Capitalization & Punctuation — Answer Key
Part A: Sort the Words
Sort each word or number into the correct category box.
1. Sort each word into the correct group.
Needs Capital Letter
mondaytexasjuly Does Not Need Capital
doghappychair Monday is a day, Texas is a state, and July is a month — these are proper nouns and always begin with a capital letter. Dog, happy, and chair are common words, so they stay lowercase unless they start a sentence.
Part B: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. My friend lives in Texas.
Texas is the name of a specific state, so it is a proper noun and the T must be capitalized.
2. We do not have school on Saturday.
Saturday is one of the weekend days when most schools are closed, and days of the week always begin with a capital letter.
3. The cat sat on the mat.
A mat is a flat rug a cat might rest on. Because mat is a common noun in the middle of the sentence, it stays lowercase.
4. Her name is Maria.
Maria is a person's name, and every name of a person must begin with a capital letter.
5. I like to eat apples.
Apples is a common food word. It is a regular noun, not a name, so the word stays lowercase inside the sentence.
Part C: True or False?
Read each statement. Circle True or False.
1. The word dog always needs a capital letter.
True False
Dog is a common noun, so it only needs a capital letter when it begins a sentence — not every time you use it.
2. Names of people start with a capital letter.
True False
People's names are proper nouns, so names like Emma or Jackson always begin with a capital letter.
3. Every sentence ends with a period, question mark, or exclamation point.
True False
These three marks are the ending punctuation for sentences: a period tells, a question mark asks, and an exclamation point shows strong feeling.
4. The days of the week do not need capital letters.
True False
Days of the week are proper nouns, so Monday, Tuesday, and all the others must start with a capital letter.