CAPITALIZATION
1. Capitalize the first word of a sentence.
Writing well takes time and practice.
2. Capitalize words denoting family relationships when they are used before
a name or substituted for a name. Do not capitalize family relationship
names if they are preceded by a possessive word.
He walked with his nephew and Aunt Mimi. OR He walked with his nephew
and his aunt.
Grandmother and Mother are away on vacation. OR My grandmother and
my mother are away on vacation.
3. Capitalize titles of persons when used as part of a proper name but
usually not when used alone.
Professor James Hilton; Dr. Richard Raborn; Ben Scott Jones, Jr.;
Karen Ames, LL.D.
District Attorney Miller was reprimanded for badgering the witness.
The district attorney was elected for a two-year term.
4. Capitalize the first, last, and all major words in titles and subtitles of
works such as books, newspaper and magazine articles, songs, and online
documents. Minor words such as articles of speech, prepositions, and
coordinating conjunctions are not capitalized unless they are the first or
last word of a title or subtitle.
Hard Times
“Hey Jude”
Our Town
Terminator
The Impossible Theater: A Manifesto
5. Capitalize abbreviations after names and abbreviations for departments
and agencies of government, other organizations and corporations;
capitalize the call letter of radio and television stations.
William F. Buckley, Jr.
HSUS
WPTV
FBI
John Freeman, M.D.
IBM
6. Capitalize I and O:
Always capitalize the pronoun I wherever it falls in a sentence or group of
words. Always capitalize the interjection O.
O you are my one true love. It’s true. I love you truly.
7. Capitalize the first word of a quoted sentence but not a quoted phrase.
Quoted sentence: In Time magazine Robert Hughes writes, “There are only
about sixty Watteau paintings.”
Quoted phrase: Russell Baker has written that in our country, sports are “the
opiate of the masses.”
If a quoted sentence is interrupted by explanatory words, do not capitalize the
first word after the interruption.
“Don’t leave the table,” he said, “until you finish eating.”
8. Capitalize proper nouns and adjectives derived from proper nouns.
Names of persons:
Erica Volpe
Oceans, lakes, mountains, deserts, streets, parks:
Lake Huron, Tenth Avenue, Mojave Desert
Educational institutions, schools, courses:
Palm Beach State College, English 1101
States, regions, localities, other geographical divisions:
Iowa, the Middle East, the Northwest
Organizations and their members:
Miami Heat, Girl Scouts, Humane Society
Adjectives derived from proper nouns:
a Shakespearean sonnet, the Romantic era
Countries, nationalities, races, languages:
Italian, French, German, Japanese
Historic eras, periods, documents, laws:
Declaration of Independence, Geneva Convention, Victorian Age
Calendar references such as holidays, days of the week, months:
Easter, Sunday, June
Corporations, governmental agencies or departments, trade names:
Justice Department, U.S. Steel Corporation
Note: Seasons are not capitalized. Names of school subjects are capitalized only if they
are names of language. Names of a particular course are capitalized.
9. Capitalizing after a colon
Do not capitalize the first word after a colon unless it begins a new sentence, in
which case capitalization is optional.
Most of the bar’s patrons can be divided into two groups: the occasional
after-work socializers and the nothing-to-go-home-to regulars.
This we are forced to conclude: The (or the) federal government is
needed to protect minority rights.
Exercises:
Directions: Correct capitalization errors as needed in the following sentences.
1. The millard fillmore society celebrates his Birthday every year on january 7.
2. You can arrive by Train at pennsylvania station at grand central station.
3. The new york stock exchange on wall street is watched around the world.
4. Western songs, including Gene Autry’s version of “back in the saddle
again” and “the yellow rose of texas,” were radio favorites.
5. The american west has been a common topic in popular culture since
early films like the big trail.
Online Resources
Purdue OWL: Capital Letters
Capitalization
Capitalization | Punctuation Rules
ESL Quiz - Capitalization (Charles I. Kelly) I-TESL-J