English Language Arts
Grade 4
15 min
Capitalizing the names of people and pets and titles of respect
Capitalizing the names of people and pets and titles of respect
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1
Introduction & Learning Objectives
Learning Objectives
Correctly capitalize the first, middle, and last names of people.
Correctly capitalize the specific names of pets.
Identify and capitalize titles of respect when they are used with a person's name.
Correctly capitalize initials in a person's name.
Differentiate between a title used as a name (e.g., 'Grandma') and a title used as a common noun (e.g., 'my grandma').
Proofread sentences and correct capitalization errors for names and titles.
Have you ever written a story about your friend and their super-cat? 🦸♂️ Let's learn how to make their names look super important on the page!
Today, we're learning a special capitalization rule that helps us show respect and make our writing clear. We will learn how to capitali...
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Key Concepts & Vocabulary
TermDefinitionExample
Proper NounThe special name for a specific person, place, or thing. Proper nouns always start with a capital letter.Instead of just 'girl', a proper noun is 'Maria'. Instead of 'dog', a proper noun is 'Fido'.
Capital LetterThe big letter used at the beginning of a sentence and for proper nouns.A, B, C (not a, b, c).
Title of RespectA special word used before a person's name to show respect. These are often abbreviated.Mr. (Mister), Mrs. (Missus), Dr. (Doctor), Capt. (Captain).
Family TitleA word used to name a family member. It is capitalized when used as a name.'Grandma', 'Uncle Ben', 'Mom'. (But not in 'my mom').
InitialThe first letter of a name. It is always capitalized and is us...
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Key Rules & Conventions
Capitalize Specific Names
Always capitalize the specific names of people and pets.
A name is a proper noun, which means it gets a capital letter. This includes first names, middle names, last names, and the unique names you give to your pets.
Capitalize Titles with Names
Capitalize a title of respect when it comes right before a person's name.
Use a capital letter for titles like Mr., Mrs., Ms., Dr., and Capt. when they are attached to a name, like 'Dr. Chen'. Also capitalize family titles like Aunt, Uncle, and Grandma when they are used with a name, like 'Aunt Polly'.
Capitalize Titles Used as Names
Capitalize a title when it is used in place of a person's name.
If you are talking directly to someone and using their title as their name,...
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Challenging
Read the sentence: 'Yesterday, Uncle Ben and my friend, ana, went to see Dr. Smith about her parrot, Zazu.' Which word has a capitalization error?
A.Uncle
B.ana
C.Dr.
D.Zazu
Challenging
Which sentence correctly shows the difference between a job and a title of respect?
A.My dad is a Captain in the navy, so we call him captain Jones.
B.My dad is a captain in the navy, so we call him Captain Jones.
C.My dad is a Captain in the navy, so we call him Captain Jones.
D.My dad is a captain in the navy, so we call him captain jones.
Challenging
Which of the following sentences follows ALL the capitalization rules for names and titles taught in the lesson?
A.My friend, Sam P. Jones, told mom that his dog, Buddy, was sick.
B.My friend, Sam p. Jones, told Mom that his dog, Buddy, was sick.
C.My friend, Sam P. Jones, told Mom that his dog, Buddy, was sick.
D.My friend, Sam P. Jones, told Mom that his dog, buddy, was sick.
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