Capitalization
Capitalization
Capitalization is the writing of a word with its first letter
in uppercase and the remaining letters in lowercase.
Capitalization Rule 1. Capitalize the first word of a document
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and the first word after a period.
Rule 2. Capitalize proper nouns—and
We have rules to capitalize correctly:
adjectives derived from proper nouns.
Rule 4. Capitalize titles when they are used before names, unless
the title is followed by a comma. Do not capitalize the title if it is
used after a name or instead of a name.
EX: Chairman of the Board William Bly will preside at the
conference.
Capitalization
The chairman of the board, William Bly, will preside.
NOTE: Out of respect, some writers and publishers choose to
capitalize the highest ranks in government, royalty, religion, etc.
rules EX: The President arrived.
Titles are not the same as occupations. Do not capitalize
occupations before full names.
We have rules to capitalize correctly:
EX: director Steven Spielberg
Capitalize a formal title when it is used as a direct address. The
more formal the title, the more likely it is to be capitalized.
EX: Will you take my temperature, Doctor?
Rule 5. Capitalize relatives' family names when they
immediately precede a personal name, or when they are
used alone in place of a personal name.
Capitalization EX: I found out that Mom is here. / You look good,
Grandpa.
rules However, these monikers are not capitalized when they
are used with possessive nouns or pronouns, or when
We have rules to capitalize correctly:
they follow the personal name, or when they do not refer
to a specific person.
EX: My mom is here. / Joe's grandpa looks well.
Rule 6. Capitalize nicknames in all cases.
EX: Meet my brothers, Junior and Benji.
Capitalization Rule 7. Capitalize specific geographical regions. Do not
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capitalize points of the compass.
EX: We had three relatives visit from the West. (REGION)
We have rules to capitalize correctly:
EX: Go west three blocks and then turn left. (POINTS OF
THE COMPASS)
Rule 8. In general, do not capitalize the word the before proper nouns.
EX: We visited the Grand Canyon.
Capitalization In special cases, if the word the is an inseparable part of something's
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official title, it may be capitalized.
EX: We visited The Room.
We have rules to capitalize correctly: Rule 9. It is not necessary to capitalize city, town, county, etc., if it comes
before the proper name.
EX: the city of New York (BEFORE THE PROPER NAME)
New York City (AFTER THE PROPER NAME)
Rule 10. Always capitalize the first word in a complete quotation, even
midsentence.
EX: Lamar said, "The case is not over, and we’ll win."
Capitalization Rule 11. For emphasis, writers sometimes capitalize a midsentence
independent clause or question.
rules EX: One of her cardinal rules was, Never betray a friend.
It made me wonder, What is mankind's destiny?
We have rules to capitalize correctly:
Rule 12. Capitalize the names of specific course titles, but not general
academic subjects.
EX: I must take history and Algebra 101.
He has a double major in European economics and philosophy.
Rule 13. Capitalize art movements.
EX: I like Surrealism, but I never understood Abstract
Capitalization Expressionism.
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Rule 14. Do not capitalize the first item in a list that
follows a colon.
We have rules to capitalize correctly:
EX: Bring the following: paper, a pencil, and a snack.
Rule 15. Do not capitalize "the national anthem."
CAPITALIZATION OF A COMPOSITION TITLE
The following rules for capitalizing composition titles are virtually universal.
● Capitalize the title’s first and last word.
● Capitalize all adjectives, adverbs, and nouns.
● Capitalize all pronouns (including it).
● Capitalize all verbs, including the verb to be in all forms (is, are, was, has been, etc.).
● Capitalize no, not, and the interjection O (e.g., How Long Must I Wait, O Lord?).
● Do not capitalize an article (a, an, the) unless it is first or last in the title.
● Do not capitalize a coordinating conjunction (and, or, nor, but, for, yet, so) unless it is first or last in the title.
● Do not capitalize prepositions, the word to, with or without an infinitive, unless it is first or last in the title.
Example: The King's English: A Guide to Modern Usage
https://www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/capital.asp
IMPORTANT FACT!
The main function of capitals is to
focus attention on particular
elements within any group of
people, places, or things.
We can speak of a volcano in the
middle of the country, or we can be
more specific and say Chimborazo
Volcano, which distinguishes it from
every other volcano on earth.
CAPITALIZATION REFERENCE LIST
● EXAMPLES:
● Coca Cola, Pepsi, Mc Donald’s
● Brand names
Google, Apple, Facebook
● Companies ● Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, etc. / November, August, September
● Days of the week and months of the year ● Ministry of Education, American Embassy
● Governmental matters ● the Inquisition, the American Revolutionary War, the Great Depression
● Historical episodes and eras ● Christmas, New Year’s Eve, Independence Day
● Holidays ● Oxford College, the Juilliard School of Music, UDLA University
● Institutions ● the Empire State Building, the Eiffel Tower, the Titanic
● Berlin, Quito, Guayaquil
● Man Made structures
● Mount Everest, the Hoover Dam, Chimborazo Volcano
● Man Made territories
● Andrew "Old Hickory" Jackson; Babe Ruth, the Sultan of Swat
● Natural and manmade landmarks
● American Center for Law and Justice, Norwegian Ministry of the Environment
● Nicknames and epithets
● Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, but policies vary on capitalizing earth, and it is
● Organizations usually not capitalized unless it is being discussed specifically as a planet: We learned that Earth
● Planets travels through space at 66,700 miles per hour.
● Races, nationalities, and tribes ● Eskimo, Navajo, East Indian, Caucasian, African American (Note: white and black in reference to race
● Religions and names of deities are lowercase)
● Special occasions ● Catholic, Mormon, Christian, etc. Note: Capitalize the Bible (but biblical). Do not capitalize heaven, hell,
● Streets and roads the devil, satanic.
● the Olympic Games, the Cannes Film Festival
● Main Street, Damasco Road, 6 de Diciembre Avenue
https://www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/capital.asp
Capitalization check
1. My all-time favorite book is charlotte’s web by E.B. White.
2. Have you seen the new star wars movie?
3. every time Kim gets a part in a play, She manages to embarrass herself.
4. On Monday, Miss Jenkins will assign our Science Project Topics.
5. My Parents took a cruise up the amazon river.
6. Whenever we go to mcDonald’s, I always order a big mac.
7. Mr. Tice called out, “where have the two of you been?”
8. Phoebe’s favorite character in all of greek Mythology is medusa.
Capitalization check
1. My all-time favorite book is Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White.
2. Have you seen the new Star Wars movie?
3. Every time Kim gets a part in a play, she manages to embarrass herself.
4. On Monday, Miss Jenkins will assign our science project topics.
5. My parents took a cruise up the Amazon River.
6. Whenever we go to McDonald’s, I always order a Big Mac.
7. Mr. Tice called out, “Where have the two of you been?”
8. Phoebe’s favorite character in all of Greek mythology is Medusa.
GROUP WORK:
CAPITALIZATION
WORKSHEET
(GOOGLE DOC)
