Rules of Spelling and Punctuation
hacek is used for hushing sounds
s = š
c = č
y = ž
r = ř
following are hard consonants d, t, n, h, ch, k, r - - If these hard consonants are followed by the plt or blt sound, the sound must be spelled with a y or ý, thus
kdyby (byl), týden, žádný, hybny, chytrý, kytice, rytíř.
soft consonants ď, ť, ň, ž, š, č, ř and c and j = If these are followed by the ee (bee, see) sound, the spund must be followed spelled with an i or í.
neutral consonants b, p, v, f, m, l, s, z = = are followed by either i, í, y, ý according to their origin or derivation. When you add a prefix before words like účel, the long u is retained; bezúčelný.
Use of Capital Lettes
There is a difference in the usage of capital letters in Czech and English.
Example
Yesterday was Wednesday, July 14, 1963.
Včera byla středa, 14 července 1963.
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Consequently, days of the week and month are not capitalized. Note also that a simple period is used after the date.
* * * * * * *
Proper nouns - names of persons, places, things, nations,etc. titles of books, films (but not religious bodies or organizations), etc. take capitals. Capitals are not used for emphasis or for news headlines in Czech. On the whole, the use of capital letters is rather restricted in Czech.
Example:
Karel Dvořák, Wilsonovo nádraží, Dunaj, Angličan, Čechy, Smetana opera, "Prodaná navěsta", etc., and Naše římsko-katolická cirkev; Veliká slovanská podporudíci jednota.
Commas
Commas are used:
before and after a relative clause: Ztrátil jsem knihu, kterou mí dál.
before and after a noun clause: Je dobře, že tomu rozumíš.
before and after an adjective clause: Všechen cukr, všechna káva.
before and after an advervialclause; Jakmile mě uviděl, šel pryč.
Quotation marks
Quotation marks are always preceded by a colon. In Czech, the first quotation marks are on the line, not inverted, and are inverted at the end of the quotation. The trend in the United States is to use the standard English quotation marks - "".
Example:
Otec řekl synovi: "Pokračuj a uč se!"