Capitalization Rules1. Capitalize the names of:

organizations (Rotary Club, National Honors Society)

government bodies (Supreme Court, Student Council)

political parties (Democrats, Republicans)nationalities (Chinese, German, Iranian)Languages (English, Spanish, Swahili)

2. Abbreviations (a shortened form of a word or phrase)Austin, TXRev. Martin Luther King Jr.

3. Acronyms (an abbreviation that takes one or more letters from each word)NASACHAMPBen King, M.D.

4. InitialsE.B. WhiteGeorge W. Bush

Sentence Scavenger HuntNumber your journal #1-10 (skip lines,

please!)Choose a sentence to stand at around the

room. Write that sentence down in your journal

(Notes section). Make sure to correct all capitalization and punctuation errors as you are writing.

Work quickly so you can write down ALL the sentences!!

You will be graded and for every sentence NOT corrected, you will lose 10 points! (You should be WORKING not talking.)

Commas have many uses! Here are a few: 1. To separate two main or independent clauses:

Chimpanzees are fully grown at age five, but their mothers still take care of them.

2. To separate three or more words, phrases or clauses in a series:

Desert animals include camels, toads, and insects.

3. To separate adjectives: A smooth, round, gray stone was cupped in her

hand.

Semicolons1. To join independent clauses separated by a

conjunctive adverb:We were impressed with Martin’s

knowledge of history; indeed, he was very well informed about colonization.

2. To avoid confusion when items in a series already have commas:My brother, Cory; his girlfriend, Monica;

and my mom, Mrs. Schulz, all went to the concert together.

Hyphens1. When you write two-word numbers:

Seventy-eight, thirty-five, twenty-two

2. When you use a fraction as a describing word but not as a noun:The glass is two-thirds full.Two thirds of the class was present.

Hyphens3. After a prefix that’s followed by a proper noun or

adjective:Pre-Columbian mid-August

4. In words with the stems all-, ex-, self-, and -elect:All-American mayor-elect ex-

girlfriend

5. To connect two or more nouns used as a compound word:Great-grandfather secretary-treasurer

T-shirt

6. To connect a compound modifier that comes before a noun:Cass was a big-hearted dog lover.

Hyphens7. Try not to divide a word at the end of a line, but

if you MUST, divide it between two syllables:The soccer coach’s pep talks are usually short

and unin-spiring. (Not uni-nspiring)

8. DO NOT divide one-syllable words, or divide a word so that a single letter stands alone:scho-ol, bru-ised, thro-ugh, a-mid, o-kay, ver-y

9. AVOID dividing proper nouns or adjectives:Eliza-beth, Ger-man (Tiffany NOT Tif-fany, Ja-

vi)

Apostrophes1. Add an apostrophe to show possession:

Singular words: My dog’s favorite toy is a ball.Plural words: The bears’ den is hidden in the

mountains. Indefinite Pronouns: nobody’s business, another’s

preferenceNO: nobodys anothers

2. In a contraction to show where letters have been omitted:Is not = isn’t cannot = can’t I will = I’ll

3. To create the plural form of a letter, number , (or word used as a name for itself):Mind your p’s and q’s Remember your

please’s, please.

Ellipses1. To show where words have been omitted from a

quoted passage:Original: “It’s amazing that anyone would think this

was a love story.”Reworded: “… amazing … love story”

2. To mark a pause in dialogue or speech:“But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate … we

cannot consecrate … we cannot hallow … this ground.”

3. Along with an end mark at the end of a sentence to show an omission, pause or incomplete statement:“I wonder how we are ever going to finish. Maybe

we could… .”

Dashes1. To show a strong, sudden break in thought or speech:

I can’t believe how many free throws my brother missed – I don’t even want to think about it!

I can’t believe how many free throws my brother missed. I don’t even want to think about it!

2. In place of in other words, namely, or that is before an explanation:Ruth plays ball for one purpose – to win. To see his jersey hanging from the rafters – this was his

greatest dream.

3. To set off nonessential modifiers:The selfish player – a “star” who is concerned mainly with his

own glory – will not pass the ball.

Colons1. To introduce a list of items:

At Claire’s, we bought: a necklace, earrings, and a bracelet.

2. To introduce an instruction Warning: No Swimming

3. To introduce a long or formal quotation:Benjamin Franklin said: “Tis better to be silent and

thought a fool, than to speak and remove all doubt.”

Sentence Scavenger HuntNumber your journal #1-10 (skip lines,

please!)Choose a sentence to stand at around the

room. Write that sentence down in your journal

(Notes section). Make sure to correct all capitalization and punctuation errors as you are writing.

Work quickly so you can write down ALL the sentences!!

You will be graded and for every sentence NOT corrected, you will lose 10 points! (You should be WORKING not talking.)