Grammar Corner
'When should I use CAPITAL LETTERS?' - by Professor Mayfair
Q: I’m going to be taking the IELTS exam soon but keep getting a low score in the Listening and Reading papers because I don’t know the rules about using capital letters. Can you help me please? (Olga from Russia)
A: Olga, that’s a very good point – and an important question! Now let’s have a look at the rules.
We use capital letters for the following:
1. The pronoun ‘I’
2. The beginning of a sentence: Look! It’s raining!
3. The beginning of a letter, after the greeting: Dear Vanessa, Thank you for your letter…
4. The names of :
People: Anna Chapman
Places: San Francisco, Rio de Janeiro, London
Rivers: the Thames, the Amazon River
Mountains: Mount Fuji, Mont Blanc
5. Countries, Languages, Nationalities:
Korea – I speak Korean – I am Korean – I eat Korean food
6. Days, months and Festivals but not seasons
Wednesday, March, Easter but autumn
7. The names of businesses, hotels, restaurants etc. Starbucks coffee, a British Airways flight, the Hoxton Hotel, the Stockpot Restaurant
8. Titles of books, plays, films etc. (prepositions and articles do not have capital letters)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Les Miserables, The King’s Speech, The Mousetrap
Now for some practice. Mark where capital letters are needed in each sentence.
1. when i fly to germany i always take a lufthansa flight from heathrow airport.
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2. i went to brighton for the easter break and for the royal wedding i stayed in london because i wanted to see prince william and kate middleton.
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3. the london eye is famous for its views over the river thames – you can also see big ben and the houses of parliament.
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4. the meeting was arranged for a tuesday afternoon in late june
________________________________________________________________________
5. the capital of turkey is ankara and not istanbul as many people think. similary, the capital of brazil is brasilia and not rio de janeiro.
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6. my two favorite films of 2010 are: ‘harry potter and the deathly hallows’ and ‘the girl with the dragon tattoo’
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7.i met a japanese girl called keiko who taught me a few words in japanese – i would like to visit her in kyoto one day.
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Now check your answers:
1. When I fly to Germany I always take a Lufthansa flight from Heathrow Airport.
2. I went to Brighton for the Easter break and for the Royal Wedding I stayed in London because I wanted to see Prince William and Kate Middleton.
3. The London Eye is famous for its views over the River Thames – you can also see Big Ben
and the Houses of Parliament.
4. The meeting was arranged for a Tuesday afternoon in late June.
5. The capital of Turkey is Ankara and not Istanbul as many people think. Similarly, the capital of Brazil is Brasilia and not Rio de Janeiro.
5. My two favourite films of 2010 are: ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’ and ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’.
7. I met a Japanese girl called Keiko who taught me a few words in Japanese – I would like to visit her in Kyoto one day.
