Capitalisation is an important aspect of writing that helps to clarify meaning and improve the readability of text. It’s essential to know when and where to use capital letters to make your writing grammatically correct and easy to understand.

Key Rules for Capitalisation

Rule 1: Capitalise the First Word of Every Sentence

Every sentence must begin with a capital letter, regardless of the type of sentence (e.g., statement, question, command). For example:

  • Correct: The cat is sleeping.
  • Incorrect: the cat is sleeping.

Rule 2: Capitalise Proper Nouns

Proper nouns are specific names of people, places, or things. These words should always be capitalised. For example:

  • People: Alice, John Smith
  • Places: London, France, Mount Everest
  • Organisations: NHS, BBC, Microsoft

Rule 3: Capitalise the Pronoun “I”

Whenever you use the pronoun “I,” it must be capitalised. For example:

  • Correct: I am going to the park.
  • Incorrect: i am going to the park.

Rule 4: Capitalise Days, Months, and Holidays

Days of the week, months of the year, and holidays are all proper nouns and should be capitalised. For example:

  • Correct: Monday, August, Christmas
  • Incorrect: monday, august, christmas

Rule 5: Titles of Books, Films, and Works of Art

The main words in titles of books, films, or pieces of art should be capitalised. This usually includes the first and last words, as well as any important words in between. For example:

  • Correct: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
  • Incorrect: harry potter and the philosopher’s stone

Rule 6: Capitalise Nationalities and Languages

Names of nationalities and languages should always be capitalised. For example:

  • Correct: French, Spanish, English
  • Incorrect: french, spanish, english

Rule 7: Capitalise Historical Events and Periods

Important historical events and periods must be capitalised, such as:

  • Correct: World War II, The Renaissance
  • Incorrect: world war ii, the renaissance

Tips and Tricks for Capitalisation

  1. Read Carefully: Whenever you’re editing your work, double-check the beginning of each sentence and all proper nouns.
  2. Learn Key Categories: Memorise important categories, like days of the week, months, and languages, which always require capitalisation.
  3. Titles in Context: When writing titles, remember that not every word needs capitalisation—smaller words like and, the, and in are usually lowercase unless they are at the beginning or end of the title.

Easy Difficulty Questions

  1. What should the first letter of every sentence be?
  • Answer: A capital letter.
  1. Choose the correctly capitalised sentence:
  • a) my friend and I went to the cinema.
  • b) My friend and I went to the cinema.
  • Answer: b
  1. Choose the correctly capitalised name:
  • a) john smith
  • b) John Smith
  • Answer: b
  1. Which of these needs to be capitalised?
  • a) london
  • b) paris
  • c) new york
  • d) all of them
  • Answer: d
  1. What is wrong with this sentence? i am going on holiday.
  • Answer: The “I” should be capitalised.
  1. Is this correct: My birthday is in july?
  • Answer: No, “July” should be capitalised.
  1. Correct the capitalisation: we visited the museum in birmingham.
  • Answer: We visited the museum in Birmingham.
  1. Choose the correctly capitalised title:
  • a) the lord of the rings
  • b) The Lord of the Rings
  • Answer: b
  1. Which is correct?
  • a) christmas day
  • b) Christmas Day
  • Answer: b
  1. Should “english” be capitalised in the sentence: I speak english?
  • Answer: Yes, it should be English.
  1. Correct the capitalisation: on monday, we have a test.
  • Answer: On Monday, we have a test.
  1. Choose the correct capitalisation: my sister lives in america.
  • Answer: My sister lives in America.
  1. Is this correct: I bought a new Book?
  • Answer: No, “book” should not be capitalised.
  1. Which sentence is correctly capitalised?
  • a) I like French food.
  • b) I like french food.
  • Answer: a
  1. Correct the capitalisation: we went to france in july.
  • Answer: We went to France in July.
  1. Should “europe” be capitalised in this sentence: She is visiting europe?
  • Answer: Yes, it should be Europe.
  1. Is this sentence correct: We watched The hunger games last night?
  • Answer: No, it should be The Hunger Games.
  1. Fix the capitalisation: we celebrated christmas in december.
  • Answer: We celebrated Christmas in December.
  1. Choose the correct option:
  • a) world war ii
  • b) World War II
  • Answer: b
  1. Correct the capitalisation: the teacher said we have an exam on friday.
  • Answer: The teacher said we have an exam on Friday.

