Capitalization
Here are the capitalization rules as described in Ann Hogue’s The Essentials of English: A Writer’s Handbook.
“I” PRONOUN
Cap1 - When the “I” is used as a pronoun, it is capitalized (1st person singular).
* I love lobster!
* Lucky is happy when I come home.
FIRST WORD OF A SENTENCE
Cap2 - Capitalize the first word of a quoted sentence.
* My mother always says, “Trying is forgiving.”
Cap3 - When a list of questions follow a colon (:), capitalize the first letter of each question even if they are
not complete sentences.
* The children couldn’t decide what to order: A cheeseburger or fried chicken? French fries or onion
rings? Lemonade or milk?
HINT: Do not capitalize single words or short phrases after a colon.
* Merlin wants the following toys: a plush mouse, a ball, a teddy bear, and a tower.
PROPER NOUNS
Cap4 – Capitalize all proper nouns (specific names, places, or things).
* (name) John is a great hockey player.
* (place) I attended University of Moncton.
VS.
I visited three universities last month.
VS.
My mother is the best cook.
* (thing) The Slap Chop really works!
* Mother is the best cook.
Capitalization (continued)
Cap5 - Capitalize titles only when they are part of a proper noun.
* I think Professor Bertrand is tough.
VS.
I went to see the professor yesterday.
* Attorney General Blais is doing a great job.
VS.
The attorney general is a great lady.
* Yes, Doctor Wallis says it’s nothing.
VS.
I went to see my doctor today.
* Oh my goodness, it’s Queen Elizabeth!
VS.
The queen of England waved at us.
Cap6 – Capitalize races, ethnic groups, languages, nationalities.
* I speak French and English.
* My friend married an Australian.
HINT: When the words black or white are used to describe a race, do not capitalize them.
* There are blacks, whites, Hispanics, and Asians attending University of Moncton.
Cap7- Capitalize specific places and geographic areas.
* Santa Clause lives at the North Pole.
* I traveled to the South, to the Middle East, and to the Gulf of Mexico.
*To show our support, we all drove to Moncton to attend the ceremony.
HINT : Do not capitalize compass directions.
* Before turning south, drive two blocks west.
Cap8 – Capitalize specific times: days of the week, months, and holidays.
* She was born on Tuesday, June 4th.
* Chocolate is the best part of Easter.
HINT : Do not capitalize seasons.
* I prefer summer and winter to fall and spring.
Capitalization (continued)
Cap9 – Capitalize specific school/university courses.
* I thought Modern American Literature 1245 was going to be easy; I was wrong.
* He is a great teacher for Chemistry 101.
HINT: Do not capitalize school subjects unless they are a language.
* This semester, Jacob has math, physics, English, cooking, and French.
HINT: Do not capitalize names of academic degrees unless they are part of a title and after a person's
name.
* I will be doing the master of arts degree.
VS.
I will be known as Raymonde Côté-Bertrand,
Master of Arts.
TITLES AND SUBTITLES (of books, essays, movies, etc.)
Cap10 – Capitalize the first word, the last word, and all important words in titles and subtitles.
* I love the movie The Beauty and the Beast.
* I used The Essentials of English: A Writer’s Handbook to write my notes.
HINT: Do not capitalize articles (a, an, the), prepositions (of, to, with, etc.), or coordinating
conjunctions (and, but, or, nor, for, so, yet) unless they begin or finish the title.
LETTER GREETINGS AND CLOSINGS
Cap11- Capitalize the greeting and the first word of the closing in letters.
Greetings
Closings
* Dear Sir or Madam:
* Love always,
* Dear Mom,
* Sincerely yours,
Capitalization (continued)
ABBREVIATIONS
Cap12 – Some abbreviations are capitalized. If you are not sure, check in the dictionary.
* CSI
= Crime Scene Investigation
* MLA = Modern Language Association
EXTRA:
* ESL
= English as a Second Language
* BA
= Bachelor of Arts
Internet = always capitalized.
www = World Wide Web = always capitalized.
I surfed the Net = always capitalized.
I surfed the Web = always capitalized.