B. Foundations of Language · Handwriting, Spelling and Sentences

Proper Adjectives, Direct Address, Titles and Editing

B3.3 D2.6 A1.2About 40 minutes

Learning goals

I can capitalize proper adjectives, like Canadian and Japanese.
I can use commas to set off the name of the person I'm speaking to.
I can use quotation marks for the titles of short works, like poems and songs.
I can edit my writing for capitals, usage, punctuation and spelling.

Words to know

proper noun
The name of a specific person, place or thing, like Canada or Lake Superior. It starts with a capital.

proper adjective
An adjective made from a proper noun, like Canadian (from Canada). It starts with a capital.

direct address
Speaking directly to someone by name: Ava, come here.

short work
A short piece, like a poem, song, short story, chapter or article.

edit
Check and fix your writing so it's correct and clear.

Remember from Grade 3

You used capitals for names, places, titles and the start of dialogue. You used quotation marks for the exact words someone says, and apostrophes in contractions and possessives.

In Grade 4 you'll learn three new jobs for capitals and punctuation, and a plan for editing your writing.

1. Proper adjectives

A proper noun names a specific place or group: Canada, Japan, Mexico, Ukraine. When we turn it into an adjective, it's a proper adjective, and it keeps its capital:

Canada → a Canadian flag
Japan → a Japanese garden
Mexico → Mexican music
Italy → an Italian restaurant
Ukraine → Ukrainian dancers

Only the proper adjective gets a capital. The noun after it doesn't: a Canadian flag, not a Canadian Flag.

Respectful capitals

The names of First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples and their languages are always capitalized, whether they're used as nouns or adjectives: Inuit art, Haudenosaunee communities, the Anishinaabe Nation, a Métis sash, the Cree language.

Worked example

Let's fix the capitals

Fix: on canada day, we listened to ukrainian music and ate at a lebanese restaurant.

on starts the sentence: On.
canada day is the name of a holiday: Canada Day.
ukrainian comes from Ukraine and lebanese comes from Lebanon. They're proper adjectives: Ukrainian, Lebanese.
music and restaurant are common nouns: they stay lowercase.

On Canada Day, we listened to Ukrainian music and ate at a Lebanese restaurant.

2. Commas for direct address

When you speak to someone and use their name (or a word like Mom, Coach, class), set it off with commas:

At the start: Mom, can I go to the rink?
At the end: Thanks for the ride, Dad.
In the middle (two commas): I think, Priya, that you're right.
In dialogue: “Hurry up, Jesse,” said Coach.

If you're talking about someone instead of to them, there's no comma: Mom said I could go.

The name of the person you are talking to is set off with commas: one comma at the start or end, two commas in the middle.

Commas save lives

Let's eat, Grandma! means you're inviting Grandma to dinner.

Let's eat Grandma! means... oh no! That comma saves Grandma!

Worked example

Let's add direct address commas

Add commas: (a) Noah please pass the salt. (b) Did you finish your homework Zara? (c) Your drawings class are amazing.

(a) Noah is being spoken to, at the start: Noah, please pass the salt.
(b) Zara is being spoken to, at the end: Did you finish your homework, Zara?
(c) The speaker is talking to the class in the middle of the sentence: Your drawings, class, are amazing.

(a) Noah, please pass the salt. (b) Did you finish your homework, Zara? (c) Your drawings, class, are amazing.

3. Titles: quotation marks or italics?

Short works go in quotation marks: poems, songs, short stories, chapters, articles and episodes. We sang “O Canada” at the assembly. Our class read the poem “In Flanders Fields” on Remembrance Day.
Long works go in italics when you type, or are underlined when you write by hand: books, movies, magazines and TV series. My favourite book is Anne of Green Gables.

Use the capital-letter rules for titles from Grade 3: capitalize the first word, the last word and the important words.

Short work: “quotation marks”	Long work: italics (or underline by hand)
a poem: “In Flanders Fields”	a book of poems
a chapter: “The Big Storm”	the whole book
a song: “O Canada”	an album
an article: “Saving the Monarch Butterfly”	the magazine it's in
one episode of a show	the TV series

A short work is often part of a longer one.

Editing: be your own proofreader

When your draft is finished, edit it. Read it several times, looking for one kind of mistake each time. Many writers use CUPS:

Capitals: start of sentences, names, places, proper adjectives, titles, I.
Usage: does it sound right? Check verb tenses (have gone, not have went), has/have, and pronouns.
Punctuation: end marks, commas (compound sentences, opening clauses, direct address), quotation marks, apostrophes.
Spelling: check tricky words, homophones (there/their, hear/here) and spelling patterns. Use a dictionary or spell-check, but remember spell-check can't catch everything.

