Name:__________________________________ Section:____________ Date:__________

Capitalization Practice Worksheets

The first of the two capitalization practice worksheets will give students practice on “I”, the first word of a
sentence, days, months, names of people and places, and titles of books, magazines, plays, television
shows, movies, newspapers, etc.
Capitalization Exercises Worksheet 1
A. DIRECTIONS: Circle the words in the following sentences that need a capital letter. 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?

B. DIRECTIONS: Write the following sentences correctly.

1. every december, i can hardly wait for santa claus.
2. friday is the best day because we order pizza from domino’s.
3. the best television shows are spongebob and ed, edd, and eddie.
4. my favorite song is we will rock you.
5. king arthur ruled over camelot.

Capitalization Worksheet #2
This second worksheet covers all the rules from the previous worksheet:
“I”, the first word of a sentence, days, months, names of people and places, and titles of books, magazines,
plays, television shows, movies, newspapers, etc.

It add rules about family names; historical events, eras, and documents; directions; names of buildings and
organizations; and titles of groups of people.
A. DIRECTIONS: Put an X if the sentence is capitalized incorrectly and a C if it is capitalized correctly.
1. _____ Big Ben of London is a clock.
2. _____ I drove east to the city and turned north.
3. _____ My family supports the American cancer society.
4. _____ Yellowstone National Park is a great Park.
5. _____ I work for the New York Times.
6. _____ She is a republican and proud of it.
7. _____ The Emancipation proclamation was issued in 1862.
8. _____ Buddhists have been around a very long time.
9. _____ The Sidney Opera House is a Gorgeous Building.
10. _____ The Bronze Age lasted for several thousand years.

B. DIRECTIONS: Circle all the words that need to be capitalized. There are 25.
i have the coolest book called encyclopedia of the world. it shows pictures of africans, asians, animals, and
architecture. it explains how the coliseum in greece was built and why the leaning tower of pisa leans. my
dad likes reading about the war of the roses and the russian revolution. it also explains about different
groups of people, like catholics, protestants, and jews. Also included is information about zoos, including
the san diego zoo.
 Full stop
Full stops are used

 to mark the end of a sentence that is a complete statement:

All their meals arrived at the same time.
 to mark the end of a group of words that don’t form a conventional sentence, so as to emphasize a statement:
It's never acceptable to arrive late. Not under any circumstances.
 in some abbreviations, for example etc., Jan., or a.m.:
Please return the form by Monday 8 Dec. at the latest.
The shop has groceries, toiletries, etc. and is open all day.
 in website and email addresses:
www.OxfordDictionaries.com
Read more about full stops.
Comma
A comma marks a slight break between different parts of a sentence. There are four common occasions on which
commas are necessary; follow the links for more information.

 Using commas in lists (e.g. The flag was red, white, and blue.)
 Using commas in direct speech (e.g. 'That's not fair,' she said.)
 Using commas to separate clauses (e.g. As we had already arrived, we were reluctant to wait.)
 Using commas to mark off parts of a sentence (Her best friend, Eliza, sang for a living.)
Read more about commas.
Semicolon
The semicolon is most commonly used to mark a break that is stronger than a comma but not as final as a full stop.
It’s used between two main clauses that balance each other and are too closely linked to be made into separate
sentences. For example:
The film was a critical success; its lead actors were particularly praised.
Read more about semicolons.
Colon
There are three main uses of the colon:

 between two main clauses in cases where the second clause explains or follows from the first:
We have a motto: live life to the full.
 to introduce a list:
The cost of the room included the following: breakfast, dinner, and Wi-Fi.
 before a quotation, and sometimes before direct speech:
The headline read: ‘Local Woman Saves Geese’.
Read more about colons.
Apostrophe
There are two main cases where apostrophes are used:

 Using apostrophes to show possession

Malcolm's cat was extremely friendly.
We took a day trip to the Gibsons' house.
 Using apostrophes to show omission
I'm afraid the pie isn't suitable for vegetarians.
We didn't think about the consequences of our actions.
Read more about apostrophes.
Hyphen
Hyphens are used to link words and parts of words. There are three main cases where you should use them:

 in compound words
My mother-in-law is visiting soon.
 to join prefixes to other words
The novel is clearly intended to be a post-Marxist work.
 to show word breaks
He collects eighteenth- and nineteenth-century vases.
Read more about hyphens.
Dash
There are two main occasions on which a dash can be used, usually in informal writing:

 to mark off information that is not essential to an understanding of the rest of the sentence
Many birds—do you like birds?—can be seen outside the window.
 to show other kinds of break in a sentence where a comma, semicolon, or colon would be traditionally used
Tommy can't wait for Christmas—he's very excited.
Read more about dashes.
Brackets
There are two main types of brackets. Round brackets are mainly used to separate off information that isn’t essential
to the meaning of the rest of the sentence: He asked Sarah (his great-aunt) for a loan. Square brackets are mainly
used to enclose words added by someone other than the original writer or speaker, typically in order to clarify the
situation: The witnesssaid: 'Gary [Thompson] was not usually late for work.'
Read more about brackets.
Inverted commas
Inverted commas are mainly used in the following cases:

 to mark the beginning and end of direct speech:

'There wasn't,' he said, 'any need for you to say that.'
 to mark off a word or phrase that’s being discussed, or that’s being directly quoted from somewhere else:
They called it the 'land of milk and honey'.
 (also known as scare quotes) to draw attention to an unusual, ironic, or arguably inaccurate use:
The 'food' she put on our plates was inedible.
Read more about inverted commas.
Exclamation mark
The main uses of the exclamation mark (most commonly used in informal writing) are to end sentences that express:

 an exclamation:
Ow! That hurts!
 direct speech that represents something shouted or spoken very loudly:

'Run as fast as you can!' he shouted.

 something that amuses the writer:

They thought I was dressed as a smuggler!

 An exclamation mark can also be used in brackets after a statement to show that the writer finds it funny or ironic:

He thought it would be amusing (!) to throw a plastic mouse at me.

Read more about exclamation marks.
Question mark
A question mark is used to indicate the end of a question:
What time are you going to the fair?
A question mark can also be used in brackets to show that the writer is unconvinced by a statement:

The bus timetable purports to be accurate (?).

Read more about question marks.
Bullet points
Bullet points are used to draw attention to important information within a document so that a reader can identify the
key issues and facts quickly.

Punctuation MarkSymbolDefinitionExamplesapostrophe'An apostrophe is used as a substitute for a missing letter or

letters in a word (as in the contraction cannot = can't), to show the possessive case (Jane's room), and in the plural of
letters, some numbers and abbreviations. Note: groups of years no longer require an apostrophe (for example, the
1950s or the 90s).I can't see the cat's tail.
Dot your i's and cross your t's.
100's of years.colon:A colon is used before a list or quote.

A colon is used to separate hours and minutes.

A colon is used to separate elements of a mathematical ratio.

There are many punctuation marks: period, comma, colon, and others.

The time is 2:15.

The ratio of girls to boys is 3:2.

comma,A comma is used to separate phrases or items in a list.She bought milk, eggs, and bread.dash—A dash is
used to separate parts of a sentence.The dash is also known as an "em dash" because it is the length of a printed
letter m — it is longer than a hyphen.ellipsis...An ellipsis (three dots) indicates that part of the text has been
intentionally been left out.0, 2, 4, ... , 100exclamation point!An exclamation point is used to show excitement or
emphasis.It is cold!hyphen-A hyphen is used between parts of a compound word or name. It is also used to split a
word by syllables to fit on a line of text.The sixteen-year-old girl is a full-time student.parentheses( )Parentheses are
curved lines used to separate explanations or qualifying statements within a sentence (each one of the curved lines is
called a parenthesis). The part in the parentheses is called a parenthetical remark.This sentence (like others on this
page) contains a parenthetical remark.period.A period is used to note the end of a declarative sentence.I see the
house.question mark?A question mark is used at the end of a question.When are we going?quotation mark"Quotation
marks are used at the beginning and end of a phrase to show that it is being written exactly as it was originally said or
written.She said, "Let's eat."semicolon;A semicolon separates two independent clauses in a compound sentence.

A semicolon is also used to separate items in a series (where commas are already in use).

Class was canceled today; Mr. Smith was home sick.

Relatives at the reunion included my older brother, Bob; my cousin, Art; and my great-aunt, Mattie.