Back to Assignment
Attempts Attempt1 score is3Attempt 2 was not attempted.-Attempt 3 was not attempted.-
Keep the Highest 3 out of 33 / 3
8 . Capitalization - Part 2
To capitalize, or not to capitalize? That is the question. The following rules are a guide to
correct capitalization.
Capitalization
Example: Women's Studies 15 is a specific course,
whereas history and psychology are generalized subjects.
Rule 1: Always capitalize proper names, nationalities,
religions, races, languages, countries, cities, months, days of
the week, documents, organizations, and holidays.
Rule 3: Capitalize academic subjects only when they refer to a
specific named and numbered course.
Example: On Friday, December 15, Elizabeth and Xavier will fly
to Africa to celebrate Christmas with their families.
Rule 2: Capitalize street
names, buildings,
historical events, and
titles. Capitalize family
relationships only when
they are used as proper
nouns; do not capitalize
the same words when they
are used as common
nouns.
Example: Doctor
Sanchez works at City
Hospital, which is located
on Melrose Street. He is a
fearless doctor:
the hospital is the most
dangerous in the city and
is located on a crime-
ridden street.
Rule 4: Capitalize
geographic locations;
do not capitalize
directions.
Example: North Pole is a
geographic location,
In fact, according to The New York
Times, Douglas was such an underdog
that Las Vegas oddsmakers "did not
offer odds" on his victory.
However, in an epic fight
in Tokyo on February 11, 1990,
Correct Sentence
Most people thought that heavyweight
boxer James "Buster" Douglas had
no chance in a fight against Mike
Tyson.
but north is a direction.
Explanation
You should not capitalize the term "heavyweight
boxer" because it is not a proper noun—it does not
name a specific person, place, or thing. However,
you should capitalize "James 'Buster' Douglas"
because it is a proper name. You should capitalize
"Buster"; it is a nickname and, therefore, treated as
part of the proper name.
You must capitalize The New York Times because
it is a proper noun, the name of a document (in this
case, a newspaper). You should not capitalize the
word "victory" because it is a common noun.
You must capitalize "Tokyo" and "February"
because they name a specific city and a specific
Points:
1 / 1
Explanation:
Close Explanation
Note: A common noun is a person, place, or thing (a girl or the beach), whereas a proper noun is
a particular person, place, or thing (Maria or Venice Beach).
Applying Concepts: Read the following article describing one of the greatest upsets in the history of
sports. Then, after reviewing the capitalization rules in the table above, select the blank lines and
choose the correct answers from the dropdown menus to complete the sentences.
A Knock-Out Underdog
Most people thought thatError! Filename not specified.heavyweight boxer Error! Filename not
specified.James "Buster" Douglas had no chance in a fight against Mike Tyson. After all, Tyson was
the ten-time world heavyweight boxing champion; he had won 37 fights in a row. In fact, according
toError! Filename not specified.The New York Times , Douglas was such an underdog that Las
Vegas oddsmakers "did not offer odds" on hisError! Filename not specified.victory . However, in an
epic fight inError! Filename not specified.Tokyo onError! Filename not specified.February 11,
1990, Douglas proved everyone wrong. He knocked Tyson out in the tenth round and was named
world
champion by theError! Filename not specified.International Boxing Federation . The fight has
goneError! Filename not specified.down as one of the most stunning sports upsets of all time.
Source: Sterngold, James. "No Heart? Douglas Disproves Doubters."The New York Times. The New York Times, 12 Feb.
1990. 20 Feb. 2010.
Correct Sentence
Douglas proved everyone wrong.
He knocked Tyson out in the tenth
round and was named world champion
by the International Boxing
Federation .
The fight has gone down as one of the
most stunning sports upsets of all time.
Explanation
month, respectively.
Here, you must capitalize "International Boxing
Federation" because it is a proper noun, the name
of an official organization.
You should not capitalize the word "down"; it is a
direction rather than a geographic location.
