Place names inside sentences
A place name keeps its capital wherever it lands.
“Bell Street is quiet at night.”
“We walked down Bell Street.”
In the second sentence the name sits in the middle and nothing changes. The first word of the sentence gets a capital because it is first. The name gets one because it is a name.
The same word, two different jobs
This is the part worth slowing down for. One word can need a capital in one sentence and not in the next.
| Sentence | Capital? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| I walk to school. | no | any school |
| I walk to Hillside School. | yes | one particular school |
| We crossed the street. | no | any street |
| We crossed Bell Street. | yes | one particular street |
Nothing about the word changed. What changed is whether it is naming one place.
The which-one test
Read the sentence and ask: does this tell me which school, or just that there is a school?
If you could point at a map and find that exact spot, it is a name and it takes a capital.
If somebody would have to ask “which one?”, it stays lowercase.
A mistake to watch for
Words like “my” and “the” and “a” in front are a warning sign.
“I go to my School.” is wrong. The word “my” already tells you which one, so the word “school” is not doing the naming.
“I go to my school.” is right.
Your turn
Choose the correct one.
- “We drove past (Blue Lake / blue lake) on the way.”
- “We swam in the (Lake / lake) all afternoon.”
- “Ava lives on (Willow Road / willow road).”
Check your answers
- “Blue Lake”. It names one particular lake.
- “lake”. Nothing says which one.
- “Willow Road”. Both words are part of the name.
Remember
- Place names keep their capitals anywhere in a sentence.
- Ask which one to decide.
- Words like my and the in front usually mean no capital.