Key Takeaways
- Capitalize proper nouns, first words, titles before names
- Don't capitalize seasons, general subjects, or directions
- Know spelling rules: i before e, silent e, doubling consonants
- Master commonly confused homophones: their/there/they're, its/it's, your/you're
- Use word walls and games to help students learn spelling
Last updated: January 2026
Capitalization and Spelling
The ParaPro tests your knowledge of capitalization rules and common spelling patterns. These skills are essential for helping students in the classroom.
Capitalization Rules
Always Capitalize:
| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| First word of a sentence | The class began. |
| Proper nouns (specific names) | Sarah, New York, Friday |
| Titles before names | Dr. Smith, President Lincoln |
| Languages and nationalities | English, Spanish, American |
| Days, months, holidays | Monday, January, Thanksgiving |
| Geographic names | Rocky Mountains, Pacific Ocean |
| Titles of works (main words) | The Cat in the Hat |
| First word of a quote | She said, "Hello." |
| The pronoun "I" | She and I went. |
| Brand names | Nike, Apple |
Do NOT Capitalize:
| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Seasons | spring, summer |
| Common nouns | teacher, city, river |
| Directions (unless regions) | Go north. (But: the South) |
| School subjects (unless languages) | math, science (But: Spanish) |
Title Capitalization
Capitalize: First word, last word, all major words (nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs)
Do NOT capitalize: Short prepositions, articles, conjunctions (unless first/last word)
Example: The Catcher in the Rye (not "The Catcher In The Rye")
Common Spelling Rules
i before e, except after c:
- believe, receive, friend (but: weird, science)
Silent e with suffixes:
- Drop e before vowel suffix: hope → hoping
- Keep e before consonant suffix: hope → hopeful
Doubling consonants:
- Double final consonant when:
- Word has one syllable or stress on last syllable
- Ends in consonant-vowel-consonant
- Adding vowel suffix
- Example: run → running, begin → beginning
Changing y to i:
- If y follows consonant: change y to i
- Example: happy → happiness, carry → carried
- Exception: Keep y before -ing: carrying
Commonly Misspelled Words
| Word | Common Error |
|---|---|
| a lot | alot |
| separate | seperate |
| definitely | definately |
| receive | recieve |
| occurred | occured |
| their/there/they're | mixing these up |
| its/it's | mixing these up |
| your/you're | mixing these up |
| effect/affect | mixing these up |
| than/then | mixing these up |
Homophones
Words that sound alike but have different meanings:
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| their | possessive (their house) |
| there | place (over there) |
| they're | they are (they're coming) |
| to | direction (go to school) |
| too | also/excessive (me too, too much) |
| two | number (two books) |
| your | possessive (your book) |
| you're | you are (you're welcome) |
| its | possessive (its color) |
| it's | it is (it's raining) |
Classroom Application
Help students with capitalization and spelling by:
- Creating word walls with commonly misspelled words
- Teaching capitalization rules with examples
- Using mnemonics for tricky spellings
- Playing spelling games and word sorts
- Highlighting homophones in reading activities
Test Your Knowledge
Which sentence has correct capitalization?
A
B
C
D
Test Your Knowledge
Which word is spelled correctly?
A
B
C
D