4.4 Capitalization and Spelling
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
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