Rules 1-4
  

Worksheet Objective:
To learn the correct rules of capitalization.

There are two worksheets that cover capitalization. When you complete this one and its activity, move on to the next one.
Rules 5-8
  


Rules 1-4

Capitalize the pronoun I.
When I earn my diploma, I’ll look for a job.

Capitalize the first word of a sentence.
That news show is good.  There should be more like it.

Capitalize people’s names.
Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Debra Sue Kowalski

Capitalize job and family titles when they immediately precede a person’s name and are considered to be part of the name.
Senator Jones and Aunt Sarah were high school sweethearts.

Also capitalize job and family titles when they take the place of a person’s name.  (If a person’s name could be inserted in place of the title, it is taking the place of a person’s name.)
   “Come quickly, Nurse,” cried the doctor.
Do you see why "Nurse" is capitalized and "doctor" is not? You could insert a name for Nurse (“Come quickly, Mary…”), but not for doctor (“…cried the Mary”).


Try the following sentences:
Place a check in the box before the word that needs to be capitalized.

  1. is doctor cotter a child psychologist?
  1. when congressman yates arrives, tell him that ms. bain called.
  1. why have i got so many bills to pay? i owe money to my dentist, my lawyer, and my landlord.
  1. your aunt, uncle, and grandpa joe are here.
  1. why is it that whenever i’m working there’s never enough time to visit grandma?
  1. a doctor spoke to mayor daley and cardinal bernardin about the local infant mortality rate.
  1. let’s go to mary lou’s.  her husband is working late so i bet she’s bored.



Rules 5-8

Capitalize geographic names and most words derived from them.
            People’s Republic of China;  Chinese chef

Capitalize the names of streets, parts of town, and regions of the country.
            Martin Luther King Drive, the West Side, the Southwest

            *Do not capitalize north, south, east, and west when used as directions.
                        The car was headed east.  My brother lives west of Denver.

Capitalize the names of important buildings and structures.
            the Lincoln Memorial, the Empire State Building

Capitalize the names of historic events and periods.
            World War I, the Middle Ages


More sentences to try:

  1. Does aunt barbara still live in las vegas, nevada?
  1. thomas jefferson lived at monticello, his home in virginia.
  1. I grew up in the midwest but went to college in the east.
  1. My friend darius, the crazy new yorker, lives in manhattan near the george washington bridge.
  1. Anita, a professor at the university of georgia in athens, says many northerners drive south to go to school.
  1. In san francisco, I took the cable car to post street.
  1. Whenever cousin edward eats italian food, he recalls the days he spent in milan, italy, during world war II.




Capitalization Websites
If you need further help with capitalization, go to the following web sites:

http://www.shared-visions.com/explore/english/capital.html
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/g_caps.html
http://www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/capital.asp
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/capitals.htm

Resources:
Rubin, Betsy; Fiene, Pat. (1991) Exercising Your English: Language Skills for Developing Writers, Book 2. NTC/Contemporary: Lincolnwood, Illinois.