What you learned
A special name belongs to one particular person and always begins with a capital letter.
| Rule | Example |
|---|---|
| First and last names both get capitals. | Ava Lopez |
| Titles get a capital and a period. | Mr. Nolan |
| Miss gets a capital and no period. | Miss Ellery |
| Words for any person stay small. | my teacher |
Three things to keep straight
| What people write | What is right |
|---|---|
| Ava lopez | Ava Lopez. Both names get one. |
| Mr Nolan | Mr. Nolan. The period shows letters were left out. |
| My Teacher is here. | My teacher is here. It could be anybody’s teacher. |
The swap test
Not sure about a word like aunt or grandpa? Put a real name in its place.
“We visited Grandpa.” works as “We visited Leo.” so it takes a capital.
“We visited my grandpa.” does not work as “We visited my Leo.” so it stays small.
Quick warm-up before the check
Fix each one.
- “ben ruiz”
- “dr. lopez”
- “My Uncle came over.”
Answers
- “Ben Ruiz”
- “Dr. Lopez”
- “My uncle came over.”
Now take the final check below.
Where to go next
- Special Names of Places: the same rule for cities, streets, and schools
- Capitalizing Days, Months, and Holidays: the calendar words
- Nouns: People, Places, Animals, and Things: the naming words themselves
- Capital Letters and End Marks: the capital rules that apply to every sentence