Capitalization and Punctuation

Capital Letters We enjoyed reading the book. All sentences begin with capital letters. We enjoyed reading the book. Those girls finished cleaning the counter.

Capital Letters Mrs. Clark asked if Amy would help. Proper nouns (names of people and places) begin with capital letters. Mrs. Clark asked if Amy would help. Uncle Rob took us to Texas.

Examples of Proper Nouns:

People’s titles Professor Leonard President Obama Doctor Smith General Grant However! These titles can be used as non-proper nouns when not attached to a person’s name. For example: Dan Leonard is a professor. Abraham Lincoln was a great president.

Exact places Seoul the Eiffel Tower the Pacific Ocean Gyeonggi Province Earth

Brand Names Frappuccino Oreo Coca-Cola Let’s Be Mild

Company and Organization Names Samsung Microsoft Kyonggi University Kyonggi Student Union

Religions Christianity / Christian Buddhism / Buddhist Islam / Muslim

Languages and Nationalities Korean English American Spanish Mexican

Days, Months and Events Monday Halloween Christmas Day January the Korean War

Class Titles College English 2 Introduction to Biology Political Science 101 WARNING! While class titles are capitalized, the names of subjects are not unless it’s a language. Ex. I’m learning a lot about biology in Introduction to Biology.

Capital Letters I don’t need your help. The pronoun I is always capitalized. I don’t need your help. My aunt and I picked up the papers.

Capital Letters A capital letter begins the first, last, and any important word in the title of a work of art/literature Read the last chapter of The Lord of the Rings She saw Snow White when she was five years old.

Abbreviations In abbreviations of more than one word, every letter is capitalized. For example: Republic of Korea  R.O.K. / ROK Seoul National University  S.N.U. / SNU as soon as possible  A.S.A.P. / ASAP

Punctuation: Period A complete sentence that makes a statement ends with a period. It’s your birthday. You blow out the candle.

Punctuation: Period Most abbreviations end with a period. Dr. Howard lives on Oak Rd. near St. Mary’s Hospital.

Punctuation: Question Mark A question ends with a question mark. When will you be finished?

Punctuation: Exclamation Mark A statement expression strong feeling or excitement ends with an exclamation mark. What a beautiful day!

Punctuation: Comma I ate pizza, a burger, and ice cream. A comma separates things in a series. I ate pizza, a burger, and ice cream. Note: In American English the last comma is usually left out. Ex. I ate a pizza, a burger and ice cream.