Rules for Capitalization

1. Capitalize the first word of a sentence.

2. The first word of a sentence following a colon can begin with a small letter or a capital letter. Be consistent.

3. Capitalize the first word of a direct quote that is a complete sentence, even if it is within another sentence.

4. Capitalize the pronoun I and the injection O.

5. Capitalize the names of proper nouns and the adjectives formed from proper nouns:

• races and nationalities• geographical regions• historical periods• titles of courses• names of buildings, monuments,

and bridges• Names of celestial bodies• Names of streets and roads• Names of religions and terms for

the sacred

Rules continued

6. Capitalize the first letter of last names after the prefixes D’, L’, O’, Mc, and Mac.

7. Capitalize compass directions only when they designate a specific region.

8. Capitalize family relationships only when designate a specific person.

9. Capitalize every word in the titles of works of literature and film except articles, prepositions, conjunctions, and the to in infinitives.

10. Capitalize every word that appears in an address.

11. Capitalize the name of months and days of the week. Capitalize the word day if it appears after a holiday. DO NOT capitalize the seasons.

Rules continued

12. Capitalize titles that come before a proper name. Also capitalize abbreviations of names and titles.

13. Capitalize the first word and every noun of salutations and the first word of closing of letters.

14. Capitalize the first word in every line where there is a numbered or lettered heading, such as an outline.

. . . a guide

to the proper care and feeding

of capital letters

Capitalize the first word of every sentence — unless that sentence is in parentheses incorporated within another sentence.

Capitalize the personal pronoun I.

Glacial till or debris (some geologists call this material “garbage”) is often deposited in formations called morains.

Capitalize the names of family relations when they are used as substitutes for names:I went to visit my Uncle Ted and Aunt Margaret.

I went with my mom and dad to visit my aunt and uncle.

Grandma and Grandpa live with Dad and Mom now.

Notice the role of the modifying pronoun here.

In titles, capitalize the first, last, and all important words. Usually, we don’t capitalize articles, prepositions, and coordinating conjunctions.

In the Lake of the WoodsWar and Peace

I Know This Much Is True

Capitalize names of specific persons, places, and geographical locations.

Don’t capitalize directions.

My brother Charlie, who used to live in the Middle East and write books about the Old West, now lives in Hartford, Connecticut.

They moved up north, to the southern shore of Lake

Erie.

Capitalize names of days of the week, months, and holidays.

Don’t capitalize the names of seasons.

Valentines Day, which is always on February 14, falls on Tuesday this year.

Next fall, before the winter storms begin, we’re heading south.

Capitalize the names of historical events.

Capitalize the names of religions and religious terms.

The Battle of the Bulge was an important event in World War II.

God, Christ, Allah, Buddha, Christianity,

Christians, Judaism, Jews, Islam, Muslims

The Reformation took place in the sixteenth century.

Capitalize the names of nations, nationalities, languages, and words based on such words.

We usually don’t capitalize “white” and “black.”

Somalia, Swedish, English muffin, Irish stew, Japanese maple, Jew’s harp, French horn

There are very few blacks in this predominantly white community.

Capitalize the names of academic courses when they’re used as titles.

Brand names . . . .

He took Carpentry 101, but he did much better in his economics and English literature courses.

Ford, Kleenex, Levi’s (not jeans), xerox on a Xerox copier, Advil (but aspirin)

Capitalize titles when they precede names.

. . . usually not after a name . . . .

Dean Arrington introduced President Carter to Secretary Bogglesworth.

Joe Chuckles, who was chairman of the board of directors in 1995, has since retired.

• Saturn• Milky Way• Big Dipper

HOWEVER, do not capitalize sun or moon.

You can capitalize the names of political entities in in-house publications to avoid confusion.

You would not capitalize those names in a newspaper report, say.

The County and City have agreed to reimburse the federal government for sewer expenses.

At the last council meeting, the county agreed to reimburse the federal government.

Capitalize the first word in every line where there is a numbered or lettered

heading, such as an outline.

Also, capitalize

Arab High School511 Arabian DriveArab, AL 35016

Mrs. English TeacherP.O. Box 1181Arab, Ala. 35016