All skills English

Learn Index · Grammar and Conventions Grade K

Capital letters and punctuation basics

A sentence begins with a capital letter and ends with a period, question mark or exclamation mark.

Read

Signals for readers

When you write, you are talking to a reader who cannot hear your voice. Capital letters and punctuation are signals that help the reader. They show where a sentence starts, where it stops, and how it should sound.

Look at this:

the dog ran it was fast

It is hard to read. Now look:

The dog ran. It was fast.

The capital letters and periods make it easy!

Capital letters

A capital letter is the big form of a letter. We use capital letters in three special places.

1. At the start of a sentence

My cat is soft. The word My starts with a capital M.

2. At the start of names

Names of people, pets and places start with a capital letter.

  • People: Ava, Omar, Grandma Rose
  • Pets: Buddy, Whiskers
  • Places: Canada, Toronto, Maple Street

3. The word I

When you talk about yourself, I is always a capital letter: Ben and I play tag.

Punctuation marks

Punctuation marks are small marks that help readers. Every sentence ends with one. Here are the three you need first.

The period ( . )

A period is a small dot. It goes at the end of a telling sentence. It tells the reader to stop and take a little breath.

  • I like pizza.
  • The sun is hot.

The question mark ( ? )

A question mark goes at the end of a sentence that asks something. Your voice usually goes up at the end of a question.

  • Do you like pizza?
  • Where is my hat?

Question sentences often start with words like who, what, where, when, why, how, can, do and is.

The exclamation mark ( ! )

An exclamation mark shows strong feeling, like surprise, excitement or fear. Read it with a strong voice.

  • I won the race!
  • Watch out!
  • Wow, a rainbow!

Use exclamation marks only sometimes. If every sentence has one, they stop feeling special.

Spaces between words

There is one more helper that is not a mark at all: the space. Leave a space between words so the reader can tell where one word stops and the next one starts. A trick is to put one finger down after each word before you write the next word. That is a “finger space.”

Days, months and holidays

Some other words are names too, so they start with a capital letter:

  • Days of the week: Monday, Saturday
  • Months: January, July
  • Holidays: Canada Day, Thanksgiving

How to check your sentence

Use this checklist each time you write a sentence.

  1. Does it start with a capital letter?
  2. Do names have capital letters?
  3. Did I leave spaces between words?
  4. Does it end with a punctuation mark?
  5. Is it the right mark? Telling = period. Asking = question mark. Strong feeling = exclamation mark.

Let’s try some examples

Example 1: Fix this sentence. my dog is brown
It needs a capital letter at the start and a period at the end: My dog is brown.

Example 2: Which mark goes at the end? Can we go to the park
It asks something, so it needs a question mark: Can we go to the park?

Example 3: Which mark goes at the end? Hooray, it is snowing
This shows excitement, so it needs an exclamation mark: Hooray, it is snowing!

Example 4: Find the names that need capitals. i saw sara and her dog max in ottawa.
Fixed: I saw Sara and her dog Max in Ottawa.

Common mistakes

  • Forgetting the end mark. Every sentence needs one.
  • Capital letters in the middle of words. Write dog, not dOg.
  • A small i. Remember: I is always a capital.
  • A question with a period. What is your name. should be What is your name?
  • No spaces. Thecatsat should be The cat sat.

Read with your voice

Punctuation changes how a sentence sounds. Read these three sentences out loud:

  • You have a frog. (calm, telling)
  • You have a frog? (surprised, asking)
  • You have a frog! (excited)

The words are the same. Only the marks are different. That shows how important punctuation is!

Try it yourself

Fix each sentence.

  1. the bird can fly
  2. where is mom
  3. we won
  4. my friend is named leo

Answers: 1. The bird can fly. 2. Where is Mom? 3. We won! 4. My friend is named Leo.

Grown-up tip

When you read aloud, point to the marks and show how your voice changes. Play “voice match”: read a sentence with a period, a question mark and an exclamation mark and talk about the difference. When your child writes, praise one thing they did right before you help with one thing to fix.

Quick recap

  • Start every sentence with a capital letter.
  • Names and the word I always have capital letters.
  • Leave spaces between words.
  • Use a period to tell, a question mark to ask, and an exclamation mark for strong feeling.
  • Punctuation helps readers know how your writing should sound.