What the question looks like
Capitalization items on the HSPT Language section come in a fixed format. You see three sentences labeled A, B, and C. One of them may contain an error. Choice D is "No mistakes."
The directions on the real test usually cover several error types at once. They read something like this: look for errors in punctuation, capitalization, or usage, and if there is no error, choose D. That means a capitalization item does not announce itself. You read three sentences, and the mistake, if there is one, could be a capital letter that should be lowercase or a lowercase letter that should be a capital.
This page covers only the capitalization rules. Punctuation and usage each have their own page.
The rules that get tested
- First word of every sentence gets a capital. "Rain fell all night."
- Proper nouns, meaning specific people, places, and things. "We crossed the Golden Gate Bridge." But "we crossed a bridge."
- A title used right before a name. "Dr. Alvarez arrived." But "the doctor arrived."
- Family words used as a name. "Ask Aunt Rosa." But "ask my aunt."
- Days, months, and holidays. "Thursday, October, Thanksgiving."
- Seasons stay lowercase. "We hike every autumn."
- Languages and nationalities. "She speaks Korean and studies French."
- School subjects stay lowercase unless they are languages. "I have algebra, science, and Spanish."
- Compass directions used as regions get a capital. "He grew up in the South." But "drive south for a mile."
- First word of a direct quotation. She said, "Wait for me."
- Main words in titles of books, movies, and songs. "We read The Secret Garden."
- The pronoun I, always. "My sister and I left early."
- Organizations, brands, and historical events. "The Red Cross set up tents after the flood."
How to solve it
- Read all three sentences once, quickly, even if you think you spotted the error in A.
- Scan for two things on each sentence. First, is there a capital letter that does not belong? Second, is there a lowercase word that names something specific?
- Ask the "specific or general" question. A capital belongs on a specific name of a person, place, day, month, language, or title before a name. It does not belong on a general category, a season, a subject, or a direction.
- If all three sentences pass, choose D with confidence. "No mistakes" is a real answer, not a trick.
Worked examples
Example 1
A. Last summer we drove north to visit my uncle.
B. My brother is learning to speak japanese online.
C. The play opens on Friday, March 6.
D. No mistakes.
- A.Sentence A
- B.Sentence B
- C.Sentence C
- D.No mistakes
Show answer
Answer: B: Sentence B
Languages and nationalities are always capitalized, so it should be Japanese. Sentence A is correct because summer is a season and north is a direction here, not a region. Sentence C is correct because days and months take capitals.
Example 2
A. Every february the school holds a science fair.
B. Aunt Maria brought her famous lemon bars.
C. The senator answered questions for an hour.
D. No mistakes.
- A.Sentence A
- B.Sentence B
- C.Sentence C
- D.No mistakes
Show answer
Answer: A: Sentence A
Months are capitalized, so it should be February. Sentence B is correct because Aunt is used as part of a name. Sentence C tempts some students, but senator is not in front of a name, so it stays lowercase.
Example 3
A. The nurse asked, 'does your arm still hurt?'
B. We read a poem by Langston Hughes in class.
C. My grandfather grew up in the South before moving to Ohio.
D. No mistakes.
- A.Sentence A
- B.Sentence B
- C.Sentence C
- D.No mistakes
Show answer
Answer: A: Sentence A
The first word of a direct quotation gets a capital, so it should be Does. On the real test the quotation would be set off with regular double quotation marks. Sentence C looks suspicious to many students, but the South is a region here, not a direction, so the capital is correct.
Example 4
A. The principal, Mrs. Okafor, greeted every student at the door.
B. I want to take chemistry and Latin next year.
C. Turn left after the bridge and drive east for two miles.
D. No mistakes.
- A.Sentence A
- B.Sentence B
- C.Sentence C
- D.No mistakes
Show answer
Answer: D: No mistakes
All three sentences are correct. In Sentence A, principal is not directly before the name, so it stays lowercase while Mrs. Okafor is capitalized. Sentence B is the most tempting wrong pick, but chemistry is an ordinary subject and Latin is a language, so both are written correctly. In Sentence C, east is a direction.
Traps to watch for
- The extra capital. Students are trained to look for missing capitals, so a wrongly capitalized common word like "Summer" or "Math" slips by. Check both directions.
- Titles without a name. "The coach," "the president," and "the judge" stay lowercase unless the title is attached to a name or used in place of one.
- Regions versus directions. "Head west" is lowercase. "The West Coast" and "the Midwest" are capitalized.
- Choosing D too fast. If you skimmed, you may have missed a lowercase language or holiday. Give each sentence one honest read before picking "No mistakes."
Pacing
You have about 25 seconds per Language question, which is enough time to read all three sentences carefully once. Read every sentence before you answer, because the error is often not in the first one you check. If you are torn after one pass, pick your best choice and move on. There is no guessing penalty on the HSPT.
Practice
Try a timed set of Language items in our free diagnostic and see how your capitalization accuracy compares with the rest of the section.
Shaky on the skill itself? Start with the lessons on capitalization, then come back to the question format.