Capitalization / Numbers

Transcription

1 Capitalization Rules Capitalization / Numbers 1. a. Capitalize the first word in any sentence. b. Capitalize the first word of a direct quotation. e.g., The counsellor replied, "Many people feel that way". 2. Capitalize proper nouns and proper adjectives. (A proper noun is the name of a particular person, place, thing; a proper adjective is an adjective formed from a proper noun.) examples: proper nouns: England, Europe; proper adjectives: English, European a. Capitalize the names of persons. The abbreviations Sr. and Jr. following a name are capitalized: Lawrence Olivier, St. b. Capitalize geographical names: cities, provinces, states, countries, continents, islands, mountains, streets, parks, etc. c. Do not capitalize east, west, north, and south when they indicate directions. Do capitalize them when they refer to recognized sections of the country. e.g., Western Canada, Southern Alberta. d. Capitalize names of organizations, institutions, buildings, business firms, brand names or business products, ships, planes, trains, special events, historical events and periods, items on a calendar, government bodies, races, religions, and nationalities. e. The seasons of the year are not normally capitalized. f. Do not capitalize the names of school subjects, except the languages. Course names followed by a number are usually capitalized. 3. Capitalize Titles a. Capitalize the title of a person if the title precedes the person s name. Capitalize a title used alone or following a person s name only if it refers to a high government official or to someone to whom you wish to show special respect. b. Capitalize words of family relationship when used with a person s name unless they are preceded by a possessive noun or pronoun. e.g., Uncle Tom, Cousin Pete, my cousin Pete

2 c. Capitalize the first and all important words in the titles of books, magazines, newspapers, articles, historical documents, laws, and works of art. d. Capitalize words referring to the Deity, Christ, and Mary. (god referring to pagan deities is not capitalized) Capitalization Exercise Supply capital letters where needed. 1. They moved to oregon when ray was six years old. 2. josephine asked, "do you still love me?" 3. we read charlotte s web last week. 4. his watch was set on eastern standard time. 5. the class studied mathematics, english, physics, and french. 6. those men left the car on fourth street. 7. her first song "ride a purple horse," is a folk expression of conditions in the north. 8. an old prospector lives in whitehorse, yukon territory. 9. the pacific ocean surrounds australia. 10. the gulf of mexico is a favourite of sport fishermen. Rules For Writing Numbers 1. Use figures for dates, street numbers, room numbers, page numbers, telephone numbers, and numbers of divisions (parts, chapters, paragraphs, sections, rules) of a book, and for statistics. 2. Ordinarily spell out ages and the time of the day. Use figures with a.m. and p.m. 3. Spell out numbers that can be expressed in one or two words. Use figures for numbers that require three or more words. 4. Spell out the name of a numbered street if it is one word without a hyphen. (e.g. 423 Ninth Avenue) 5. Ordinarily use figures when several numbers follow each other closely (as in a list with at least some three-digit numbers).

3 6. For money, use figures in dollars and cents, and for a sum in dollars if the number requires three or more words. For others write it out. 7. Spell out a number at the beginning of a sentence or reconstruct the sentence. 8. Use figures for percentage but spell out "per cent". 9. The form in which numbers are written should be consistent. If one or two or more numbers in a sentence cannot be expressed in two words or less, use figures for all. Review For Writing Numbers In each sentence circle the correct form of the number given. 1. In the city of Calgary, the crime rate has increased in the last six months. a) seven % b) seven per cent c) 7 per cent 2. students graduated last year. a) 152 b) One hundred and fifty-two 3. In one year copies of the book were sold. a) five thousand three hundred and eighty-five b) 5, Jan s address is. a) five twenty-four Seventh Avenue b) 524 Seventh Avenue 5. The time is p.m.

4 a) two b) 2 6. There are seniors in the club. a) 27 b) twenty-seven 7. The toaster was priced at. a) $3.57 b) three dollars and fifty-seven cents 8. I collected and Bill collected. a) $45 b) forty-five dollars c) one hundred and twenty-three d) $ He was born on. a) September fifth, nineteen hundred and sixty-two b) September 5, When you are telephoned, please quote the following figures: a. four hundred and sixty-two, three hundred and twenty-three, and seven hundred and thirty-one b. 462, 323 and 731 Answer Key

5 Capitalization 1. They moved to Oregon when Ray was six years old. 2. Josephine asked, "Do you still love me?" 3. We read Charlotte s Web last week. 4. His watch was set on Eastern Standard Time. 5. The class studies mathematics, English, physics, and French. 6. Those men left the car on Fourth Street. 7. Her first song "Ride a Purple Horse," is a folk expression of conditions in the north. 8. An old prospector lives in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory. 9. The Pacific Ocean surrounds Australia. 10. The Gulf of Mexico is a favourite of sport fishermen. Numbers 1. c 6. b 2. b 7. a 3. b 8. a, d 4. b 9. b 5. b 10. b