Test your knowledge of English capitalization rules with this interactive quiz! Learn why the first word in every sentence must be capitalized, explore common mistakes, and practice with clear examples. Capitalization Quiz

What is a sentence? How can we find clearly? Use the following to get an idea of Capitalization Rules.

• Definition: A sentence expresses a complete thought and usually ends with a full stop, question mark, or exclamation mark.
• Start point: The first letter after end‑of‑sentence punctuation is the beginning of a new sentence and must be capitalized.
• Example: The girl is reading. She enjoys novels.

1.1.1

The core rule

• Rule: Capitalize the first word in every sentence.
• Reason: It signals a clear start for readers and matches standard English conventions in academic and professional writing.
• Examples:
  • The girl is reading.
  • English helps us communicate.
  • Can you help me?

1.1.2

Tricky cases to watch

• After quotations:
  • Complete quoted sentence: Capitalize the first word.
    • She said, “This book is amazing.”
  • Partial quote within your sentence: Do not capitalize unless it starts the sentence.
    • She said the book was “amazing and inspiring.” Read more
• After end punctuation in the same line:
  • Multiple sentences: Each new sentence begins with a capital.
    • It’s raining. Bring an umbrella. Stay warm.
• After a colon:
  • General rule: Don’t capitalize the first word after a colon unless it starts a complete sentence or a proper noun.
    • Bring three things: water, snacks, and a jacket.
    • Remember: Practice makes progress.
• Parentheses and dashes:
  • Inside a sentence: Keep lowercase if it’s not a new sentence.
    • She studies English (every evening) to improve.
  • If the parenthetical is a full sentence: Capitalize.
    • (She studies every evening.) Her progress shows.
  • After an em dash: Capitalize only if it begins a new sentence.
    • She paused—Then she spoke clearly.
• Bulleted and numbered lists:
  • Full‑sentence items: Capitalize the first word.
    • 1. Read the passage carefully.
  • Phrase fragments: Lowercase is acceptable in informal contexts; capitalize for formal or exam settings.
• Dialogue tags:
  • Tag + quoted sentence: Capitalize inside the quote.
    • He asked, “Are you ready?”
  • Quoted sentence + tag: The quoted sentence already begins with a capital.
    • “We’ll start now,” she said.

1.1.3

Common mistakes and quick fixes

• Starting with lowercase:
  • Wrong: the story begins at dawn.
  • Fix: The story begins at dawn.
• Sentence after an abbreviation:
  • Wrong: She arrived at 7 a.m. then left.
  • Fix: She arrived at 7 a.m. Then she left.
• New sentence after parentheses:
  • Wrong: She practiced daily (even on weekends). this helped a lot.
  • Fix: She practiced daily (even on weekends). This helped a lot.