English Language Arts
Grade 4
15 min
Capitalizing proper adjectives, nationalities, and languages
Capitalizing proper adjectives, nationalities, and languages
Tutorial Preview
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Introduction & Learning Objectives
Learning Objectives
Define proper adjective, nationality, and language.
Identify proper adjectives, nationalities, and languages in sentences.
Explain why these specific words need a capital letter.
Apply capitalization rules correctly to proper adjectives, nationalities, and languages in their own writing.
Edit sentences to fix capitalization errors related to this topic.
Have you ever eaten French fries or seen a movie in Spanish? 🍟 Let's find out why some words get a special capital letter!
Today, we will learn about a special group of describing words that come from the names of specific places or people. We'll discover why we must always capitalize them to make our writing clear and correct. This important skill helps us show respect for different cultures and...
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Key Concepts & Vocabulary
TermDefinitionExample
Proper NounThe name of a specific person, place, or thing. It always starts with a capital letter.Mexico, Maria, January
Proper AdjectiveA describing word (an adjective) that is made from a proper noun. It also always starts with a capital letter.The word 'Mexican' comes from the proper noun 'Mexico'. We can talk about Mexican food.
NationalityA word that tells you the country a person comes from or belongs to. It is a type of proper adjective.A person from Japan is Japanese.
LanguageThe name of the system of words people use to speak and write. It is a proper noun.The language spoken in France is French.
CapitalizationThe act of using an uppercase letter (like A, B, C) at the beginning of a word.We use capitalization for the first word of a sente...
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Key Rules & Conventions
Capitalize Proper Adjectives
If a describing word is formed from a proper noun, it must be capitalized.
Use this rule when you are describing something using a word that comes from a specific place, person, or group. For example, food from Italy is 'Italian' food.
Capitalize Nationalities
Always capitalize the word that names a person's nationality.
When you write about where someone is from, like 'He is Canadian,' the word 'Canadian' must start with a capital C because it comes from the country Canada.
Capitalize Languages
Always capitalize the name of a language.
Whenever you write the name of a language, such as 'English,' 'Spanish,' or 'Mandarin,' it must begin with a capital letter.
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Challenging
How many capitalization errors are in this sentence? 'My friend from china speaks mandarin and loves american movies.'
A.One
B.Two
C.Three
D.Four
Challenging
A student says 'german' in 'German shepherd' should not be capitalized because a shepherd is a person, not a place. Which statement best explains why the student is incorrect?
A.The student is correct; 'german' should not be capitalized.
B.The student is incorrect because 'shepherd' is a proper noun.
C.The student is incorrect because all adjectives are capitalized.
D.The student is incorrect because 'German' is a proper adjective describing the dog's origin from Germany, not the job of a shepherd.
Challenging
Read this short passage: 'My pen pal is egyptian. He lives near the famous egyptian pyramids. He is learning to speak french at school.' Which choice corrects all the capitalization errors?
A.My pen pal is Egyptian. He lives near the famous Egyptian Pyramids. He is learning to speak French at school.
B.My pen pal is egyptian. He lives near the famous Egyptian pyramids. He is learning to speak french at school.
C.My pen pal is Egyptian. He lives near the famous egyptian pyramids. He is learning to speak French at school.
D.My pen pal is Egyptian. He lives near the famous Egyptian pyramids. He is learning to speak French at school.
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