound nouns and adjectives.
Example: Four–fifths of the twenty–two drive–in movies in town have closed.
Punctuation Mark: Parentheses [()]
Description: Use it to give the reader added information. Also use before and after an abbreviation or an acronym of a company or organization once it full name has been written.
Example: Ready the first story (pages 4-7) tonight. A representative from American Airlines (AA) will visit our class.
Punctuation Mark: Period [.]
Description: Use it at the end of a declarative sentences, at the end of an imperative sentence that doesn’t require an exclamation point, and after most initials and abbreviations. Also use as a decimal point.
Example: Dr. A. C. Ross will visit the clinic today.
Punctuation Mark: Quotation marks [“”]
Description: Use it before and after a direct quotation or to set off words or phrases use in a special way. Also use before and after the name of book chapters, essays, short stories, songs, poems, and magazine, and newspaper articles.
Example: Sue said, “Pass the papers, please.“ Cory hummed, “Row, row, row, your boat“ as he washed the car.
Punctuation Mark: Semicolons [;]
Description: Use it to join independent clauses in a compound sentence without a comma and a conjunctions.
Example: One cousin is driving here from Colorado; another will take a plan from Maine.
Description: Before some conjunctions that join two simple sentences into one compound sentence. Use a comma after the conjunction.
Example: He cooked a huge dinner; therefore, he invited the neighbors over.
Description: To separate a series of items when one or more items include commas.
Example: The art supplies we need for class are paintbrushes; red, yellow, and blue paint; a sketch pad; a charcoal pencil; a calligraphy pen; and an art smock.
Punctuation Mark: Question marks [?]
Description: Use it at the end of interrogative sentences, after a direct questions, at the end of an incomplete question, and when a statement is intended as a question.
Example: What is your name? Really? When? No kidding? Your name is Wendy?
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