Formatting and capitalising titles: review
Key Notes:
| What Is a Title? |
A title is the name of a book, story, poem, movie, article, or any piece of writing.
It tells the reader what the text is about. 🧠📖
| Capitalisation Rules in Titles (Title Case) |
In most titles, we use Title Case, meaning:
✅ Capitalize the following:
| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| First and last word | The, Amazing, Story |
| Nouns | dog, teacher, India |
| Pronouns | I, you, he, she, we, they |
| Verbs | run, play, is, eat, think |
| Adjectives | beautiful, large, red |
| Adverbs | quickly, very, always |
| Important words (4+ letters) | about, under, after |
🚫 Do NOT Capitalise (usually):
| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Short articles | a, an, the |
| Short conjunctions | and, but, or, nor, yet |
| Short prepositions (less than 4 letters) | in, to, on, of, for, at, up |
😎 Example:
Correct: The Lion and the Mouse
❌ Wrong: The Lion And The Mouse
| Formatting Titles |
| Type of Work | Formatting Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 📚 Books | italicise or underline | Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire |
| 📰 Articles | use quotation marks | “The Future of AI in Schools” |
| 🎭 Plays | italicise or underline | Romeo and Juliet |
| 🎬 Movies/Films | italicise or underline | The Avengers |
| 🎵 Songs | use quotation marks | “Let It Go” |
| ✏️ Poems | use quotation marks | “The Road Not Taken” |
| 📺 TV Shows | italicise | Stranger Things |
| 🎮 Video Games | italicise | Minecraft |
| Special Tips to Remember |
⭐ If the short word comes at the beginning or end, capitalize it!
Example: In the End
💡 Hyphenated words: Capitalise the first word only (usually).
Example: Self-control, One-way Ticket
🔍 Check format based on writing type:
- In handwritten work → underline titles of books, movies, etc.
- In typed work → use italics for longer works.
| Quick Practice Examples |
Correct the titles:
- the old man and the sea → The Old Man and the Sea
- alice in wonderland → Alice in Wonderland
- “a day in my school life” → “A Day in My School Life”
| Why Is Title Formatting Important? |
✨ Makes writing look polished and professional
📘 Shows respect for authors and published works
🧑🏫 Helps readers quickly understand what the text is about
let’s practice!
