Beyond starting a sentence, capital letters have several other jobs. They mark proper nouns (names of people, places, brands — "Australia", "Sarah", "Woolworths"), days and months ("Monday", "July"), titles when used with a name ("Doctor Smith"), and the pronoun "I". Overusing capitals (like WRITING IN ALL CAPS or randomly Capitalising Words) breaks these rules and can look like shouting or carelessness.
Example
"On Monday, I met Doctor Chen at the Melbourne clinic." — capitals mark the day, the pronoun "I", the title with a name, and the proper noun "Melbourne".
Key terms
Proper noun:
A specific name that is always capitalised.
Title:
A word like "Doctor" or "Ms" that is capitalised when used directly with a name.
Questions
1. Capital letters are used to start:
Every word
A sentence
Only questions
Nothing
2. Which of these should be capitalised?
Table
Australia
Chair
Run
3. Days and months (like "Monday" and "July") should be:
Lowercase always
Capitalised
In brackets
Underlined
4. The pronoun "I" should always be:
Lowercase
Capitalised
In quotation marks
Removed
5. A title used with a name (like "Doctor Smith") should have the title:
Lowercase
Capitalised
In italics
Removed
6. Which sentence uses capitals correctly?
i saw sarah on monday.
I saw Sarah on Monday.
I Saw Sarah On Monday.
i Saw sarah on Monday.
7. Writing in ALL CAPS is generally seen as:
Normal formal writing
Shouting or overly emphatic
Always required
A type of punctuation
8. Which sentence correctly capitalises a proper noun and a title?
i met doctor chen in melbourne.
I met Doctor Chen in Melbourne.
I met doctor Chen in melbourne.
I Met Doctor Chen In Melbourne.
9. "Woolworths" should be capitalised because it is a:
Common noun
Brand name (proper noun)
Verb
Pronoun
10. Randomly Capitalising Words That Aren't Proper Nouns is generally considered:
Correct and required
A common mistake to avoid
The best way to write
A type of punctuation mark
11. Which sentence has a capitalisation error?
My teacher, Ms Lee, is kind.
My Teacher, ms Lee, is kind.
I visited France last July.
On Monday, I saw Sam.
12. Titles like "doctor" and "president" are capitalised:
Always, in every context
Only when directly used with a specific name
Never
Only in questions
13. Which sentence correctly handles capitals for a season and a proper noun?
I love Summer in australia.
I love summer in Australia.
i love summer in australia.
I Love Summer In Australia.
14. Overusing capital letters throughout a piece of writing can make it:
Look shouty or careless
Look more formal and correct
Always improve clarity
Replace punctuation
15. Which sentence correctly applies ALL the relevant capitalisation rules?
on monday, i met dr chen at the sydney clinic near woolworths.
On Monday, I met Dr Chen at the Sydney clinic near Woolworths.
On monday, I met Dr chen at the Sydney Clinic near woolworths.
on Monday, i met Dr Chen at the sydney clinic near Woolworths.
16. Why are seasons (like "summer") usually NOT capitalised, unlike months?
Seasons are proper nouns; months are not
Seasons are common nouns; months are proper nouns referring to specific named periods
There is no real rule either way
Seasons should always be capitalised too
17. Which best explains why "the president" is lowercase but "President Lincoln" is capitalised?
"President" is only capitalised when used as part of a specific name/title
"President" should always be capitalised
"President" should never be capitalised
There is no difference
18. A text message written entirely in lowercase with no capitals at all would be considered:
Standard formal writing
Casual and not following standard capitalisation rules
The only correct way to write
Required in all writing
19. Which sentence demonstrates a common capitalisation error to avoid?
I Went To The Shop On Tuesday To Buy Milk.
I went to the shop on Tuesday to buy milk.
i went to the shop on Tuesday to buy milk.
Both A and C show errors.
20. Understanding capitalisation rules beyond just starting a sentence mainly helps a writer:
Follow standard English conventions clearly and correctly
Avoid ever using capitals
Replace the need for punctuation
Write only in ALL CAPS
Answer key (parent copy)
1. A sentence
2. Australia
3. Capitalised
4. Capitalised
5. Capitalised
6. I saw Sarah on Monday.
7. Shouting or overly emphatic
8. I met Doctor Chen in Melbourne.
9. Brand name (proper noun)
10. A common mistake to avoid
11. My Teacher, ms Lee, is kind.
12. Only when directly used with a specific name
13. I love summer in Australia.
14. Look shouty or careless
15. On Monday, I met Dr Chen at the Sydney clinic near Woolworths.
16. Seasons are common nouns; months are proper nouns referring to specific named periods
17. "President" is only capitalised when used as part of a specific name/title
18. Casual and not following standard capitalisation rules
19. Both A and C show errors.
20. Follow standard English conventions clearly and correctly