Basic 5 · Ghanaian Language · Capitalization
Capital Letters with the Colon and Question Mark
In this topic you will understand when to use capital letters, including after a colon and in questions.
By the end of these notes you should be able to:
- State the rules for using capital letters
- Use capital letters correctly with colons and question marks
- Correct capitalisation errors in sentences
What you already know
- Punctuation
Copy everything that has a blue line on its left into your notebook. The other parts are for reading.
- Strand
- Writing Conventions
- Sub-strand
- Capitalization
- Indicator
- B5.5.1.1.1-3 – Comprehend the use of capital letters with colon and question mark
Introduction
Capital letters tell the reader that a new sentence has started or that a word is a special name. Using them correctly makes writing neat and clear.
1. Rules for Capital Letters
| Rule | Example |
|---|---|
| first word of a sentence | The rain fell all night. |
| names of people | Kwame Nkrumah, Esi Ansah |
| names of places | Tamale, Volta River, Ghana |
| days, months and festivals | Monday, March, Homowo |
| titles before names | Nana, Mr, Dr |
| the word "I" in English | I am happy. |
| first word of direct speech | Ama said, "We are late." |
2. Capital Letters and the Colon
After a colon, use a small letter if what follows is a list or does not form a full sentence: "We need three things: soap, water and a towel." Use a capital letter after a colon if what follows is a proper name, a full quotation or speech in a play: "Kofi: Where is the teacher?"
3. Capital Letters and the Question Mark
A question begins with a capital letter and ends with a question mark. The next sentence after a question mark also starts with a capital letter.
Example: Where are you going? I am going to Kumasi.
4. Correcting Errors
Example
Correct: "on friday, kofi asked: "can we go to accra?" his father said yes."
- "On" starts the sentence: capital O.
- "Friday" is a day: capital F.
- "Kofi" is a name: capital K.
- "Can" begins the direct question: capital C.
- "Accra" is a place: capital A.
- "His" begins a new sentence after the question: capital H.
Answer: On Friday, Kofi asked, "Can we go to Accra?" His father said yes.
Notice that in English direct speech, a comma usually comes before the quotation, not a colon. In some Ghanaian language writing, a colon may be used; follow your teacher's guidance for your language.
New words
- capital letter
- A large letter such as A, B, C.
- small letter
- A lowercase letter such as a, b, c.
- proper noun
- The special name of a person, place or thing.
- colon
- A mark (:) introducing a list or explanation.
- question mark
- A mark (?) ending a question.
- capitalisation
- The use of capital letters.
Summary
- Use capitals for sentence beginnings, names, places, days and titles.
- After a colon, use a small letter for lists and a capital for names or speech.
- Questions begin with a capital and end with a question mark.
- The sentence after a question mark starts with a capital.
Class activity: Capital Detectives
- Your teacher gives a paragraph in your Ghanaian language with capitalisation errors.
- Circle and correct each error.
- Explain the rule for each correction.
You need: Printed cards of Ghanaian names, Place names, Chalkboard, Chalk, Exercise books, Pencils
Exercises
Answer in your exercise book first, then check your answers.
1. Which should begin with a capital letter?
- A. Accra
- B. market
- C. river
- D. table
Show answer
Answer: AccraIt is a place name.2. Which is correct?
- A. We need: soap, water and a towel.
- B. We need three things: Soap, water and a towel.
- C. We need three things: soap, water and a towel.
- D. we need three things: soap, water and a towel.
Show answer
Answer: We need three things: soap, water and a towel.Small letter after a colon for a list.3. A question ends with a…
- A. question mark
- B. full stop
- C. colon
- D. comma
Show answer
Answer: question marke.g. Where are you?4. Days of the week begin with capital letters.
- A. True
- B. False
Show answer
Answer: Truee.g. Monday.5. The sentence after a question mark begins with a small letter.
- A. True
- B. False
Show answer
Answer: FalseIt begins with a capital.6. The special name of a person or place is a ______ noun.
Show answer
Answer: properIt takes a capital.7. Correct: "my brother lives in tamale."
Show answer
Answer: My brother lives in Tamale.Sentence start and place name.8. Explain when to use a capital letter after a colon.
Show answer
Answer: When what follows is a proper name, a full quotation or a speaker's words in a play; otherwise use a small letter.Colon rule.
Homework
- Write ten sentences in your Ghanaian language that include names, places, days and a question.