Capitalization
7th Grade
Sentences, Quotes, Letter Parts

Rule 1: Capitalize the first word of every
sentence.
– optical illusions amaze me.
– many artists enjoy creating illusions
– da vinci was a master illusionist.
Sentences, Quotes, Letter Parts

Rule 2: Capitalize the first word of a direct
quotation.
– mr. swatek said, “did you see that illusion?”
– “the dots disappeared,” the students replied.
Sentences, Quotes, Letter Parts

Rule 3: When a “” is
interrupted by explanatory
words, don’t capitalize the
second part of the sentence!
– “do you,” mr. swatek said, “see
that?”
– “jim and jon,” said riley, “are
late!”
Sentences, Quotes, Letter Parts
Rule 3 (continued)
 “the day is over,” the teacher said.
“let’s go home.”
 “try to forget,” he said. “it will be
better tomorrow.

Sentences, Quotes, Letter Parts

Rule 4: Do not capitalize an indirect
quotation! It is often introduced by the
word that.
– John said that he didn’t care about the test.
– Mary read that there were twelve people
missing that day.
Sentences, Quotes, Letter Parts

Rule 5:Capitalize the first word in the
salutation and closing of a letter.
– dear mr. swatek,
– yours truly,
Capitalizing Names and Titles

Rule 1: Capitalize names and initials.
– dan swatek
– william f gates
– j.r.r. tolkien
– c.s. lewis
Capitalizing Names and Titles

Rule 2: Capitalize a title or
abbreviation of a title used
before or instead of a name.
– mr. swatek
– general lee
– senator tim johnson
– Did coach say run five more
minutes?
Capitalizing Names and Titles

Rule 2 (cont): Don’t capitalize a title that is
after a name or used as a common noun.
– clark was promoted to captain.
– bush, the president, is almost out of office.
– the doctor pinched my nerve.
Capitalizing Names and Titles

Rule 3: Capitalize academic degrees that
follow a person’s name.
– Vicki Walker, m.d.
– Jerry Sweeny, ph.d.
– Jimmy John Jones, esq.
Capitalizing Names and Titles

Rule 3 (cont): Don’t forget Jr. & Sr.!
– bobby turner jr.
– luke duke sr.
Capitalizing Names and Titles

Rule 4: Words that show family relationships.
– Used as titles
– Substitutes a person’s name.
– In 1982 father and mother moved to the dakotas.
– They moved to be closer to grandma.
– uncle gary lived in montana.
– Aunt dorothy was still in oregon with her husband.

Capitalizing Names and Titles
Rule 4 (cont): Don’t capitalize family relationship
words when after a possessive noun or pronoun.
– my cousin anna lives in georgia.
– does your uncle live around here?
– what about your aunt?
Capitalizing Names and Titles

Rule 5: Capitalize I !!!
– i rule.
– i am the greatest.
– i don’t smell bad.
– No one is greater than i.
– And gosh darnit. People like me.
Capitalizing Names of Places

Rule 1: Capitalize names of cities,
counties, states, countries, and continents.
– Chicago
– Mexico
– Cook County
– South Dakota
Capitalizing Names of Places

Rule 2: Capitalize names of bodies of
water and other geographical features.
– Atlantic Ocean
– Hudson Bay
Capitalizing Names of Places

Rule 3: Capitalize the names of sections of
the country.
– Midwest
– the Southwest
– New England
Capitalizing Names of Places

Rule 4: Capitalize compass points when
they refer to a specific section of the
country.
– the East Coast
– the South
– the Northeast
Capitalizing Names of Places

Rule 4 (cont): Do not capitalize compass
points when they are used to give
direction.
– Mexico is south of San Diego.
– Elk Point is north of Sioux City.
Capitalizing Names of Places

Rule 5: Capitalize the names of streets
and highways.
– Main Street
– Hollywood Freeway
Capitalizing Names of Places

Rule 6: Capitalize the names of specific
buildings, bridges, and monuments.
– Washington Monument
– Empire State Building
– Mount Rushmore
Capitalizing Other Proper Nouns
and Adjectives

Rule 1: Capitalize all important words in
the name of clubs, organizations,
businesses, institutions, and political
parties.
– Girl Scouts
– University of South Dakota
– Dairy Queen
Capitalizing Other Proper Nouns
and Adjectives

Rule 2: Capitalize brand names but not
the nouns following them.
– Townhouse crackers
– Snicker bar
Capitalizing Other Proper Nouns
and Adjectives

Rule 3: Capitalize all important words in
the names of important historical events,
periods of time, and documents.
– Constitution
– World War II
Capitalizing Other Proper Nouns
and Adjectives

Rule 4: Capitalize the names of days of
the week, months of the year, and
holidays. Do NOT capitalize names of the
seasons.
– Monday
– August
– Christmas
– spring
Capitalizing Other Proper Nouns
and Adjectives

Rule 5: Always capitalize the first and last
words of the titles of songs, films,
television series, magazines, and
newspapers.
– Beauty and the Beast
– Time magazine
Capitalizing Other Proper Nouns
and Adjectives

Rule 6: Capitalize the names of ethnic
groups, nationalities, and languages.
– Native American
– Canadian
– Spanish
Capitalizing Other Proper Nouns
and Adjectives

Rule 7: Capitalize all proper adjectives,
including those formed from names of
ethnic groups and nationalities.
– Native American crafts
– Mexican art
Examples
1. mr. lopez asked, “when do we celebrate the
birthday of martin luther king jr.?”
 2. “i hope that i am elected treasurer,” said
clarice, “so that i can help this organization save
money.”
 3. “most big cities grew because they were close
to water or railroads,” explained ms.bailey. “for
example, St. Louis grew because of its proximity
to the Mississippi River.”

Examples
4. The speaker said that john muir, the
famous conservationist, moved to the
Sierras as a young man.
 5. “we will use our new computer
program to create a newsletter,” said ali.
 6. aunt alana and uncle martin helped
father plant a garden this spring.
 7. president john q. adams was the son of
the second president, john adams.
