Rules in Capitalization

and Punctuation

Capitalization

RULE NO. 1

Capitalize the first word of a quoted

sentence.

• He said, "Treat her as you would your own daughter.“

• "Look out!" she screamed. "You almost ran into my child."

RULE NO. 2

Capitalize a proper noun.

• Golden Gate Bridge

• Dr. Jose P. Rizal

• Pasig Catholic College

RULE NO. 3

Capitalize a person's title when it precedes the name. Do not

capitalize when the title is acting as a description

following the name.

• Chairperson Petrov

• Ms. Petrov, the chairperson of the company, will address us at

noon.

RULE NO. 4

Capitalize the person's title when it follows the name on the address or signature line.

• Sincerely,

Ms. Haines, Chairperson

• Yours truly,

Dr. Rolando P. Castro, Dean

RULE NO. 5

Capitalize the titles of high-ranking government officials

when used before their names. Do not capitalize the

civil title if it is used instead of the name.

• The president will address Congress.

• President Noynoy Aquino delivered his SONA last week.

RULE NO. 6

Capitalize any title when used as a direct address.

• Will you take my temperature, Doctor?

• Do you have a court hearing, Attorney?

RULE NO. 7

Capitalize points of the compass only when they refer to

specific regions.

• Go south three blocks and then turn left.

• We live in the southeast section of town.

RULE NO. 8

Always capitalize the first and last words of titles of publications regardless of their parts of speech. Capitalize other words within titles, including the short verb

forms Is, Are, and Be.Do not capitalize little words within titles such as a, an, the, but,

as, if, and, or, nor, or prepositions, regardless of their length.

• The Day of the Jackal

• What Color Is Your Parachute?

• A Tale of Two Cities

RULE NO. 9

Capitalize federal or state when used as part of an official agency name or

in government documents where these terms represent an official name. If they are being used as

general terms, you may use lowercase letters.

• That is a federal offense.

• The Federal Bureau of Investigation has been subject to much scrutiny

and criticism lately.

• We will visit three states during our summer vacation.

RULE NO. 10

Capitalize the first word of a salutation and the first word of

a complimentary close.

• Dear Ms. Pedroza:

• My dear Mr. Sanchez:

• Very truly yours,

RULE NO. 11

After a sentence ending with a colon, do not capitalize the first word if it begins a list.

• These are my favorite foods: chocolate cake, spaghetti and

adobo.

• These are my skills: programming, driving and multi-

tasking.

RULE NO. 12

Do not capitalize names of seasons.

• I love autumn colors and spring flowers.

• Philippines has summer and rainy seasons.

Top Ten Rules in

Punctuation

10. COMMA (,)

• Use commas to separate independent clauses in a sentence

Example:

1. The game was over, but the crowd refused to leave.

2. Yesterday was her brother’s birthday, so she took him out to dinner.

10. COMMA

• Use commas after introductory words, phrases, or clauses that come before the main clause

Examples:

1. While I was eating, the cat scratched at the door.

2. If you are ill, you ought to see a doctor.

10. COMMA

• Use a pair of commas to separate an aside from the main body of the sentence.

Example:

1. John and Inga, the couple from next door, are coming for dinner tonight.

10. COMMA

• Use commas to set off all geographical names, items in dates (except the month and day), addresses (except the street number and name), and titles in names.

Example:

1. Birmingham, Alabama, got its name from Birmingham, England.

2. July 22, 2011, was a momentous day in his life.

10. COMMA

• Use a comma to shift between the main discourse and a quotation.

Example:

1. John said without emotion, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

2. “I was able,” she answered, “to complete the assignment.”

9. Period (.)

• The primary use of a period is to end a sentence.

Example:

1. Business English is very important for your professional growth.

9. Period (.)

• Its second important use is for abbreviations.

Examples:

1. Jesus Christ was born c. 4-6AD

2. Mr. Jose was happy to see his wife.

8. Question Mark (?)

• It goes at the end of a sentence which is a question.

Examples:

1. What can you do for the company?

2. How can you be an asset?

7. Exclamation Point (!)

• This is used in ending extreme emotions expressed in a sentence.

Example:

1. Ouch!

2. Fire! Fire!

6. Quotation marks (“”)

• are used to quote another person’s words exactly, whether they be spoken, or written

Examples:

1. John said, “We are going shopping.”

2. As D. H. Nachas explains, “The gestures used for greeting others differ greatly from one culture to another.”

6. Quotation marks (“”)

• used to denote irony or sarcasm, or to note something unusual about it

Example:

1. The great march of “progress” has left millions impoverished and hungry.

5. Colon (:)

• used after a complete statement in order to introduce one or more directly related ideas, such as a series of directions, a list, or a quotation or other comment illustrating or explaining the statement

Example:

1. The daily newspaper contains four sections: news, sports, entertainment, and classified ads.

5. Colon (:)

• used to separate chapter and verse from the bible or to separate hours, minutes, and seconds

Example:

1. John 1:21

2. 09:25:12

4. Semicolon (;)

• Use a semicolon to join related independent clauses in compound sentences

Example:

1. Jim worked hard to earn his degree; consequently, he was certain to achieve a distinction.

2. Jane overslept by three hours; she was going to be late for work again.

4. Semicolon (;)• used to separate items in a series if the

elements of the series already include commas

Example:

1. Members of the band include Harold Rostein, clarinetist; Tony Aluppo, tuba player; and Lee Jefferson, trumpeter.

3. Apostrophe ( ’)

• to form possessives of nouns

Example:

1. the boy’s hat

2. three day’s journey

3. Apostrophe ( ’)

• to show the omission of letters

Example:

1. He’ll go = He will go

2. could’ve = could have

3. Apostrophe ( ’)

• to form plurals

Example:

1. Mind your p’s and q’s.

2. Parentheses ( )

• occasionally and sparingly used for extra, nonessential material included in a sentence

Example:

1. Before arriving at the station, the old train (someone said it was a relic of frontier days) caught fire.

1. Hyphen or dash (-)

• Use a hyphen to join two or more words serving as a single adjective before a noun

Example:

1. chocolate-covered peanuts

2. Two-storey house

1. Hyphen or dash (-)

• Use a hyphen with compound numbers

Example:

1. Forty-five

2. Sixty-two

1. Hyphen or dash (-)

• Use a hyphen with the prefixes ex- (meaning former), self-, all-; with the suffix -elect; between a prefix and a capitalized word; and with figures or letters

Example:

1. ex-husband

2. T-shirt

1. Hyphen or dash (-)

• Use the dash to emphasize a point or to set off an explanatory comment; but don’t overuse dashes, or they will lose their impact; typically represented on a computer by two hyphens with no spaces before, after, or between the hyphens

Example:

1. To some of you, my proposals may seem radical --even revolutionary.

1. Hyphen or dash (-)

• used for an appositive phrase that already includes commas

Example:

1. The boys–Jim, John, and Jeff–left the party early.

Thank

you !