Grammar Practice Workbook

Name ...................................................................................... Class .................................................. Date ................................

Capitalization of Sentences
Key Information
Capitalize the first letter of the first word of a
sentence.
Alexis ran to the bus stop. She was late for
work.
Capitalize the first letter of the first word of a
sentence in parentheses only if the sentence
stands by itself. Do not capitalize if the sentence
within parentheses is part of another sentence.

Do not capitalize the first letter of the first word

of a quotation unless the entire quotation can
stand as a sentence.
The boxer said that winning the match was
the best thing in the world.
Do not capitalize an indirect quotation, which is
often introduced by that and does not repeat a
persons exact words.

My father loves lima beans. (My mother

makes lima beans with butter and scallions.)
My father (his name is Louie) loves lima
beans.

My grandmother said that the sunset was

breathtaking

A. Capitalizing Sentences

Many of the following items lack a needed capital letter; a few are correct. In each item with a
capitalization error, underline the word that should be capitalized. If a sentence is correct,
circle its number.
1. Alcatraz Island is located in San Francisco Bay. at one time it housed many famous prisoners.
2. Perhaps the most popular inmate was Al Capone. have you ever heard of him?
3. People have said that no one ever escaped from Alcatraz.
4. other people (researchers looking to disprove the escape-proof theory) discovered two inmates
Copyright The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

who successfully escaped and fled to South America.

5. In 1962, Robert Kennedy said that it was time to focus on rehabilitation in the U.S. prison system
rather than exclusively on punishment. (the prison was closed March 21, 1963.)
B. Capitalizing Sentences in Quotation Marks and Parentheses

Underline any words in the following sentences that should be capitalized. If a sentence is
correct, circle its number.
1. poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world, Percy Bysshe Shelley said.
2. Shelley said, poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world.
3. Shelley said that we live by the rules of poetry but that those rules go unacknowledged.
4. Shelley said, poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world. (he meant that poets have

created the guidelines by which we live, although we dont know it.)

5. Shelley said that he wanted to change the world (he found it inundated with misery and evil), and

he attempted to change it through his works.

Glencoe Literature: Grammar Practice Workbook

41

Grammar Practice Workbook

Name ...................................................................................... Class .................................................. Date ................................

Capitalization of Proper Nouns and Proper Adjectives

Key Information
In proper nouns consisting of several words,
do not capitalize articles, coordinating conjunctions, or prepositions of fewer than five letters.
Capitalize proper adjectives (adjectives formed
from proper nouns). Some types of proper
adjectives are the following:

adjectives formed from names of people

adjectives formed from names of places and
names of national, ethnic, and religious
groups

A. Capitalizing Proper Nouns and Proper Adjectives

In the following sentences, underline any word that should be capitalized and any word that is
capitalized but should not be.
1. The name of b. b. kings guitar is lucille.
2. The new yorker is a magazine of high Literary quality.
3. Some of the gods and goddesses in roman mythology have different names than their greek
counterparts.
4. These are the best grits Ive had anywhere South of the mason-dixon line.
5. In the ninth month of the muslim calendar year, ramadan (a time to fast) is observed.
6. At Four Oaks middle school, students in seventh and eighth grade may take spanish or french
instead of Reading.
7. The Jefferson memorial, a building erected in memory of president Thomas Jefferson, is located
South of the Washington monument.

Use each of the following words in two different sentences. First, write a sentence in which the
word remains lower case. Then write a sentence in which the word is capitalized.
1. mothers
2. northeast
3. ocean
4. first lady
5. music

42

Glencoe Literature: Grammar Practice Workbook

Copyright The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

B. Using Capitalization

Grammar Practice Workbook

Name ...................................................................................... Class .................................................. Date ................................

End Punctuation
Key Information
Use a period to end a declarative sentence or a
polite command.
I hate to fly at night.
Send me an e-mail when you get home.

Use a question mark after a direct question.

Have you read the newspaper today?
Do not place a question mark after an indirect
question that is part of a declarative sentence.

Use an exclamation point to indicate strong

feeling or a forceful command.

I wondered if Lily had read the paper.

I won the contest!

Take off that ridiculous hat!

A. Using End Punctuation

Write the necessary period, question mark, or exclamation point at the end of each of the following sentences.
1. Are you going to put your bags under the seat question mark
2. Once the plane began to move, the couple placed their bags under the seat in front of them
period
3. Sit down at once

exclamation point

4. I wondered when the flight attendants would serve the in-flight meal

period

5. We waited in the airport for an hour and on the runway for two more hours
6. Once we took off, the turbulence was horrible exclamation point
Copyright The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

7. We arrived in Pittsburgh an hour late, and I missed my connecting flight

exclamation point

period

8. When we finally landed, I wondered if my friend would still be waiting for me in the airport
terminal period
B. Writing Sentences with Correct End Punctuation

Use the following guidelines to write sentences that demonstrate correct use of end
punctuation. Answers will vary.
1. Write two sentences describing how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
Take two slices of bread and spread peanut butter on one slice and jelly on the other. Then put the

two together and enjoy!

2. Write a question that asks when winter break begins.
When does winter vacation begin this year?
3. Write an exclamation that tells of a time when you were very happy.
That was the best day of my life!
4. Politely tell a classmate to listen closely to the teacher.
Please listen closely to Mrs. Seymour.

Glencoe Literature: Grammar Practice Workbook

43