✨ Capitalization Rules: Quotations
When we write quotations (someone’s exact words inside quotation marks), we must follow special capitalization rules.
👉 Rule: Always capitalize the first word of a complete sentence inside quotes.
🟢 Rule: Capitalize the First Word Inside Quotes
If the quotation is a complete sentence, the first word inside the quotation marks must begin with a capital letter.
Examples:
- ✅ She said, “We are ready for the test.”
- ✅ My teacher asked, “Do you understand the lesson?”
- ✅ He shouted, “Watch out!”
❌ Wrong: She said, “we are ready for the test.”
❌ Wrong: My teacher asked, “do you understand the lesson?”
🟡 When NOT to Capitalize
If the quotation is not a complete sentence, you do not capitalize the first word inside the quotes.
Examples:
- ✅ The sign read “no entry.”
- ✅ The label said “made in Sri Lanka.”
- ✅ The box was marked “fragile.”
❌ Wrong: The sign read “No entry.” (not a full sentence, so lowercase is correct)
📚 More Examples
Correct:
- ✅ She whispered, “I love reading books.”
- ✅ He replied, “Yes, I will help.”
- ✅ The teacher said, “Please open your books.”
Incorrect:
- ❌ She whispered, “i love reading books.”
- ❌ He replied, “yes, I will help.”
- ❌ The teacher said, “please open your books.”
🔄 American vs. British English Differences
The capitalization rule is the same in both American and British English.
The difference is in the placement of quotation marks and punctuation:
| Feature | American English | British English |
| Quotation marks | Uses double quotes (“…”) most often | Uses single quotes (‘…’) most often |
| Punctuation | Periods and commas go inside quotation marks | Periods and commas often go outside quotation marks |
| Capitalization | First word of a complete sentence inside quotes is capitalized | Same rule |
Examples:
- American English:
- ✅ She said, “We are ready for the test.”
- British English:
- ✅ She said, ‘We are ready for the test’.
👉 Notice: The capitalization is the same, but the quotation marks and punctuation style differ.
🧩 Practice Sentences
Fix the capitalization mistakes:
- wrong: She said, “we are going home.”
fix: She said, “We are going home.” - wrong: He asked, “do you like pizza?”
fix: He asked, “Do you like pizza?” - wrong: The label said “Handle with care.”
fix: The label said “handle with care.” - wrong: My friend shouted, “watch out!”
fix: My friend shouted, “Watch out!”
🎯 Summary
- Capitalize the first word of a complete sentence inside quotes.
- Do not capitalize if the quotation is not a full sentence.
- American and British English follow the same capitalization rule, but they use different quotation mark styles.