1. What is Title Capitalization?

• Definition: Title capitalization refers to the practice of capitalizing certain words in the titles of books, movies, songs, articles, and other works.
• Purpose: Capitalizing titles helps to highlight the importance of the work and makes it visually distinct.

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2. Basic Rules for Capitalizing Titles

A. Capitalize the First and Last Words

• Rule: Always capitalize the first and last words of the title, regardless of their part of speech.
• Example:
• “The Lion King”
• “A Tale of Two Cities”

B. Capitalize All Major Words

• Rule: Capitalize all major words in the title. Major words include:
• Nouns (e.g., “Cat”)
• Pronouns (e.g., “He,” “They”)
• Verbs (e.g., “Run,” “Is”)
• Adjectives (e.g., “Happy”)
• Adverbs (e.g., “Quickly”)
• Example:
• “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone”

C. Do Not Capitalize Minor Words

• Rule: Do not capitalize short prepositions, articles, and conjunctions unless they are the first or last word of the title. Minor words include:
• Articles: “a,” “an,” “the”
• Prepositions: “in,” “on,” “at,” “for,” “with”
• Conjunctions: “and,” “but,” “or,” “nor”
• Example:
• “The Cat in the Hat”
• “To Kill a Mockingbird”

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3. Examples of Capitalization in Titles

• Correctly Capitalized Titles:
• “The Great Gatsby”
• “Where the Red Fern Grows”
• “Pride and Prejudice”
• Incorrectly Capitalized Titles:
• “the great gatsby” (should be “The Great Gatsby”)
• “to kill a mockingbird” (should be “To Kill a Mockingbird”)

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4. Practice Examples

Students can practice capitalizing the following titles:

1. “a wrinkle in time”

• Correct: “A Wrinkle in Time”

1. “harry potter and the chamber of secrets”

• Correct: “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets”

1. “the very hungry caterpillar”