Word Formation 4. *** Complete the sentences with words
formed from the words in capitals.
1 Some people believe their luck changes with the
of the planets. MOVE
2 We must
accurate. SURE
the measurements are
3 The main
of the sundial is its inability
to function without sunlight. ADVANTAGE
4 Atomic clocks were a great
on the
old mechanical clocks. IMPROVE

Capital letters are not really an aspect of punctuation, but it is convenient to deal with them here. The rules for using them are mostly very simple.

(a) The first word of a sentence, or of a fragment, begins with a capital letter:

The bumbling wizard Rincewind is Pratchett's most popular character.

Will anyone now alive live to see a colony on the moon? Probably not.

Distressingly few pupils can locate Iraq or Japan on a map of the world.

(b) The names of the days of the week, and of the months of the year, are written with a capital letter:

Next Sunday France will hold a general election.

Mozart was born on 27 January, 1756.

Football practice takes place on Wednesdays and Fridays.

However, the names of seasons are not written with a capital:

Like cricket, baseball is played in the summer.

Do not write *"... in the Summer".

(c) The names of languages are always written with a capital letter. Be careful about this; it's a very common mistake.

Juliet speaks English, French, Italian and Portuguese.

I need to work on my Spanish irregular verbs.

Among the major languages of India are Hindi, Gujarati and Tamil.

These days, few students study Latin and Greek.

There isn’t a lift in our house, so it’s a great way to keep fit! – Right! There are 100 steps to our flat!