Capital Letters
Capital letters show that something is important or special. You already know to capitalise the first word of a sentence and people's names. Now you will learn more situations where capital letters are needed.
What You'll Learn
- How to capitalise titles of people (Mr, Mrs, Dr, Professor)
- When to capitalise holidays and festivals (Chinese New Year, Hari Raya)
- How to capitalise names of places (countries, cities, buildings, parks)
When to Use
- Names of people: "Sarah Tan is my best friend."
- Titles before names: "We visited Dr Lim at the clinic yesterday."
- Days and months: "The concert is on Saturday, March the fifth."
- Holidays and festivals: "We eat mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival."
- Names of places: "My family visited the Singapore Zoo during the holidays."
How to Form
Titles of People
Always capitalise a title when it comes before a person's name.
| Title Used With Name | Without Name |
|---|---|
| Dr Tan checked my eyes. | I went to see the doctor. |
| Mr Lee is our teacher. | The teacher gave us homework. |
| Professor Chong teaches science. | The professor is very kind. |
| Uncle Ahmad brought us food. | My uncle brought us food. |
Rule: Capitalise the title only when it is used with the person's name.
Holidays and Festivals
Capitalise every important word in the name of a holiday or festival.
| Holiday / Festival | Example Sentence |
|---|---|
| Chinese New Year | We get red packets during Chinese New Year. |
| Hari Raya Puasa | My friend celebrates Hari Raya Puasa with her family. |
| Deepavali | The streets are decorated for Deepavali. |
| Christmas | We exchange gifts at Christmas. |
| National Day | Singapore celebrates National Day on 9 August. |
Names of Places
Capitalise each important word in the name of a place.
| Type of Place | Example |
|---|---|
| Country | Singapore, Malaysia, Japan |
| City | Kuala Lumpur, Tokyo, London |
| Building / Landmark | Marina Bay Sands, National Museum |
| Park / Garden | East Coast Park, Gardens by the Bay |
| School | Raffles Girls' Primary School |
| Road / Street | Orchard Road, Bukit Timah Road |
Key Rules
- Capitalise titles before names: Write "Mr Wong" but "my teacher". The title only gets a capital letter when it appears right before a name.
- Capitalise every important word in holidays: Write "Chinese New Year", not "Chinese new year". Small words like "of" stay lowercase (e.g., "Festival of Lights").
- Capitalise every important word in place names: Write "East Coast Park", not "East coast park".
- Days and months always start with a capital letter: Write "Monday" and "January", but seasons like "summer" and "winter" do not need capitals.
- Do not capitalise common nouns: Write "the park" (any park) but "Jurong Bird Park" (specific park). Only proper names get capitals.
Common Mistakes
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
| We saw doctor Tan. | We saw Dr Tan. | Capitalise the title before a name |
| I love chinese New Year. | I love Chinese New Year. | All important words in a holiday are capitalised |
| We went to east coast park. | We went to East Coast Park. | All important words in a place name are capitalised |
| I visited singapore last december. | I visited Singapore last December. | Country names and months always need capitals |
| The Teacher told us a story. | The teacher told us a story. | Do not capitalise a title used without a name |
Clue Words
Words that need capitals
- Titles before names: Mr, Mrs, Ms, Miss, Dr, Professor, Uncle, Auntie, Captain
- Days: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday
- Months: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
- Holidays: Chinese New Year, Hari Raya Puasa, Deepavali, Christmas, National Day, Good Friday, Vesak Day
- Place words in names: Road, Street, Park, Avenue, School, Building, Centre, Tower
Words that do NOT need capitals
- Seasons: spring, summer, autumn, winter
- Titles without names: the doctor, the teacher, my uncle
- General places: the park, the school, the library
Tip: If you can replace the word with a different name and it still makes sense, it is a proper noun and needs a capital letter. "I went to _ Park" needs a capital. "I went to the park" does not.
Practice Tips
- The name test: Ask yourself, "Is this the actual name of a person, place, holiday, or day?" If yes, use a capital letter.
- The title check: Look at titles like Mr, Dr, and Uncle. If a person's name comes right after, capitalise the title. If not, keep it lowercase.
- The swap test: Try replacing the word with another name. "We visited Sentosa" works with any place name, so it needs a capital. "We visited the island" is general, so no capital.
- Read it aloud: When you read your sentence aloud, does the word sound like a specific name? Specific names always get capital letters.
Quick Reference
| Category | Capitalise | Do Not Capitalise |
|---|---|---|
| Titles | Dr Lim, Mr Tan | the doctor, my teacher |
| Days | Monday, Friday | today, yesterday |
| Months | March, October | last month, next month |
| Holidays | Chinese New Year, Deepavali | the festival, the holiday |
| Places | Orchard Road, Japan | the road, the country |
| Seasons | — | spring, summer, autumn, winter |