Punctuation and Capitalization

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What is punctuation?

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Punctuation refers to the marks used in writing that help clarify meaning and separate linguistic units. Examples include periods, commas, question marks, and exclamation points.

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What is the purpose of a comma?

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Commas are used to indicate a pause between parts of a sentence, to separate items in a list, and to set off clauses or phrases.

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When should you use a comma in a series?

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A comma should be used to separate three or more items in a list, with a comma before the conjunction (e.g., 'apples, oranges, and bananas').

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What is capitalization?

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Capitalization is the use of uppercase letters at the beginning of sentences, proper nouns, and titles.

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When should you capitalize the first word of a sentence?

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The first word of a sentence should always be capitalized.

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What are proper nouns?

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Proper nouns are specific names of people, places, organizations, or sometimes things, and they are always capitalized (e.g., 'Sarah', 'Paris', 'Microsoft').

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How do you capitalize titles of books and movies?

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In titles, capitalize the first and last words, as well as all major words in between (e.g., 'The Wizard of Oz').

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What is the rule for capitalizing days of the week?

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Days of the week are proper nouns and should always be capitalized (e.g., 'Monday', 'Wednesday').

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What is the correct way to write a sentence with a proper noun?

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A proper noun should be capitalized, e.g., 'I visited New York City last summer.'

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What is the Oxford comma?

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The Oxford comma is the final comma in a list of items, placed before 'and' or 'or' (e.g., 'I bought apples, oranges, and bananas').