Capitalization Worksheets

We work on a wide range of skills. Who would have known that this skill appears in 34 different instances in the Core curriculum. Guess we should spend some time on it. This gets us starting on editing and proofreading.

Caps In Sentences Worksheets

Capitalization in Sentences
Short and sweet! Perfect introduction. Read these very carefully. We rarely see students finish first and get everyone right.

Sentence Based Capitalization
These sentences are a bit longer. There are a few nouns that students really are not confident with in this one. You might want to point one out.

Name Based Capitalization
We focus on the nouns in this version. We focus more on nouns and proper use of CAPS within them. That skill is usually a biggie.

Random Capitalization
We work on all forms of the skill in this one. We mix the use of CAPS in this worksheet. You will find a number of different usages and lack there of in this version.

Capitalization of Nouns
People, places, and things! Oh ,y! Time to worry about the cases of your people, places, and things.

Caps In Paragraphs or Stories Worksheets

Paragraph Based Capitalization
We work on the long forms of the skills. Read the story and circle anything that needs it along the way.

Capitalization in Paragraphs (Proms)
We work towards a full on editing task. Right about when this skill arrives students start hearing the word "Prom". Now the can get a better understanding of the word and work on their skills too.

Capitalization and Punctuation In Reading Passages
The passage as broken up to work toward endurance. We pick apart a paragraph about breakfast and then we head "Down Under"!

Capitalization and Punctuation (Pizza and Camping)
Our favorite one. Maybe it reminds us of fun. Let's go to work on a passage about the best pizza in town and then see if we can go hunting and fishing.

Capitalization and Punctuation (Strong Winds and Movie Making)
This is a slightly shorter version. These are slightly shorter than the other versions. Go to Hollywood and let's talk about some forces of Mother Nature.

Capitalization and Punctuation (Bamboo and Ice Cream)
Interesting commentary in this one. Ever wonder what Bamboo was or what ice cream is made from? We did. Fun thing did you know that Bamboo is actually used in ice cream as a ticker; sometimes?

Capitalization and Punctuation (Seasons and English)
The last in the series. We take a crack at explaining seasons and the look at the crazy things that English brings into our lives.

Capitalization Rules

The basic capitalization rules are simple and to learn, and they are a foundational step towards improving your English writing skills. At first glance, you probably know the basics of capitalization, like knowing you should capitalize the first words of every sentence or the first letter of someone's name.

However, some capitalization rules can be tricky and confusing, and you may need a refresher course to recall all the rules. We have put together a guide for you with all the rules you need to know to master your capitalization rules explained with examples.
Keep in mind; you may not be able to perfect your capitalization skills in one day. It requires time and practice. So, be patient and identify and apply these rules in your writing! So, without further ado, here are all the capitalization rules you need to know.

What Does Capitalization Mean?

The act or process of using capital letters or upper-case letters where necessary is commonly known as capitalization. Capital letters are bigger and taller versions of the same letters.

While capitalization, you write the first letter as a capital letter and the remaining in lower-case letters. If you are writing a formal letter or perhaps an essay for your exam, dropping capital letters will give a bad impression to the reader at first glance.
Douglas Adams said, "Capital letters were always the best way of dealing with things you didn't have a good answer to."

You must always keep in mind some capitalization rules while writing, whether formal or informal; using these rules is a must!

Rule #1 Capitalizing the First Letter in a Sentence

The most basic and straightforward rule of capitalization is capitalizing the first letter of the first word in a sentence. There are no exceptions to this rule.

The first letter in the next sentence should be capitalized after a full stop. The same is the case when you are starting a new sentence. The first letter of the next sentence is also to be capitalized when the previous one ends with a question mark (?) or an exclamation mark (!), as these symbols also indicate the completion of a sentence. If the sentence is separated by a common, you don't need to capitalize the first word after the comma.

Here are a few examples to help you understand:

1.Where is the school library?
2.The kitten is sleeping.
3.Hey, it is lovely to see you again! What have you been up to these days? We missed you a lot.

Rule #2 Capitalize Proper Nouns and Adjectives

Proper nouns are words used for a specific person, place, or thing. You can recognize proper nouns from their two attributes: They always begin with capital letters, and they depict specific people, places, or things.
Here are three examples to explain this.

1. People: I met John at the supermarket yesterday.
2. Places: We visited Disneyland in Paris last spring.
3. Things: Have you met my cat, Lucy?

Rule #3 Capitalize Days, Months, and Holidays

If you open a calendar, you will notice that all days and months have been capitalized. It is not by coincidence, and you must always capitalize the days of the week and all the months in a year. Even their abbreviated forms need to be capitalized.
You must also always capitalize holidays while writing.

Here are some examples:
1. Monday
2. Tuesday
3. Wed, Thu
4. January
5. February
6. Jun
7. Thanksgiving
8. Easter

Rule #4 Capitalize Acronyms and Initials

The easiest way to learn how to write and capitalize acronyms is to write the words in their full forms, take the initials from each word, and write them together in their capital forms without any spaces.

For example,

1.National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
2.British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
3.Near-Earth Object (NEO)

You must also capitalize initials. People often go by the first letter of each of their names. You must capitalize all letters. For example, John Fitzgerald Kennedy (JKF)

Rule #5 Capitalizing Titles

In titles of books, movies, articles, etc., you need to capitalize the important words like proper nouns, adjectives, verbs and write minor words (articles, prepositions, and conjunctions) like 'and,' 'but,' 'or' etc. in lower-case. There are capitalization websites that can help you capitalize your title.
There are two ways to do this: sentence case and title case.

Let's look at an example of each:

1.Sentence case: Simple ways to clean your carpet
2.Title case: "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone"

Rule #6 Capitalize the First Word of a Quote

If the quote is a complete sentence, then you must capitalize it. However, in the case of partial quotes, you must not capitalize the first word.
Here are two examples to understand this.

1.Complete sentence: John asked, "Will you be joining us for dinner this Saturday?"
2.Impartial quote: John said he would "be there shortly," but he arrived late at the party.

Rule #7 Capitalize When You are Closing a Letter

We often close or sign off on letters with a valediction such as "Sincerely Yours" or "Yours truly." It is important always to remember to capitalize the first words of these closes,

For example,
Sincerely yours,
Adam Smith

Forgetting to capitalize these may give a bad impression of you, especially if you are sending a formal letter.

When Not to Capitalize?

Here is a list of things for which capitalization is not required. Read on to find out!

1.You must not capitalize after commas, colons, and semicolons
2.Don't capitalize seasons, for example, summer.
3.Don't capitalize common nouns. For example, middle school, high school, etc.
4.Don't capitalize directions like north, south, east, and west.

To Wrap up

Capitalization is simple and easy to learn and remember, and all it takes is a little practice. There is no shortcut to it. The more you read and write, the most these capitalization rules will stick. Practice, practice and practice, and you'll be a pro in no time. Keep a journal, note down the mistakes you commonly make, and try not to repeat them!
Good luck!