Section One: Capitalization
Cap 1 Capitalize the first word of every sentence.
We
had spaghetti for dinner tonight.
Perhaps
we’ll have pizza tomorrow.
Cap 2 Capitalize
the first word of a direct quotation if it begins the sentence. The second part of a divided quotation does
not need a capital letter unless a new sentence begins.
“I came,” said John, “to speak to
the principal.”
“We
came early,” said John. “Where is the
principal?”
Cap 3 Capitalize
proper nouns and adjectives. Do not
capitalize common nouns.
A
proper noun is the name of a particular person (Samuel Curtis), place
(Illinois), or thing (Zest soap).
A
proper adjective is a word made from a proper noun.
A
common noun names an entire class of persons, places, or things.
Common
Noun Proper
Noun Proper
Adjective
country England English
philosopher Plato Platonic
queen Victoria Victorian
Do
not capitalize prefixes, suffixes, or other words that are attached to proper
nouns (pro-, un-, anti-, -speaking).
un-American pro-Italian French-speaking
Cap 4 Common
nouns that are part of proper nouns are capitalized.
Part of Noun Not Part of Noun
Michigan Avenue Bridge a bridge in Chicago
New
York State the
state of New York
Mississippi
Valley the valley of
the Mississippi River
Wabash
River a river in
Indiana
Cap 5 Words modified by proper adjectives are not capitalized
unless they are part of a geographical name.
the
Indian Ocean the
Indian language
the
Irish Sea Irish
whiskey
Cap 6 Capitalize
the first word, the last word, and every important word in the titles of books,
stories, articles, poems, works of art, musical compositions, movies, and
television programs. As a general rule,
all words of five letters or more should be capitalized.
They
read The Old Man and the Sea.
True
Grit was a fine
movie.
“The
Star-Spangled Banner” was sung to lower the flag.
Cap 7 Capitalize
the names of days of the week, of months, and of holidays. Do not capitalize the names of the seasons.
Wednesday the Fourth of
July winter
January Lincoln’s
Birthday Yom Kippur
Cap 8 Capitalize the word I.
Diane
and I walked to the park.
When
I’m happy, I whistle.
Cap 9 Capitalize the words Mr., Mrs., Ms., Miss, Jr., Sr.
NOTE: The period should be used to show
abbreviations.
Cap 10 Capitalize
words that show rank, office, or professions only when used with a person’s
name.
Dr.
Jones (Doctor Jones) Senator
Stern Father Bryce
Lieutenant
O’Reilly Chief Ginsberg Judge Rutherford
Captain
Nash Bishop
Anderson Superintendent
Dawson
Titles
of high officials are capitalized when they are used in place of the official’s
name.
the
President of the United States the
president of the club
the
Prime Minister the
judge or a lawyer
the
Pope the
minister or a priest
Cap 11 Capitalize
degrees and titles after a name.
George Mitchell, Ph.D. Margaret Smith, Attorney
at Law
Cap 12 Capitalize
the title of a relative only when it is followed by the relative’s name.
I saw Uncle Harry talking to Aunt
Rose.
I
saw my uncle talking to my aunt.
NOTE: Words like mother, father, dad, and grandmother
are capitalized when they are used alone in place of a particular person’s
name.
Cap 13 Capitalize the first letter of each word, except prepositions, in a
geographical name.
Continents: Asia, South America, Africa
Bodies
of water: Black Sea, Columbia River,
Hudson Bay, Indian Ocean, Lake Superior, Walden Pond, Gulf of Mexico
Land
forms: Blue Ridge Mountains, the Sahara
Desert, the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, Mount Kilimanjaro, Rock Caverns
Political
units: New York State, the West Indies,
Great Britain, the Soviet Union, Salt Lake City, Cook County
Public
areas: Starved Rock National Park,
Times Square, the Loop, Fort de Chartres
Roads
and highways: Main Street, Route 66,
Ohio Turnpike, Dan Ryan Expressway, Dodge Avenue, Seventy-fifth Place,
McCormick Boulevard
Cap 14 Capitalize names of sections of the country but not of directions of
the compass.
Pilgrims settled in the East. We drove east on the turnpike.
Texas
is in the Southwest. Texas lies
southwest of Illinois.
Cap 15 Capitalize the names of languages, races, nationalities, and
religions. Capitalize words formed from
them.
the Negro people the Jewish
service
a
Dutch trading post a
French dessert
a
Catholic priest the
Puerto Rican holiday
Cap 16 Capitalize
important words in the names of organizations, buildings, firms, schools, and
churches. (Capitalize the only
when it is part of the name.)
the
Federal Airlines Agency Long
Island Railroad
the
Chrysler Building Evanston
Township High School
the
Board of Education National
Board of Trade
The
Ohio State University The
National Observer
Cap 17 Capitalize
the names of historical events, periods, and documents.
the
Battle of Bunker Hill
Dark
Ages
the
Declaration of Independence
Cap 18 Capitalize all words referring to the Deity, the Holy Family, and
sacred books.
God the Virgin Mary the Talmud
Allah Christ the Bible
Cap 19 Capitalize school subjects when they name specific courses, not just
general areas. Always capitalize
languages.
Next year I’ll take Spanish and
history.
Herman
didn’t do too well in History I.
Helen’s favorite course was auto mechanics.