Capital letters
The three places a capital letter always goes, and the common words that should stay small.
The answer
A capital letter is the big form of a letter (A, B, C), used to start a sentence, to start a name, and for the word I.
Examples
The bus was late again.
The start of a sentence.
On Saturday, Priya and I went to Leeds.
A day, a person, the word I and a place.
My birthday is in June.
Months take a capital; seasons do not.
Mum said, “Come inside now.”
Direct speech starts with a capital letter.
How to spot it
- The first word of every sentence starts with a capital letter.
- Names of people, places, days and months start with a capital letter, and so does the word I.
- Ordinary nouns in the middle of a sentence, such as dog, school and summer, stay in lower case.
The common mistake
Writing a lower-case i on its own.
‘Then i went home’ should be ‘Then I went home’. The word I always takes a capital, wherever it sits in the sentence.
When it is taught
- First met
- Year 1
- On the pupil word list
- Year 1, as “capital letter”
Year 1 names capital letter and uses capitals to start sentences, for names, and for the personal pronoun I. The Year 1 programme of study adds places and the days of the week.
Try a question
Circle the three words that need a capital letter.
on monday, my class visited london.
Show the answer
Answer: On, Monday and London
On starts the sentence, Monday is a day of the week, and London is the name of a place.
Practise it
An interactive exercise where your child taps words to switch their capital letters on or off.
Related terms
- Practise the 11+ skill: Use capital letters
More grammar terms
Questions parents ask
Do the seasons need capital letters?
No. Spring, summer, autumn and winter stay in lower case unless they start a sentence.
Does a word after a comma need a capital letter?
No, unless it is a name or the word I. A comma does not start a new sentence.
Do book titles need capital letters?
Yes, the first word and the main words: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
Grammar turns up in 11+ English too
Many 11+ English papers include grammar and punctuation questions alongside comprehension. The free diagnostic checks maths, English and both kinds of reasoning, and shows what to practise next. No card is required.