Capitalization

Capitalization means using a capital letter (for example, A instead of a). The use of capital letters helps readers read your writing without confusion. 1. The first word in a sentence. I grew up in Paris. I will visit my friend next week. See you soon! 2. The pronoun I. I always tell my mom how much I love her. 3. The first letter of a proper noun (specific name). Joy wants to play soccer with us. This letter is from Shane. I graduated from the University of New York. I like Coca-Cola. She likes Lindt chocolates. 4. The first letter of months, days, and holidays (but not seasons). Today is March 2, 2022. Allison’s birthday is this Thursday. The shops are closed every Monday. This summer is going to be very hot. 5. The first letter of nationalities, religions, races of people, and languages. We usually eat Japanese food. I want to master many languages such as Spanish, Korean, Chinese, and Russian. There is one Christian church in my town. 6. The first letter in a person’s title. He is Dr. Simon. I got it from Mr. Einstein. 7. Geographic areas: cities, states, countries, mountains, oceans, rivers, etc. My destination is Paris, France. Hawaii is in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Seoul is the most famous city in South Korea. 8. Historical periods. The Renaissance began in the 14th century. The Qing Dynasty is the last dynasty in China. 9. The first letter of each significant word in the title of a book, movie, article, etc. The Great Gatsby is my favorite novel. I found the article “How to Write a Good Cover Letter” in this magazine. Harry Potter is the best movie I have seen so far.

CAPITALIZATION EXERCISE Which words in the following sentences need a capital letter? Write them down on a separate answer sheet. There are 25. 1. my favorite books are green eggs and ham and horton hears a who. 2. on sunday, i will see the movie star wars and eat at taco bell. 3. terry and louis went to central park last july. 4. she has a friend from london, england. 5. did you know that abraham lincoln was the sixteenth president?