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Capitalization

MASTER 16 RULES OF CAPITALIZATION

Rule 1:Capitalize the first word of a sentence.

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

CAUTION:

Words after a semicolon are not usually capitalized.

Consider the lilies of the field; they toil not, neither do they spin.

Rule 2: Capitalize proper nouns . A proper noun names a specific person, place, or thing.

Common noun:

The city was dark and empty.

Proper noun:

The city of Metropolis was dark and empty.

Rule 3: Capitalize proper adjectives. Proper adjectives are made from proper nouns.

French toast

Norway maple

Rocky Mountain spotted fever

Labrador retriever

Rule 4: Capitalize a title when used with a person's name.

Professor Art Official

BUT a professor

Dr. Serge E. Call

BUT a doctor

Rule 5: Capitalize each letter in abbreviations made from capitalized words.

IRS (Internal Revenue Service)
NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People)

NOTE:

Some abbreviations are capitalized even though the words they stand for are not.

RBI (runs batted in)

MS (manuscript)

Rule 6: Capitalize days of the week, months, and special days.

Tuesday

January

Independence Day

CAUTION:

Do not capitalize the seasons.

Not:the Fall semester
But:the fall semester

Rule 7: Capitalize major words in a title.

Books:

Gone with the Wind

Newspapers:

The Christian Science Monitor

Poems:

"Dover Beach"

Plays:

Death of a Salesman

Short 

Stories:

 

"The Lady, or the Tiger?"

NOTE:

Articles (such as a, the), prepositions (such as of, with), and conjunctions (such as or) of fewer than five letters do not get capitalized unless they begin a title.

Rule 8: Always capitalize the pronoun I, even in contractions.

I'm not sure what I did to offend you, but I’ll surely make up for it.

Rule 9: Capitalize a region of the country or world; do not capitalize a direction.

The Confederacy is also referred to as the South.

BUT

Many retirees go south during the winter.

Rule 10: Capitalize the name of a place, organization, or business only if you give its actual title.

Oak Street Pharmacy

BUT

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

the pharmacy on Oak Street

a television network

Rule 11: Capitalize words such as mother only if used as a title.

What big eyes you have, Grandmother!

BUT

My grandmother has big eyes.

Rule 12: Capitalize a rank or title only when used with a name.

I met General Colin Powell.

BUT

A general must consider the welfare of the troops.

NOTE:

If you can put the word any in front of a noun, that noun should NOT be capitalized.

Rule 13: Capitalize the name of a specific institution, not of a type of institution.

We attended Fullerton High School from 1991 to 1995.

BUT

I should have taken more math courses in high school.

Rule 14: Capitalize the name of an official academic course, not a branch of learning.

No one got higher than a B in Biology 101.

BUT

I have always had a hard time with biology.

Rule 15: Capitalize a sacred name, not a secular word made from it.

God

a godlike figure

the Koran

a scriptural story

Rule 16: Learn to deal with words with two meanings.

George Bush is a Republican; Jimmy Carter is a republican.

In the case of George Bush, Republican refers to an official political party and should be capitalized. In the case of Jimmy Carter, republican refers only to a type of government and should not be capitalized.

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