Capitalization Box

TM
Capitalization
The Mega-Deluxe
Capitalization Machine
BY J USTIN M C C ORY M ARTIN
Let’s Review Capitalization
Capital letters are used to begin the names of specific people,

places, and things.
Always capitalize the names of people (Cindy Cadoodle) and specific

Grammar Tales: The Mega-Deluxe Capitalization Machine © Scholastic Teaching Resources
places (Paris, France, Europe).
Days of the week, months, and holidays also begin with capital letters
(December, Saturday, Halloween). So do historical periods or events
(Renaissance, Civil War ).
Capitalize titles, too—whether it’s the title of a book (Barry Blotter and
the Sorcerer’s Soup) or a movie (Toy Tale). The same rule applies to
names of bands (Sidestreet Guys), plays (The Longest Minute), TV
shows (I Love Larry), sports teams (Florida Flyers), and magazines
(Moxie Magazine). Brand names also always begin with capital letters
(Chiperoos, Burpy Cola).
How do you know when to capitalize a word? Here’s a good rule to

follow: If the word names something general (the street) you should not
No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in
part or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or
capitalize it. If the word is part of a specific name (Cherry Street ), then
by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, it should be capitalized.
or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher.
For information regarding permission, write to
Scholastic Inc., 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012.
Written by Justin McCory Martin

Illustrated by Matt Phillips
Designed by Jason Robinson
ISBN: 0-439-45821-8
Copyright © 2004 by Scholastic Inc.
All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Inc. Printed in the U.S.A.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 40 11 10 09 08 07 06 05 04
The day of the science fair was finally here! And Cindy
Cadoodle was ready. You see, she’d invented a great gadget
and couldn’t wait to show it off. It was called the Totally Terrific
Turbo-Charged Mega Deluxe Capitalization Machine. 1
bon n ie a n n br i
ck l e
“How does that contraption work?” Bonnie Ann Brickle asked

skeptically. “Allow me to demonstrate,” said Cindy. She wrote
Bonnie’s name on a piece of paper. “Wait, that’s not right! You
2 made it all lower case!” exclaimed Bonnie.
e
kl
ic
Br
Ann
ni e Rule #1:
n People’s first, middle,
Bo
and last names always

begin with capital letters.
“Just watch,” responded Cindy. With that, she fed the paper into
her invention. The machine bleeped and blipped and gurgled.
Then out popped the paper with the proper capitalization.
“Wow!” screeched Bonnie. “Your invention really works!” 3
er
rd mb
e n
llo ay
c
de u
e
we
at
s ha
"Let me try! Let me try!" shouted Gary Grigsby. “Make sure

you write in lower case,” said Cindy. Peter wrote down his
favorite month, his favorite day of the week, and his
4 favorite holiday.
De
ce m Saturd a y
ber
en Rule #2:
e
Days of the week,

w
months, and holidays
al lo are always capitalized.

H
The machine beeped and blared and chortled. Then out
popped the paper with the proper capitalization. “That’s
awesome!” exclaimed Gary.
5
paris france europe
"My turn," said Olivia Orlando. Olivia was a world traveler.

Her family always went on fantastic vacations. Olivia thought
of a place she dreamed of visiting. She wrote down the city,
6 country, even the continent.
ris
Pa
Fra nce
Rule #3:
The names of
places such as
o pe cities, countries,
and continents
Eu r always begin with

capital letters.
Cindy’s invention jumped and gibbered and yodeled. Then out

popped the paper with the proper capitalization. “Oh-la-la!”
remarked Olivia enthusiastically.
7
sto
ne a
ge
civ boston te
il wa ap
r arty
Now it was Henry Hilbert’s turn. Henry loved history. It was

his favorite subject. He wrote down three fascinating
historical events.
8
g e
e A
St on
ar
Rule #4:
i l W Historical events
Boston Tea Civ

such as the Stone
Age or Civil War
Party always begin with
capital letters.
The machine sniffed and snorted and crackled. Then out

popped the paper with the proper capitalization. “Simply
sensational,” stated Henry.
9
bar
ry b
lotte
r and
the sourcer’s soup
toy tale
sides
treet guys
“Don’t forget me!” squealed Dina Duncan. Dina was always

up on the latest trends. She wrote down her favorite book,
movie, and and rock band.
10
r
t te
Bl o e To
ar r y th oup y
B nd s S
a er’ Ta
Sou
rc le

t
Sidestree
Guys
Rule #5:
The names of books,
movies, and rock
bands should be
capitalized. The
same goes for other
entertainments such
as sports teams and
magazines.
The invention rocked and rattled and clattered. Then out popped
the paper with the proper capitalization. “Utterly Fabu!” declared
Dina. “By the way, that’s the newest way to say, great.”
11
os wi
rl
ro is
kiw
e
h ip
burb
ip
y soda c
ch
-
sven an mint
d larry’s triple
Freddie Farber loved ice cream. He also loved cookies,

popcorn, lollipops, potato chips, beef jerky, soda and
bubblegum. Billy wrote down the name of his three favorite
12 snacks in the whole world.
y ’s Swirl
Bu rr iwiK
La
r py p
hi
d
-C
S oda
an
int
n
M
e s
Sv pl o
e
r o
Chipe
T ri

