Capital Letters
Reading & Punctuation: Capital Letters
Capital Letters
Capital Letters
What you'll learn
- Every sentence begins with a capital letter.
- The word 'I' is always written with a capital letter.
- Names of people, places, days, and months always start with a capital letter.
Key concepts
Level 1 — Core idea
Verbal: 'ravi lives in delhi' is wrong — names need capitals: 'Ravi lives in Delhi.'
Symbolic: First word of sentence + names + days + months = capital letter.
Visual: A capital letter standing tall at the start of a sentence, like a flag.
Level 2 — Going deeper
Check every sentence for four capital-letter rules: (1) first word, (2) 'I', (3) names of people and places, (4) days and months.
NCERT anchor
NCERT Class 3 English writing tasks are checked for correct capitalisation of names and sentence beginnings.
| Rule | Example |
|---|---|
| First word | The sun is bright. |
| Word 'I' | I am happy. |
| Names | Ravi and Priya are friends. |
| Days/Months | We met on Monday in May. |
Worked example
Which word needs a capital letter: 'we met priya on monday.'?
Step 1 — Check first word: 'we' needs a capital → We
Step 2 — Check for names: priya → Priya
Step 3 — Check for days: monday → Monday
Answer: We met Priya on Monday. ✓
Common mistakes
| Mistake | Why | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Lowercase 'i' | Forgetting the special rule | Always write 'I' with a capital |
| Lowercase names | Not recognising proper nouns | Check for people, places, days, months |
| Capital letters in the middle of ordinary words | Overcorrecting | Only capitalise the first word and proper nouns |
Quick check
- Which word needs a capital letter: 'my friend arjun lives in mumbai.'?
- Fix: 'we celebrate diwali in october.'
- How many capital letters are missing: 'i met sara on friday.'?
- Stretch: Write a sentence with your name, a day, and the word 'I'.
Revision tip: Check every sentence for its first word, the word 'I', and any names.
Open the Practice tab for graded questions on Capital Letters.
Key Takeaways (TL;DR)
- What you'll learn
- Key concepts
- Worked example
- Common mistakes
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