Dates
Regions and Directions
Addresses
States
Titles
100
In Feb. 1999, I lived in China with my friends.
What is "In February 1999, I lived in China with my friends." Rule: Spell out the month when used alone or with the year alone.
100
We headed North to visit our cousins in Wisconsin.
What is "We headed north to visit our cousins in Wisconsin." Rule: Lowercase north, south, east, and west when they indicate compass direction.
100
Kamryn lives on Willow Oak St.
What is "Kamryn lives on Willow Oak Street." Rule: Do not abbreviate the word “street” when you are not using a specific address.
100
Oranges are grown in the State of Florida.
What is "Oranges are grown in the state of Florida." Rule: Lowercase the word “state” for a simple geographic reference.
100
Joe Biden (vice President) spoke on behalf of the Obama Campaign.
What is "Joe Biden, vice president, spoke on behalf of the Obama Campaign." Rule: Titles should be lowercase when they appear after a name.
200
October 31, 2007, was the best Halloween yet!
What is "Oct. 31, 2007, was the best Halloween yet!" Rule: Abbreviate the month (except March-July) with a specific date.
200
My roommate is from St.Louis, which some would consider the midwest.
What is "My roommate is from St.Louis, which some would consider the Midwest." Rule: Regions are capitalized.
200
John, Jacob, and Josh live on Maple, Town and Country Lane Streets.
What is "John, Jacob, and Josh live on Maple, Town and Country Lane streets." Rule: Use lowercase “street” when referring to two or more streets.
200
Houston, Tx is one of the largest cities in the United States.
What is "Houston, Texas, is one of the largest cities in the United States." Rule: Do not abbreviate any state names in a sentence. Texas is one of the eight states that are not abbreviated.
200
Angie made an appointment with dr. Vaughn to discuss her dreams.
What is "Angie made an appointment with Dr. Vaughn to discuss her dreams." Rule: Titles should be capitalized before a name.
300
March 2014, was a cold month.
What is "March 2014 was a cold month." Rule: When using only the month and year, do not separate the year with a comma.
300
Last summer, my family and I visited northern Ireland and then traveled to Northern Spain.
What is "Last summer, my family and I visited Northern Ireland and then traveled to North Korea (tricky). Rule: With names of nations, lowercase unless they are part of a proper name or are used to designate a politically divided nation. Ex: northern France, eastern Canda BUT Northern Ireland and South Korea
300
There is a party tonight at 345 East 42nd Lane.
What is "There is a party tonight at 345 East 42nd Lane." Rule: Always abbreviate compass points when they are in a specific address.
300
On vacation this summer, my family and I visited California, Utah and Denver, CO.
What is "On vacation this summer, my family and I visited California, Utah and Denver, Colorado." Rule: Do not abbreviate Colorado. Spell out the names of all 50 states, no matter if they stand alone or in a group.
300
The Sen. visited our school today.
What is "The senator visited our school today." Rule: Titles should only be capitalized and abbreviated before a name.
400
I can't wait for the Springtime!
What is "I can't wait for the springtime!" Rule: Lowercase spring, summer, fall and winter and words like springtime unless they are part of a formal name.
400
My friends just returned from a trip visiting southern California.
What is "My friends just returned from a trip visiting Southern California." Rule: Capitalize compass points when denoting a widely known section. (Ex: West Texas, the South Side of Chicago)
400
My brother lives on W. Third St.
What is "My brother lives on West Third Street." Rule: Do not abbreviate compass points or “street” when it is not being used in a specific address with the house number before it.
400
Sen. Mary Landrieu, D- LA, will be running for office again.
What is "Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., will be running for office again." Rule: Louisiana should be abbreviated as “La.” when speaking about a political figure.
400
Lana Winters was a nice woman before she disappeared. Mrs. Winters interviewed sen john mccain before she went missing.
What is "Lana Winters was a nice woman before she disappeared. Winters interviewed Sen. John McCain before she went missing." Rule: Mr., Mrs. and Ms. should not be used if it is not in a direct quote. Abbreviations of titles in front of a name should be capitalized and followed by a period. Names should always be capitalized.
500
I have homework due Fri. afternoon.
What is "I have homework due Friday afternoon." Rule: Always spell out days of the week.
500
A storm is developing in the midwest moving North towards the Iowa border. It is expected to reach Northern Iowa by midnight.
What is "A storm is developing in the Midwest moving north towards the border. It is expected to reach northern Iowa by midnight." Rules: 1. Compass directions are lowercased. 2. Regions are capitalized. 3. Capitalize compass points when denoting a widely used area. "Northern Iowa" is not widely used.
500
Abigayle Brewer 2345 N.W. 4th Avenue Lafayette, La. 70506
What is Abigayle Brewer 2345 NW Fourth Ave. Lafayette, LA 70506 Rule: Do not use periods when abbreviating quadrant locations, spell out first-ninth, abbreviate “Avenue” in specific addresses and use the all caps abbreviation for states in an address.
500
Baton Rouge, La., is where Louisiana’s state capitol is located; it is also where governor Bobby Jindal works.
What is "Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is where Louisiana’s state Capitol is located; it is also where Governor Bobby Jindal works." Rule: La should be spelled out because it is a state, capitol should be capitalized because it is referring to a specific building and governor should be capitalized because it is a title before a name.
500
I watched a short film starring Reporter lisa Ling. She explained The President's corrupted ideas in the film. Bill cassidy, r-louisiana said, "I do not agree with his ideas."
What is "I watched a short film starring reporter Lisa Ling. She explained the president's corrupt ideas in the film. Bill Cassidy, R-La., said, "I do not agree with his ideas." Rule: Descriptions of jobs should not be capitalized. Names should always be capitalized. Do not capitalize titles if they are not followed by a name. Short forms of political titles: R- , D- , I- State Abbreviation. They should be surrounded by commas.
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