Using Capital Letters

Overview This presentation reviews the rules you

(should) already know as well as some of the tricky aspects of capitalization

It deals with the following topics: Titles Names

SentencesLists

In general, specific names require capitals

Lake Superior, Fred, Great DepressionGeneral names do not require capitals

the prairies, my uncle, a recession

Sentences Capitalize the first word of a sentence And the first word of a quoted sentence

She said, “You are far away from brilliant.” Don’t capitalize the second part of a

fragmented quotation “You are stupid,” she said, “and your

mother dresses you funny.” Don’t capitalize partial quotes

He talked of the “go and get it” of the scheme.

Lists Capitalize sentences that follow a colon

Remember this: Grammar is boring. Capitalize the first word of each item in

a vertical list These punctuation marks are confusing:

Colons Semicolons Dashes

Don’t capitalize words in horizontal lists Language is made up of numerous parts of

speech: nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc.

Titles of books, articles, and songs

Capitalize the first, last, and all important words in a title

Don’t capitalize short articles, prepositions, and conjunctions As You Like ItThe Merry Wives of WindsorLove’s Labours LostTaming of the ShrewThe Merchant of Venice

Names and Titles Capitalize the specific names of people,

places, and institutions Stockwell Day, Alberta, Canadian Alliance

But not general references party leader, communist, fascist, right wing

Capitalize titles that precede (comes before) names Prime Minister Chretien, Aunt Polly

But not when used alone, or after names The minister was demoted to the back benches Bill, my uncle, sat beside Gary Doer, premier of

Manitoba

Names of Groups Capitalize races, religions, and

languages Bosnian, Buddhism, French, Cree

Do not capitalize general references aboriginal, white, black, fundamentalist

Some words vary according to usage A native speaker of English A Native from the Yukon (used as a

substitute for “Indian” Australian Aborigines have certain

aboriginal rights

Product Names Capitalize brand names and trademarks

Coke, Kleenix, Rolex, Popsicle Do not capitalize generic product names

cola, tissues, inline skates, flavoured ice Capitalize words derived from proper

nouns Freudian slip, Swiss cheese, English muffin

Eventually such words lose their capitals pasteurize, french fry, panama hat, scotch

Dates and Directions Capitalize days of the week, months,

holidays Monday, June, Thanksgiving

But not seasons summer, fall, winter

Don’t capitalize directions I drove north for two blocks

Unless it refers to a specific location Fighting broke out in the Middle East Winter roads are common in the North

Course Names Capitalize specific names of courses

History 101, Intermediate Basket-weaving, a Bachelor of Arts degree

But not general references to courses geography, communication, accounting He is studying engineering