Name Grammar

6.2.1

Titles in Italics

A title is the name of a creative work. Writers indicate titles in certain ways. For longer
works, such as books, movies, plays, or the names of newspapers or magazines, writers
underline titles when they are writing them by hand. When these titles are printed,
they appear in italics.

Book Title
The Girl Who Rode Like the Wind

> Identify the titles in the following examples, and write them in the space provided. (2 points each)

1.    Our local Daily Recorder had a story of a boy who raised horses.
Daily Recorder

2.    Allen Verman wrote a book about his childhood pet entitled My Very Best Friend.
My Very Best Friend

3.    The movie about five castaways was called Trapped on an Island.

Trapped on an Island

4.    I learned a lot about animals from the movie Friends, Servants, and Saviors.
Friends, Servants, and Saviors

5.    The film My Pretty Pony told the story of a young woman and her horse.
My Pretty Pony

> Revisit a piece of your writing. Edit the draft to make sure all titles are correctly
formatted.

Grade 5 • Proper Mechanics and Writing Titles Printable

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Name Grammar
6.2.2

Titles in Quotation Marks

A title is the name given to a creative work. Writers indicate titles in certain ways. The
titles of shorter works, such as stories, articles, TV programs, or songs, appear in
quotation marks.

TV Program Title
“Animals on the Farm”

> Identify the titles in the following examples, and write them properly in the space
provided. (1 point each)

1.    The article in the magazine was called Great Trail Adventures. “Great Trail Adventures”

2.    Arnold wrote a song called Black Like Coal about his horse. “Black Like Coal”

3.    The castaway passed the time by writing a poem called On This Island. “On This Island”

4.    His favorite program, Animal Adventures, ran on Saturday nights. “Animal Adventures”

5.    The Animal That Saved Me was published in a collection of animal stories. “The Animal That Saved Me”

> Decide if the following titles should be underlined or placed in quotation marks. (1 point each)

6.    The class read a fascinating book called What Animals Know. What Animals Know

7.    Aisha recited the poem The Boy Who Loved to Ride. “The Boy Who Loved to Ride”

8.    The article came from the magazine Adventure Stories. Adventure Stories

9.    We put on a play called Into the Night. Into the Night

10.    Manny wrote a poem called Morning Has Broken. “Morning Has Broken”

> Revisit a piece of your writing. Edit the draft to make sure all titles are correctly
formatted.

Grade 5 • Proper Mechanics and Writing Titles Printable

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Name Grammar
6.2.3

Capitalizing Titles

A title is the name given to a creative work. Writers follow special rules for capitalizing
letters at the beginning of words in titles. The first and last words of a title always
begin with a capital letter. Most other words begin with capital letters, too. However,
articles, coordinating conjunctions, and short prepositions never begin with capital
letters unless they are the first or last word of the title.

The Boy Who Ran for Gold and Glory

> Write the following titles using the proper capitalization. (1 point each)

1.    living on a desert island Living on a Desert Island

2.    the girl who loved to ride in the hills The Girl Who Loved to Ride in the Hills

3.    racing against the wind and rain Racing Against the Wind and Rain

4.    in the land of the tallest trees In the Land of the Tallest Trees

> Identify the titles in the sentences below, and write them using the proper
capitalization and punctuation. (2 points each)

5.    After I read the book partners in adventure, I wanted to get a horse.

Partners in Adventure

6.    The poem when the thunder cracks gave me the chills.

“When the Thunder Cracks”

7.    I read a short story about horses in the book tales of the wild west.
Tales of the Wild West

> Revisit a piece of your writing. Edit the draft to make sure all titles are correctly
formatted.

Grade 5 • Proper Mechanics and Writing Titles Printable

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Name Grammar
6.2.4

Review Proper Mechanics and Writing Titles

Titles of longer works, such as books, movies, and plays, should be underlined when
they are handwritten. They should be set in italics when they are typed. Titles of
shorter works, such as stories, poems, and songs, should be placed inside quotation
marks.

> Identify the titles in the following examples and indicate what kind of treatment
they require. (1 point each)

1.    When I was a child, my favorite TV show was Prairie Days.

Prairie Days; italics or underlining

2.    The author wrote a book about the state’s early settlers called Hearty Folk.
Hearty Folk; italics or underlining

3.    Henry wrote a poem called The Mountain Pass.

The Mountain Pass; quotation marks

4.    The magazine article was titled Tales from the Trail.

Tales from the Trail; quotation marks

5.    In the movie Finding the Frontier, the young girl learned to gather wild berries.
Finding the Frontier; italics or underlining

> Provide for the proper capitalization of the sample titles given. (1 point each)

6.    my life in the wilderness My Life in the Wilderness

7.    the life and times of a mountain man The Life and Times of a Mountain Man

8.    of mountain high and river wide Of Mountain High and River Wide

9.    life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness

10.    the elephant who tried to swim in the ocean The Elephant Who Tried to Swim in the Ocean

> Revisit a piece of your writing. Edit the draft to make sure all titles are correctly
formatted.

Grade 5 • Proper Mechanics and Writing Titles Printable

© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Name Grammar
6.2.5

Connect to Writing: Using Titles Correctly

> Read the selection and choose the best answer to each question.
Tina wrote about books she has read this year. Read her paragraph and look for any revisions she should
make. Then answer the questions that follow.

Books I’ve Read

(1) I started with Tips for Horseback Riding. (2) I like to ride horses and want
to get better. (3) Next I read The Long Trail over the Mountains. (4) It is a novel about
a horse race. (5) There is a movie based on the book called The Long Trail. (6) I
finished by reading Galloping in the Galaxy, which is a science fiction novel about
horses.

1. Sentence 1 contains an error. Which of the following ways could you rewrite the sentence?

A. I started with, Tips for Horseback Riding,

B. I started with “Tips for Horseback Riding.”
C. I started with Tips for Horseback Riding.
D. Make no change.

2. Which of the following ways should Sentence 5 be rewritten?

A. There is a movie based on the book called “The Long Trail.”

B. There is a movie based on the book called The Long Trail.
C. There is a movie based on the book called, The Long Trail.
D. Make no change.

> What book have you read recently? Write two or three sentences about it.
(Responses will vary.)

Grade 5 • Proper Mechanics and Writing Titles Printable

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