Two Grammar Rules
Nine-year-old Danny illustrates two key grammar rules: America is capitalized, and, in this case, the word take a possessive ’s.
Just a Tip—Capitalizing Names of Seasons
No caps for seasons (spring, summer, winter, fall) unless they are part of a proper noun. You know, something official, like, “I am really enjoying the Summer Olympics” or “I am going to start college in Fall 2012.”
Just a tip.
Diseases and Capitalization
Capitalize the name of a disease only when it’s named after a person, and only capitalize the individual’s name—not the word disease.
Examples:
Alzheimer’s disease
Crohn’s disease
Lou Gehrig’s disease
Parkinson’s disease
arthritis
celiac disease
leukemia
pneumonia
The Colon and Capitalization
Do you capitalize the first word after a colon? If not, you should—but only if that word is a proper noun or begins a complete sentence. The AP and APA folks agree on this one.
Examples:
He will be tested on three subjects: reading, math, and science.
He promised this: He will try his very best on the FCAT.
The following girls will attend the study session: Maddie, Ella, and Zoey.
Remember when we talked serial comma? Well, as you can see in the examples above, I used it. But don’t forget, AP and APA do not agree on this convention. APA says use it, and AP says don’t. When I write, I lean APA Style. I like the extra comma.