Medium Difficulty Questions

  1. Choose the correctly capitalised sentence:
  • a) She lives in Scotland.
  • b) she lives in scotland.
  • Answer: a
  1. Should “maths” be capitalised in this sentence: We have maths next period?
  • Answer: No, “maths” should not be capitalised.
  1. Choose the correctly capitalised version of the title:
  • a) To kill a mockingbird
  • b) To Kill a Mockingbird
  • Answer: b
  1. Correct the capitalisation: I want to visit italy and germany one day.
  • Answer: I want to visit Italy and Germany one day.
  1. Fix the sentence: In august, we went to see the Eiffel Tower.
  • Answer: In August, we went to see the Eiffel Tower.
  1. Is this correct: I studied history last year?
  • Answer: Yes, it is correct.
  1. Should “Monday” be capitalised in this sentence: We have our test on monday?
  • Answer: Yes, “Monday” should be capitalised.
  1. Fix the sentence: I went to university in cambridge.
  • Answer: I went to university in Cambridge.
  1. Choose the correct capitalisation:
  • a) The Statue of Liberty is famous.
  • b) The statue of liberty is famous.
  • Answer: a
  1. Is this sentence correct: We will visit the national gallery tomorrow?
    • Answer: No, it should be National Gallery.
  2. Fix the capitalisation: next year, I plan to study spanish.
    • Answer: Next year, I plan to study Spanish.
  3. Should “French” be capitalised in this sentence: I learned french last year?
    • Answer: Yes, “French” should be capitalised.
  4. Is this correct: The titanic was a large ship?
    • Answer: No, it should be The Titanic.
  5. Correct the capitalisation: We went to london on our holiday.
    • Answer: We went to London on our holiday.
  6. Choose the correct sentence:
    • a) The First World War was devastating.
    • b) The first world war was devastating.
    • Answer: a
  7. Is this sentence correct: We visited the river thames?
    • Answer: No, it should be River Thames.
  8. Choose the correct capitalisation:
    • a) Our holiday is in December.
    • b) Our holiday is in december.
    • Answer: a
  9. Correct the capitalisation: The teacher said we are studying world war ii.
    • Answer: The teacher said we are studying World War II.
  10. Is this correct: The Mona Lisa is in the Louvre?
    • Answer: Yes, it is correct.
  11. Correct the capitalisation: I am reading to kill a mockingbird for class.
    • Answer: I am reading To Kill a Mockingbird for class.

High Difficulty Questions

  1. Fix the capitalisation: during the renaissance, many works of art were created.
  • Answer: During the Renaissance, many works of art were created.
  1. Choose the correctly capitalised version of the sentence:
  • a) She is an expert in French and Spanish culture.
  • b) She is an expert in french and spanish culture.
  • Answer: a
  1. Should “Statue of Liberty” be capitalised in this sentence: We went to see the statue of liberty?
  • Answer: Yes, it should be capitalised.
  1. Correct the capitalisation: we travelled to rome last year.
  • Answer: We travelled to Rome last year.
  1. Is this correct: I have a meeting with Dr smith tomorrow?
  • Answer: No, it should be Dr Smith.
  1. Fix the capitalisation: They visited the pyramids in egypt.
  • Answer: They visited the pyramids in Egypt.
  1. Should “London” be capitalised in this sentence: She was born in london?
  • Answer: Yes, “London” should be capitalised.
  1. Fix the capitalisation: the great fire of london occurred in 1666.
  • Answer: The Great Fire of London occurred in 1666.
  1. Choose the correctly capitalised sentence:
  • a) The Renaissance was a period of great change.
  • b) The renaissance was a period of great change.
  • Answer: a
  1. Correct the capitalisation: We are learning about world war two in class.
    • Answer: We are learning about World War Two in class.
  2. Fix the sentence: I want to visit tokyo and seoul.
    • Answer: I want to visit Tokyo and Seoul.
  3. Is this sentence correct: Mount Everest is the tallest mountain?
    • Answer: Yes, it is correct.
  4. Choose the correct capitalisation:
    • a) The british museum is in London.
    • b) The British Museum is in London.
    • Answer: b
  5. Correct the capitalisation: Next year, I will study latin.
    • Answer: Next year, I will study Latin.
  6. Should “October” be capitalised in this sentence: My birthday is in october?
    • Answer: Yes, it should be October.
  7. Fix the capitalisation: He is a professor at oxford university.
    • Answer: He is a professor at Oxford University.
  8. Choose the correct sentence:
    • a) We visited the Museum of Natural History.
    • b) We visited the museum of natural history.
    • Answer: a
  9. Correct the capitalisation: They read romeo and juliet in class.
    • Answer: They read Romeo and Juliet in class.
  10. Is this sentence correct: The Eiffel Tower is in Paris?
    • Answer: Yes, it is correct.
  11. Correct the capitalisation: The colosseum is in rome.
    • Answer: The Colosseum is in Rome.

By mastering these rules and practicing, you will be able to spot and fix capitalisation errors in your writing. Keep working on recognising where capital letters are needed, and soon it will become second nature!