Rule #6:
Brand names of
various items
such as snacks
and toys should
be capitalized.
The machine gulped and gobbled and burped. Then out

popped the paper with the proper capitalization.
“Mouthwatering!” cried Freddie.
13
Now it was the science teacher’s turn to examine the

machine. Cindy was very nervous. Mr. Menlo circled her
invention, pushing buttons and twisting dials. After a few
minutes, he announced: “Brilliant! Remarkable! Ingenious!”
Then, quick as a wink, he jotted something on a piece of
14 paper and fed it into the machine.
A+
The invention clanged and clapped and whistled. Then out

popped the paper. On it, Mr. Menlo had written a single big, bold
letter. It was Cindy’s grade for the science fair project—an A+.
Talk about a capital day! 15
Remember these
six capitalization rules:
1. People’s first, middle, and last names

always begin with capital letters.
2. Days of the week, months, and holidays are
always capitalized.
3. The names of places such as cities, countries, and
continents always begin with capital letters.
4. Historical events such as the Ice Age or Constitutional
Convention always begin with capital letters.
5. The names of rock bands, movies, and magazines
should be capitalized.
The same goes for other entertainments such as sports
teams and book titles.
6. Brand names of various items such as snacks and
toys should be capitalized.
16
Let’s Review Capitalization
Capital letters are used to begin the names of specific people,

places, and things.
Always capitalize the names of people (Cindy Cadoodle) and specific

places (Paris, France, Europe).
Days of the week, months, and holidays also begin with capital letters
(December, Saturday, Halloween). So do historical periods or events
(Renaissance, Civil War ).
Capitalize titles, too—whether it’s the title of a book (Barry Blotter and
the Sorcerer’s Soup) or a movie (Toy Tale). The same rule applies to
names of bands (Sidestreet Guys), plays (The Longest Minute), TV
shows (I Love Larry), sports teams (Florida Flyers), and magazines
(Moxie Magazine). Brand names also always begin with capital letters
(Chiperoos, Burpy Cola).
How do you know when to capitalize a word? Here’s a good rule to

follow: If the word names something general (the street) you should not
No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in
part or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or
capitalize it. If the word is part of a specific name (Cherry Street ), then
by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, it should be capitalized.
or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher.
For information regarding permission, write to
Scholastic Inc., 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012.
Written by Justin McCory Martin

Illustrated by Matt Phillips
Designed by Jason Robinson
ISBN: 0-439-45821-8
Copyright © 2004 by Scholastic Inc.
All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Inc. Printed in the U.S.A.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 40 11 10 09 08 07 06 05 04

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TM

Capital letters are used to begin the names of specific people,

Always capitalize the names of people (Cindy Cadoodle) and specific

places (Paris, France, Europe).

How do you know when to capitalize a word? Here’s a good rule to

Written by Justin McCory Martin

Copyright © 2004 by Scholastic Inc.

All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Inc. Printed in the U.S.A.

“How does that contraption work?” Bonnie Ann Brickle asked

and last names always

"Let me try! Let me try!" shouted Gary Grigsby. “Make sure

Days of the week,

months, and holidays

al lo are always capitalized.

paris france europe

"My turn," said Olivia Orlando. Olivia was a world traveler.

Eu r always begin with

Cindy’s invention jumped and gibbered and yodeled. Then out

Now it was Henry Hilbert’s turn. Henry loved history. It was

Boston Tea Civ

The machine sniffed and snorted and crackled. Then out

“Don’t forget me!” squealed Dina Duncan. Dina was always

Grammar Tales: The Mega-Deluxe Capitalization Machine © Scholastic Teaching Resources

Freddie Farber loved ice cream. He also loved cookies,

Grammar Tales: The Mega-Deluxe Capitalization Machine © Scholastic Teaching Resources

The machine gulped and gobbled and burped. Then out

Now it was the science teacher’s turn to examine the

The invention clanged and clapped and whistled. Then out

1. People’s first, middle, and last names

Capital letters are used to begin the names of specific people,

Always capitalize the names of people (Cindy Cadoodle) and specific

Grammar Tales: The Mega-Deluxe Capitalization Machine © Scholastic Teaching Resources

How do you know when to capitalize a word? Here’s a good rule to

Written by Justin McCory Martin

Copyright © 2004 by Scholastic Inc.

All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Inc. Printed in the U.S.A.

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