Capitalization Rules

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Capitalization Rules
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Rule 1 Proper Nouns
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Mentor Text Rule 1
  The worlds longest wall stands in China. The
first emperor, Shi Huangdi, began building it in
214 B.C. Stretching for 4,000 miles, the Great
Wall of China protected the country from invading
northern tribes. - from Prentice Hall
Literature Timeless Voices, Timeless Themes,
Copper Edition   There is no lake at Camp Green
Lake. There was once a very large lake here, the
largest lake in Texas. That was over a hundred
years ago. Now it is just a dry, flat
wasteland. -- Louis Sachar, Holes
     
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1. Proper Nouns
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• Klein Independent School District
• San Antonio
• Brittany
• China
• Great Wall of China
• Shi Huangdi
• Camp Green Lake
• Texas

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Rule 2 Proper Adjectives
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Mentor Text Rule 2
  And she knew what Resistance meant. Papa had
explained, when she overheard the word and asked.
The Resistance fighters were Danish people no
one knew who, because they were very secret who
were determined to bring harm to the Nazis
however they could. They damaged the German
trucks and cars, and bombed their factories. They
were very brave. -- Lois Lowry, Number the
Stars   So, theres Arnold Jones, held up by all
these hands, flopping and kicking and shrieking
like some poor Aztec human sacrifice about to be
tossed off a pyramid. No! No! Please! he
pleads. Pleeeeeeeeeeeeese! -- Jerry Spinelli,
Maniac Magee  
     
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2. Proper Adjectives
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• English muffin
• Sony television
• Chinese food
• Resistance fighters
• Danish people
• German trucks
• Aztec human sacrifice

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Rule 3 Title with a last name
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Mentor Text Rule 3
  Every year, Harry was left behind with Mrs.
Figg, a mad old lady who lived two streets away.
-- J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the
Sorcerers Stone   To everyones surprise, Mr.
Sir gave it to him. -- Louis Sachar, Holes
  By the end of the first semester, Onion Sam
had turned the old run-down schoolhouse into a
well-crafted, freshly painted jewel of a building
that the whole town was proud of. -- Louis
Sachar, Holes  
     
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3. Title with a last name
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• Coach Anderson
• President Lincoln
• Mrs. Figg
• Mr. Sir
• Onion Sam

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Rule 4 First Word in a Direct Quotation
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Mentor Text Rule 4
  After I wrestled Tess into a diaper and trapped
both twins in high chairs, Candace said, What
did you say the new boys name was? Because we
got a new kid in my Sunday school today. -- Amy
Goldman Koss, The Girls   When they played
stickball, and they saw him poling the ball out
to the street and into backyards, they started
putting two and two together, and somebody came
up to him and squinted in his face and said, You
that Maniac kid? -- Jerry Spinelli, Maniac Magee
     
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4. First word in a direct quotation
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• Vanessa asked, What can I write about?
• Candace said, What did you say the new boys
  name was?

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Rule 5 Titles
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Mentor Text Rule 5
  Elizabeth Taylor? Julia Roberts? The women of
Melrose Place? No, that little photo shoot
nightmare involved getting Lassie Lassie! to
pose. -- Deborah Starr Seibel, TVs Top
Dogs   Although she pretended to be absorbed in
unpacking her schoolbooks, Annemarie listened,
and she knew what her mother was referring to. De
Frie Danske The Free Danes was an illegal
newspaper Peter Nielsen brought it to them
occasionally, carefully folded and hidden among
ordinary books and papers, and Mama always burned
it after she and Papa had read it. -- Lois
Lowry, Number the Stars
     
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5. Titles
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• The Giver
• Seventeen
• King of the Hill
• Melrose Place
• De Frie Danske
• The Free Danes

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Rule 6 Letter Opening
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Mentor Text Rule 6
  Dear Richard,   Dont invite me to your
birthday party because Im not coming. And give
back the Disneyland sweatshirt I said you could
wear. If Im not good enough to play on your
team, Im not good enough to be friends
with.   Your former friend, Janet P.S. I hope
when you go to the dentist he finds 20
cavities.   -- Judith Viorst, The Southpaw
     
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6. Letter Opening
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• Dear Mr. Chips,
• Dear Richard,

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Rule 7 First Word of a Letter Closing
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Mentor Text Rule 7
  Dear Janet,   Here is your stupid Disneyland
sweatshirt, if thats how youre going to be. I
want my comic books now finished or not. No
girl has ever played on the Mapes Street baseball
Team, and as long as Im captain, no girl ever
will.   Your former friend, Richard P.S. I hope
when you go for your checkup, you need a tetanus
shot.   -- Judith Viorst, The Southpaw
     
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7. First Word of a Letter Closing
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• Yours truly,
• Your former friend,