Why it matters on the HSPT
Capitalization items ask you to find the sentence with a capitalization mistake, or to choose no mistakes. There are usually ten or so in the Language section, and each turns on one rule. The test likes the borderline cases: a family word that is a name in one sentence and not in the next, a direction that is a region, a subject that is a language. Reading for sense will not catch these. Knowing the rule will.
The rules
The first word of a sentence, and the first word of a quoted sentence inside it: She said, 'We leave at noon.' A quoted fragment does not start with a capital: she called the plan 'a mess.'
Names of specific people, places, and things. Kwame, Lake Erie, the Golden Gate Bridge, Jupiter, the Declaration of Independence. The word the before a name stays lowercase unless it is part of an official title. Brand names are capitalized; the common noun after them is not: a Honda car.
Titles before a name. President Lincoln, Doctor Alvarez, Aunt Rosa, Coach Kim. The same word is lowercase when it stands alone or follows the name: the president spoke; Lincoln was president; my aunt visited.
Family words. Capitalize when used in place of a name: Is Dad home? Thanks, Grandma. Lowercase after a possessive like my, your, or their: my dad, her grandma.
Days, months, holidays. Tuesday, October, Thanksgiving, the Fourth of July. Seasons are lowercase: last winter, this spring.
Directions and regions. Lowercase for a direction: drive north for ten miles. Capitalized for a region as a place name: she moved to the Midwest; the South has hot summers; the West Coast.
School subjects and languages. Languages and nationalities are capitalized: Spanish, French, American history. Subjects are lowercase unless they contain a language or a course number: math, science, social studies, but Algebra II and English.
Titles of works. Capitalize the first and last words and all important words in book, movie, song, and article titles. Small connecting words stay lowercase inside the title.
Nationalities, religions, historical events and periods. Mexican, Catholic, the Civil War, the Great Depression. Centuries and general eras are lowercase: the nineteenth century, the industrial age.
Things that look official but are not. Common nouns after names of specific things are lowercase when used alone: the bridge, the river, the school. Fifth Street is a name, but the street is not.
Worked examples
Example 1
Which sentence contains an error in capitalization?
A. We visited my grandmother in Ohio last Summer.
B. Uncle Ray is teaching me to fish.
C. The Mississippi River floods some years.
D. No mistakes.
- A.A
- B.B
- C.C
- D.D
Show answer
Answer: A: A
Seasons are lowercase, so last summer is correct and Summer is the error. Uncle Ray is a title used with a name, and Mississippi River is a full proper name, so B and C are right.
Example 2
Which sentence contains an error in capitalization?
A. Have you asked mom about Saturday?
B. My mom said we could go.
C. The doctor will see you at three.
D. No mistakes.
- A.A
- B.B
- C.C
- D.D
Show answer
Answer: A: A
In sentence A, mom stands in for a name with no my before it, so it must be Mom. Sentence B correctly lowercases it after my. Sentence C correctly lowercases doctor without a name attached.
Example 3
Which sentence contains an error in capitalization?
A. Turn south at the gas station.
B. Many families moved to the west during the 1800s.
C. The North won the Civil War.
D. No mistakes.
- A.A
- B.B
- C.C
- D.D
Show answer
Answer: B: B
In sentence B, the West names a region, so it needs a capital. Sentence A uses south as a direction, which is lowercase. Sentence C uses North as a region and Civil War as an event, both correct.
Example 4
Which sentence contains an error in capitalization?
A. I have math right after Spanish.
B. She is taking algebra II next year.
C. Our history class is studying the Great Depression.
D. No mistakes.
- A.A
- B.B
- C.C
- D.D
Show answer
Answer: B: B
A course with a number is a specific course name, so it is Algebra II. Sentence A correctly lowercases math and capitalizes the language. Sentence C correctly lowercases history and capitalizes the historical event.
Example 5
Which sentence contains an error in capitalization?
A. We read the book 'Island Of The Blue Dolphins' in class.
B. Thanksgiving falls on a Thursday.
C. The principal spoke to our class about the field trip.
D. No mistakes.
- A.A
- B.B
- C.C
- D.D
Show answer
Answer: A: A
Small connecting words inside a title stay lowercase, so it is Island of the Blue Dolphins. Sentence B correctly capitalizes a holiday and a day. Sentence C correctly lowercases principal, since no name follows it.
Example 6
Which sentence contains an error in capitalization?
A. Senator Ruiz will speak on Monday.
B. The senator arrived early.
C. My Aunt lives in Chicago.
D. No mistakes.
- A.A
- B.B
- C.C
- D.D
Show answer
Answer: C: C
After my, the family word is lowercase: my aunt. Sentence A capitalizes a title before a name, and sentence B lowercases the same title used alone, both correct.
Example 7
Which sentence contains an error in capitalization?
A. The coach shouted, 'get back on defense!'
B. She described the movie as 'long but worth it.'
C. We crossed the Brooklyn Bridge at sunset.
D. No mistakes.
- A.A
- B.B
- C.C
- D.D
Show answer
Answer: A: A
A quoted complete sentence begins with a capital, so it should be 'Get back on defense!' Sentence B quotes only a fragment, which correctly stays lowercase. Sentence C is a full proper name.
Common mistakes
- Capitalizing seasons. Days and months yes; seasons no.
- Capitalizing a family word after my, your, or his. It is only a name when it stands alone.
- Capitalizing a title without a name. The president, the coach, the doctor.
- Lowercasing a region. Heading south is a direction; living in the South is a place.
- Capitalizing every word in a title. Small connecting words stay lowercase in the middle.
Practice
These rules decide every capitalization item and appear in composition choices. The apostrophes and quotation marks lesson covers the punctuation that shares sentences with them.