Capitalization and Punctuation RtI: English 3 Essential Skills Lesson 1

Why? Writers use capital letters and punctuation marks to help the reader better understand what is written.

Capital Letters All sentences begin with capital letters. We enjoyed the Kevin Gates concert last night. The two hour drive back from Baton Rouge was rough.

Capital Letters Proper nouns begin with capital letters. Mrs. Deshotel asked Emma to help build a giant Rosepine eagle to roast at the homecoming bonfire.

Capital Letters The pronoun I is always capitalized. I don’t need your help because Chemistry is easy. My cousin and I had to pick up trash on the side of the road after getting caught tagging for homecoming.

Capital Letters A capital letter begins the first, last, and any important word in the title of a book, magazine, song, movie, poem, or other work. Our class read the last chapter of Tom Sawyer. She saw Snow White when she was five years old.

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

Punctuation: Period Most abbreviations end with a period. After Mr. Smith fell off of his moped, Dr. Phil made him go get x-rays at St. Patrick Hospital on Oak St. in Lake Charles.

Punctuation: Question Mark A question ends with a question mark. When will this presentation be finished? Why does one day of school feel like an eternity?

Punctuation: Exclamation Mark A statement expression strong feeling or excitement ends with an exclamation mark. We are going to the state championship game!

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.

Punctuation: Comma A comma comes before the conjunction that compounds independent clauses. He finished his Chemistry work in one minute, and then he took a nap. His teacher called him to the board, but his answers were all wrong.

Punctuation: Comma A comma separates an interruption from the rest of the sentence. Ms. Jernigan, our weird English teacher, likes to read Shakespeare in her spare time.

Punctuation: Comma A comma separates quoted words from the rest of the sentence. “I wanted to go to the dance, but no one asked me,” she remarked.

Punctuation: Comma A comma separates items in an address or date. Lake Arthur, Louisiana December 25, 2016

Punctuation: Colon A colon shows the reader that a list or explanation follows. For my next masterpiece, I will need the following items: scissors, paper, glue, and paint.

Punctuation: Quotation Marks 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.”

Source Credit Some material on this PowerPoint was retrieved from Project LA. The rest came from Ms. Jernigan’s weird sense of humor.