Capitalization Review Name ________________________
Here is an exercise based on the major capitalization rules in (1) Guffey’s
“Grammar/Mechanics Handbook,” Essentials of Business Communication and (2)
Guffey’s “Competent Language Usage Essentials (C.L.U.E.),” Business Communication:
Process and Product. In the following exercise, apply those rules by underlining every
word that should be capitalized
1. the manager’s guest ordered a coke and a caesar salad for lunch.
2. during my orientation i learned that our human resources department handled all
personnel matters.
9. all the vice presidents at southwest airlines worried about the continued use of their
blackberry devices because of the canadian lawsuit.
10. advertising campaigns aimed at hispanic markets were interrupted by hurricane
katrina.
Key
1. The manager’s guest ordered a Coke and a Caesar salad for lunch. [Capitalize the
first word in a sentence, trademarked items, and proper adjectives.]
2. During my orientation I learned that our Human Resources Department handled all
personnel matters. [Capitalize the pronoun “I” and the names of specific departments
within your own organization.]
6. Only the president, his chief of staff, and two senators made the trip to the Middle
East. [Do not capitalize business or professional titles appearing alone, even of high
office; do capitalize geographic areas.]
7. Our vice president and director of marketing will meet with the company president at 2
p.m. [Do not capitalize business titles appearing alone; do not capitalize “p.m.”]
8. My colleague and I will be making a presentation at the 40th annual Computer
Security Conference in Las Vegas. [Capitalize the official names of events; capitalize city
names.]
12. My uncle and my aunt are scheduled to arrive at Gate 9 of O’Hare Airport on
American Airlines Flight 26. [Do not capitalize family titles used with pronouns; do
capitalize official place names; do capitalize lettered and numbered items.]
14. After vacationing in the Rockies during the summer, we returned to the East Coast in
early fall. [Capitalize geographic areas, including their nicknames. Do not capitalize
seasons.]