RULES ON

CAPITALIZATIO
N AND
PUNCTUATION
Capitalization rule #1
Capitalize the first word in quotations,
provided the quoted material is a complete
sentence.

For example:
Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "The only way to
have a friend is to be one."
Capitalization rule #2
Use capitals for proper nouns. In other
words, capitalize the names of people,
specific places, and things.
For example:
We don't capitalize the word "bridge" unless it
starts a sentence, but we must
capitalize Brooklyn Bridge because it is the
name of a specific bridge.
Capitalization rule #3
Capitalize titles when they are
on the signature line of a letter,
when the title comes
immediately before a name, or
when the title replaces the use
of a name (i.e., a title used as a
direct address).
Here are some examples:

Sincerely,
Vicky Marquez, President

Ms. Vicky Marquez

Hello, Senator. It's nice to see you

again.
Do not capitalize titles when
they are not used as a direct
address to a person. For
example:

The senator will be in town

today to inspect the building of
the railway.
Capitalization rule #4
Capitalize directions only when they
refer to specific regions.

For example:
My favorite place in the world is
Northern Ontario.
Do not capitalize "north," "south,"
"east," and "west" when giving
directions:

Drive six blocks north, and then turn

right.
Capitalization rule #5

All large words in the titles of movies,

books, and other publications should be
capitalized, while all small words (a, an,
the, but, and, if, as, or, nor, to name a
few) should not be capitalized unless
they are the first or last words in the
title:
A Life Less Ordinary

(The word "A" would not normally

be capitalized, but because it is the
first word in the title, we must
capitalize it.)
War of the Worlds 

(The words "of" and "the" are not

capitalized because they are small
and are not at the beginning or end
of the title, though exceptions to the
"small words" rule do exist.)
Capitalization rule #6
The first word of a salutation should be
capitalized, as well as the first word of a
closing. For example:

Dear Billy,
OR
Regards,
John Smith
Capitalization rule #7
Capitalize words derived from proper
nouns. For example:

I like English, but math is my favorite

subject.
(English is capitalized because it is
derived from the proper noun England,
while math is not capitalized because it is
not derived from a proper noun.)
Specific course titles should, however,
be capitalized. For example:

I don't know what I'm going to do. I have

to take Math 101 next year and it looks
hard!
Capitalization rule #8
Capitalize when two or more sentences
follow a colon.

For example:
We have set this restriction: Do your chores
before watching television. That includes
washing the dishes.
PUNCTUATI
ONS
Period '.'
1. A complete sentence that makes a
statement ends with a period. A
sentence is a group of words containing
a subject and predicate. In British
English a period is called a 'full stop'. 

1. It's your birthday.

2. You blow out the candle.
3. He went to Detroit last week.
2. Most abbreviations end with a
period.

Dr. Smith lives on Creek Rd. near

St. Mary's Hospital. 
Question Mark '?'
1. A question ends with a
question mark.

When is she coming?

What are you doing this
Saturday?
Exclamation Point '!'
1. The exclamation point is used at the end
of a sentence to indicate great surprise. It is
also used for emphasis when making a
point. (strong feeling / excitement)

What a wonderful day it is!

That ride was fantastic!
Comma ‘,’
1. A comma separates things in
series. (list of items)

I ate pizza, a burger, and ice cream. 

I like reading, listening to music, taking
long walks, and visiting my friends.
2. A comma separates an
interruption from the rest of the
sentence.

Mr. Walker, our teacher, is very

clever.
3. A comma separates two
independent clauses that are
connected by a conjunction
such as 'but'.
They wanted to purchase a new car,
but their financial situation would
not allow it.

I would really enjoy seeing a film

this evening, and I'd like to go out
for a drink.
4. Separate phrases (clauses)

In order to qualify for your

certificate, you will need to take
the TOEFL exam.

Although he wanted to come, he

wasn't able to attend the course.
5. Introduce a direct
quote.
The boy said, "My father is often
away during the week on
business trips.“

His doctor replied, "If you don't

stop smoking, you run the risk
of a heart attack."
1. A colon shows the reader that a list or
explanation follows.

-I will need the following items: scissors,

paper, glue, and paint.
-He had many reasons for joining the
club: to get in shape, to make new
friends, to lose some weight, and to get
out of the house.
2. To introduce a direct quote (a
comma can also be used in this
situation)

He announced to his friends: "I'm

getting married!“

She cried out: "I never want to see

you again!"
Semicolon ';'
The semicolon signals a pause
longer than a comma but briefer
than a period.

1. To separate two independent

clauses. One or both of the clauses
are short and the ideas expressed
are usually very similar.
He loves studying; he can't get
enough of school.

What an incredible situation; it

must make you nervous.
2. To separate groups of words that
are themselves separated by
commas.

I took a holiday and played golf,

which I love; read a lot, which I
needed to do; and slept late; which I
hadn't done for quite a while.
They plan to study German,
for their travels; chemistry,
for their work; and literature,
for their own enjoyment.
1. A colon shows the reader that a list or
explanation follows.

-I will need the following items: scissors,

paper, glue, and paint.
-He had many reasons for joining the
club: to get in shape, to make new
friends, to lose some weight, and to get
out of the house.
Quotation Marks (double " or single
')
1. Quotation marks are used to
identify the exact words of a
speaker.

President Bush said, "We will not

tire, we will not falter, and we will
not fail."
2. For speech within speech, the
other style is used as inner
quotation marks:

'Dave said, "Good afternoon,

Frank"', recalled Frank.