Guide to Capitalization, Punctuation, and Usage

Abbreviations
Titles
Mr. (Mister) Mrs. (Mistress) Ms. (Any Woman) Sr. (Senior) Jr. (Junior) Dr. (Doctor) Mr. Juan Albino Mrs. Frances Wong Ms. Leslie Clark John Helt Sr. John Helt Jr. Dr. Janice Dodds

Note: Miss is not an abbreviation and does not end with a period.

Abbreviations
Words used in addresses
St. (street) Blvd. (Boulevard) Rd. (Road) Rte. (Route) Ave. (Avenue) Apt. (Apartment) Dr. (Drive) Pkwy. (Parkway) Mt. (Mount/Mountain) Expy. (Expressway)

Abbreviations
Words used in business
Co. (company) Corp. (Corporation) Inc. (Incorporated) Ltd. (Limited)

Other Abbreviations
Some abbreviations are written in all capital letters, with a letter standing for each important word
P.D. (Police Department) J.P. (Justice of the Peace) P.O. (Post Office) R.N. (Registered Nurse)

Other Abbreviations
The United States Postal Service uses two capital letters and no period in each of its state abbreviations.

AL (Alabama) AK (Alaska) CA (California)

PR (Puerto Rico) KS (Kansas) FL (Florida)

Other Abbreviations
Initials are abbreviations that stand for a persons first or middle name. Some names have both a first and a middle initial.
Example:

E.B. White (Elwyn Brooks White) T. James Carey (Thomas James Carey)

Titles
Italicizing / Underlining
The important words and the first and last words in a title are capitalized. Titles of books, magazines, TV shows, movies, and newspapers are italicized or underlined.

Titles
Italicizing / Underlining
Oliver Twist (Book)
Charlottes Webb (Book) Star Wars (Movie) El Nuevo Dia (Newspaper) Nova (TV show)

Quotation Marks with Titles

Titles of short stories, songs, articles, book chapters, and most poems are set off by quotation marks. The Necklace (short story) The Human Brain (chapter) Three Days in the Sahara (article)

Quotations
Quotation marks jk are used to set off a speakers exact words. The first word of a quotation begins with a capital letter. Punctuation belongs inside the closing quotation marks. Commas separate a quotation from the rest of the sentence.

ll

Quotation Examples
Where, asked the stranger, is the post office? Linda whispered, What time is it?
Its late, replied Bill. Lets go!
HINT: When the comma goes before the quotation, it remains out of the quotation marks. When the comma goes after the quotation, it remains inside the quotation marks.

Capitalization
First word in every sentence The pronoun I Proper Nouns - Ex. Sonia E. Rosario Titles and abbreviation when used with the proper name of a person

Example: Senator Smith, Doctor Ling

Capitalization (cont.)
Proper Adjectives:
Example: The Puerto Rican cuisine. She is French.

Names of Days, Months, and Holidays

Example: I will see you on the last Monday in March. We watched the parade on the Fourth of July.

Nationalities, races, religions, languages, organizations, buildings, and companies.

Example: Able Supply Company, Chinese, Central School, Catholic, Jehovah Witness

Capitalization (cont.)
First, last, and all important words in a title. Do not capitalize words such as a, in, and ,of, and the unless they begin or end a title. Examples: The Rainbow Connection

From the Earth to the Moon The Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Punctuation
End Marks
There are three end marks. A period (.) ends a declarative or imperative sentence. A question mark (?) follows an interrogative sentence. An exclamation point (!) follows an exclamatory sentence.

Apostrophe
To form the possessive of a singular noun, add an apostrophe (d) and s. Example: Doctors bosss grandmothers familys Sonias Eduardos

Apostrophe (cont.)
For a plural noun that ends in s, add only an apostrophe. Example: Sisters families Smiths friends
I will send all my friends invitations.

Apostrophe (cont.)
For a plural noun that does not end in s, add an apostrophe (j ) and s to form the plural possessive. Example: Womens mices childrens geeses

Apostrophe (cont.)
Use an apostrophe in contractions in place of dropped letters. Do not use contractions in formal writing.
isnt (is not) cant (cannot) wont (will not) wasnt (was not) were (we are) its (it is) Im (I am) theyve (they have theyll (they will) couldve (could have) wouldve (would have) shouldve (should have)

Colon
Use a colon after the greeting in a business letter. Example: Dear Mrs. Trimby: Dear Realty Homes:

Comma
A comma tells your reader where to pause. For words in a series, put a comma after each item except the last. Do not use a comma if only two items are listed. Example: Clyde asked whether or not we had any apples, peaches, or grapes.

Commas (cont.)
Use commas to separate two or more adjectives that are listed together unless one adjective tells how many. Example: The fresh, ripe fruit was placed in a bowl. One red apple was especially shiny.

Commas (cont.)
Use a comma before the conjunction in a compound sentence.
Example: Some students were at lunch, but others were studying.

Use commas after introductory words such as yes, no, oh, and well when they begin a sentence.
Example: Well, its just too cold out. No, it isnt six yet.

Commas (cont.)
Use a comma to separate a noun in direct address. Example: Jean, help me fix this tire. How was your trip, Grandpa?

Commas (cont.)
Use a comma between the names of a city and a state and between a city and a country. Example: Chicago, Illinois San Juan, Puerto Rico

Commas (cont.)
Use a comma after the greeting in a friendly letter. Example: Dear Deena, Dear Sonia, Dear Mom, Use a comma after the closing in a letter Example: Your nephew,
Sincerely yours,

Look Out for the Problem Words

its (possessive pronoun) vs. its (it is) The dog moved its tail. Its raining today. Their (possessive pronoun) vs. there (adverb) vs. theyre (they are) Their books are there. Theyre looking for them.

Look Out for the Problem Words (cont.)

To (in the direction of) vs. too (also or more than enough)
I will go to your house. She will go too. This is too much.

Your (possessive pronoun) vs. youre (you are)

Are these your glasses? Youre late again!

Reference
English, fourth grade, Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. ISBN: 0-61831000-2