1. Understanding Titles

• Definition: Titles refer to the names of books, movies, songs, articles, and other works.
• Importance: Proper formatting and capitalization of titles help to distinguish them from regular text and show respect for the work.

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2. Capitalizing Titles

A. Basic Rules

• Capitalize the First and Last Words: Always capitalize the first and last words of the title, no matter their part of speech.
• Example: The Cat in the Hat
• Capitalize Major Words: Capitalize all important words in the title:
• Nouns: e.g., “Dog,” “Book”
• Pronouns: e.g., “He,” “They”
• Verbs: e.g., “Run,” “Is”
• Adjectives: e.g., “Happy”
• Adverbs: e.g., “Quickly”
• Do Not Capitalize Minor Words: Do not capitalize short prepositions, articles, and conjunctions unless they are the first or last word of the title.
• Examples of Minor Words: “a,” “an,” “the,” “in,” “on,” “and,” “but”

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3. Formatting Titles

A. Italics vs. Quotation Marks

• Italics: Use italics for larger works such as books, movies, and newspapers.
• Examples:
  • The Lion King (movie)
  • Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (book)
• Quotation Marks: Use quotation marks for shorter works such as poems, short stories, articles, and songs.
• Examples:
  • “The Road Not Taken” (poem)
  • “Shake It Off” (song)

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4. Examples of Formatting and Capitalization

• Correctly Formatted and Capitalized Titles:
• Pride and Prejudice (book)
• “The Tell-Tale Heart” (short story)
• National Geographic (magazine)
• “Imagine” (song)
• Incorrectly Formatted Titles:
• “Pride and Prejudice” (should be italicized)
• The Tell-Tale Heart (should be in quotation marks)

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5. Practice Examples

Students can practice formatting and capitalizing the following titles correctly:

1. the very hungry caterpillar

• Correct: The Very Hungry Caterpillar (book)

1. “a christmas carol”

• Correct: “A Christmas Carol” (book)

1. the sound of silence

• Correct: “The Sound of Silence” (song)

let’s practice!