Capitalizing Titles of Works and People — Grade 7
Practice identifying and correcting capital letters in titles of books, films, and songs, and in official titles before a person's name, for Grade 7.
Knowing when to use a capital letter in a title is one of the most practical writing skills a seventh grader can develop, because titles appear in nearly every essay, book report, and research project. This worksheet focuses on two related rules: which words inside a title of a book, film, or song deserve a capital, and when a person's official title — such as Mayor, Professor, or Captain — should be capitalized before a name. Students begin by identifying errors, then fill in missing titles, correct flawed sentences, and finally write their own examples. Working through all four sections in order will help students move from recognizing the rule to applying it confidently in their own writing.
Capitalizing Titles of Works and People — Grade 7
This worksheet covers two capitalization rules: how to capitalize titles of works and when to capitalize a person's title before their name.
Remember
- In a title, capitalize the first and last words, and all major words — nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and pronouns.
- In a title, do NOT capitalize articles (a, an, the), short prepositions (of, in, on), or short conjunctions unless they are first or last.
- Capitalize a person's title, such as Mayor, Doctor, or Professor, when it appears directly before the person's name: Mayor Cruz.
Part A — Identify Words That Need Capitals
Underline every word in the sentence that should start with a capital letter but does not.
- 1.
Elias borrowed bridge to terabithia from the library and finished it over the weekend without stopping.
- 2.
Before the assembly began, principal okafor reminded students about the school's new hallway policy.
- 3.
After the director announced the program, the music class performed "somewhere in the dark" for the audience.
- 4.
During the field trip, captain adeyemi explained how the research vessel collected water samples.
- 5.
She had seen the film lord of the flies twice before reading the novel for her English class.
- 6.
The city council voted unanimously while mayor ibrahim reviewed the proposed budget changes carefully.
Part B — Complete the Sentence
Write the missing word in the blank, using correct capitalization so the sentence follows the rule.
- 7.
As the principal of Jefferson Middle School, ____ Nakamura enforced the attendance policy without exception.
- 8.
The students voted to invite their mayor to speak, so they addressed the letter to ____ Alvarez.
- 9.
Students knew their professor well, so they felt comfortable asking ____ Gupta questions after each lecture.
- 10.
The crew had sailed with their captain for five years before ____ Torres retired from active service.
- 11.
The district had appointed a new superintendent, and many parents hoped to meet ____ Chen at the forum.
Part C — Rewrite the Sentence Correctly
Rewrite the entire sentence in the space below, correcting every capitalization error.
- 12.
Jonah read roll of thunder, hear my cry for his summer assignment and wrote a three-page reflection.
- 13.
The reporter interviewed senator patel after the vote and asked her to clarify her position on education.
- 14.
The choir performed songs of the open road at the regional competition, earning a second-place trophy.
- 15.
professor kim assigned the outsiders so that students could analyze themes of loyalty and social division.
- 16.
Amara recommended the documentary voices from the valley because it examines how mining affects rural communities.
Part D — Write Your Own Sentence
Write a complete sentence of your own that responds to the prompt, applying the capitalization rule correctly.
- 17.
Write a sentence that includes the correctly capitalized title of a book, film, or song you know.
- 18.
Write a sentence that uses a person's official title directly before their name, with correct capitalization.
Answer key
Part A — Identify Words That Need Capitals
- 1.bridge, terabithia
- 2.principal, okafor
- 3.somewhere, dark
- 4.captain, adeyemi
- 5.lord, flies
- 6.mayor, ibrahim
Part B — Complete the Sentence
- 7.Principal
- 8.Mayor
- 9.Professor
- 10.Captain
- 11.Superintendent
Part C — Rewrite the Sentence Correctly
- 12.Jonah read Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry for his summer assignment and wrote a three-page reflection.
- 13.The reporter interviewed Senator Patel after the vote and asked her to clarify her position on education.
- 14.The choir performed Songs of the Open Road at the regional competition, earning a second-place trophy.
- 15.Professor Kim assigned The Outsiders so that students could analyze themes of loyalty and social division.
- 16.Amara recommended the documentary Voices from the Valley because it examines how mining affects rural communities.
Part D — Write Your Own Sentence
- 17.Example: After finishing Shadows of the Mountain, Kenji argued that the film misrepresented the science.
- 18.Example: When the experiment ended, Dr. Ferreira presented her findings to the committee and invited questions.
What this worksheet teaches
- Identify which words in a title of a book, film, or song require a capital letter and which do not.
- Capitalize a person's official title correctly when it appears directly before their name in a sentence.
- Rewrite sentences that contain capitalization errors in both work titles and personal titles.
Notes for the grown-up
- Students often capitalize every word in a title; the most common error is capitalizing prepositions and articles such as 'of' and 'the'.
- When a student makes a capitalization error, write the rule they violated beside the word and ask them to restate the rule aloud.
- A student is ready to move on when they can correctly capitalize an unfamiliar title they have not seen before on their first attempt.
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