Read your writing aloud, slowly. Your ears catch mistakes your eyes miss!

CUPS: read your draft four times, checking for one kind of mistake each time. Under each cup is a small example of what to look for.

Worked example

Let's edit with CUPS

Edit: last saturday my brother and me watched the canadian womens hockey game. it was so exciting mom!

Capitals: last → Last; saturday → Saturday; canadian → Canadian (proper adjective); it → It.
Usage: my brother and me watched → my brother and I watched (try it alone: I watched, not me watched).
Punctuation: the writer is talking to Mom, so add a comma: exciting, Mom! womens needs an apostrophe: women's.
Spelling: all the words are spelled correctly once the apostrophe is added.

Last Saturday, my brother and I watched the Canadian women's hockey game. It was so exciting, Mom! (The comma after Saturday is optional.)

Set an editing goal

After you edit, ask yourself: What kind of mistake did I find most? Make that your goal for next time, like "I'll remember commas before Mom and Dad." Good writers know their own habits and work on them.

Just for fun

Did you hear about the hockey goalie who loved punctuation?

Every time a puck came near the net, he made a full stop!

Hands-on activity

Editing detective and title hunt

You need: a piece of your own writing (or a paragraph a grown-up writes with 6 hidden mistakes), 4 coloured pencils or crayons, and books or song lists at home.

Read your writing four times, once for each letter of CUPS. Use a different pencil for each pass: mark capital mistakes with one colour, usage with another, and so on.
Count your marks for each colour. Which kind of mistake did you make most? Write it as a goal at the bottom of the page.
Title hunt: find 3 short works (a song you like, a chapter in a book, a poem) and 3 long works (a book, a movie, a magazine). Write each title correctly: quotation marks for short works, underlining for long works.
Write 3 sentences that speak to family members by name, using direct address commas: Grandma, your soup is the best!

Your turn

Fix the capital: We waved a canadian flag at the parade.

What is the proper adjective made from Mexico?

Add the comma: Liam can you help me carry the groceries?

Add the comma: Thank you Grandpa.

Punctuate the song title: We sang O Canada at the hockey game.

You're writing the name of a book by hand. How do you show it's a title?

Does this need a comma? My aunt said we could visit.

More practice: warm-up

What is a proper adjective?

Fix: I love japanese gardens.

Add the comma: Yes Mom I'll be home soon.

Do poem titles go in quotation marks or italics?

What do the letters in CUPS stand for?

More practice: on your own

Add commas: I think Nadia that your poem is wonderful.

Explain the difference: Let's eat, Grandma! and Let's eat Grandma!

Punctuate: The first chapter of the book is called Lost in the Snow.

Fix all the capitals: my friend's family makes delicious italian food every sunday.

Use CUPS to fix the usage mistake: Me and Jada has finished the project.

Challenge

Edit with CUPS. There are 9 mistakes: aunt rosa have you ever went to a inuit art show. i saw one in toronto.

Write a short piece of dialogue (2 or 3 lines) where characters speak to each other by name. Use direct address commas and quotation marks correctly.

Why is “In Flanders Fields” in quotation marks, but Anne of Green Gables in italics?

Check your understanding

Quiz

Which sentence is capitalized correctly?

Which sentence uses a direct address comma correctly?

Which sentence needs no comma?

How should the title of a song be written?

Which is a long work that goes in italics (or is underlined by hand)?

In CUPS, what does the U stand for?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: B3.3 for Grade 4 names three specific skills: capital letters for proper adjectives, commas to set off nouns of direct address, and quotation marks to indicate the title of a short work. D2.6 asks children to edit draft texts for spelling, punctuation, grammar and format. Setting their own editing goals connects to Strand A (A1.2).

How to help at home:

Notice proper adjectives on menus and packages: Greek salad, Swiss cheese, Canadian bacon.
When your child writes a note to you, check for the comma before Mom or Dad.
Encourage CUPS as four separate read-throughs. It's much easier to find mistakes when looking for one kind at a time.
Celebrate the mistakes your child finds themselves. Self-editing is the goal.

Common difficulties:

Capitalizing the noun after a proper adjective (Canadian Flag).
Forgetting the second comma when a name is in the middle of a sentence.
Mixing up short and long works. Ask: "Is it a part of something bigger?"
Editing everything at once and missing mistakes. Slow down and read aloud.