Capital Letters for Names and Places: Class 2 Study Guide
Special names begin with a capital letter. This helps readers see which words are names.
A capital letter is the big form of a letter. We use one at the start of every sentence and for the special names of people, places, days, months and festivals. These special names are called proper nouns.
In India we meet many names: Ravi, Priya, Delhi, Chennai, the Ganga, Monday, October and Diwali. All of them start with a capital letter.
When do we use capitals?
| Use a capital for | Example |
|---|---|
| Start of a sentence | The bus is late. |
| Name of a person | Aman and Sara are friends. |
| Name of a place | We visited Jaipur. |
| Name of a river | The Godavari flows to the sea. |
| Days and months | My birthday is in March. |
| Festivals | We celebrate Holi with colours. |
| The word I | I like mangoes. |
Common nouns and proper nouns
A common noun names any person, place or thing, such as girl, city or river. A proper noun names one particular person, place or thing, such as Gita, Mumbai or the Yamuna. Common nouns do not need a capital unless they start a sentence.
Find the nouns.
A person, place, day, month.
For the first letter.
It needs a capital too.
Try it
Fix this sentence: on sunday ravi went to mysuru by train. The right sentence is: On Sunday, Ravi went to Mysuru by train. The sentence starts with a capital, and so do Sunday, Ravi and Mysuru.
Worked examples and common mistakes
Example: We saw the river Narmada. Example: Is Diwali in October or November? Common mistakes: writing days and months with small letters, and putting capitals on common nouns in the middle of a sentence (writing Dog or School when they are not names).
Check your understanding: model answers
1. Each part of the name begins with a capital. 2. For example the Ganga, the Yamuna or the Krishna. 3. We go to school on Monday.
✨ Key Takeaways
- Every sentence starts with a capital letter.
- Names of people, places, days, months and festivals begin with capitals.
- I is always a capital.
- Common nouns do not need a capital in the middle of a sentence.
💬 Questions for Discussion & Reflection
- Write your full name with capital letters.
- Write the name of a river in India.
- Correct this: we go to school on monday.