Up, Up, and Away! Mastering Capitalization

Posted on by Benjamin L. Stewart
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Capitalization in English involves using uppercase letters at the beginning of words in certain contexts. It’s important for proper nouns, titles, and the beginning of sentences. Here’s an overview of the main rules:

  1. Start of Sentences:
    1. Capitalize the first word of a sentence.
    1. Example: “The museum is open.”
  2. Proper Nouns and Proper Adjectives:
    1. Names of specific people, places, organizations, and sometimes things are capitalized.
    1. Example: “Shakespeare wrote many plays.” (Shakespeare is a specific person’s name.)
    1. Proper adjectives (derived from proper nouns) are also capitalized.
    1. Example: “I love Italian food.” (Italian is derived from the proper noun Italy.)
  3. Titles of People:
    1. When used as part of or in place of a person’s name.
    1. Example: “President Lincoln,” but “the president.”
  4. Titles of Works:
    1. Capitalize the first and important words in titles of books, movies, songs, etc.
    1. Example: “Gone with the Wind,” “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
  5. Days, Months, and Holidays:
    1. Days of the week, months of the year, and holidays, but not seasons.
    1. Example: “Monday,” “July,” “Christmas,” but “summer.”
  6. Names of Countries, Nationalities, and Languages:
    1. Example: “France,” “French,” “English.”
  7. First Word of a Quoted Sentence:
    1. Only if the quote is a complete sentence.
    1. Example: He said, “Life is what you make it.”
  8. Acronyms and Initialisms:
    1. All letters in acronyms and initialisms are capitalized.
    1. Example: “NASA,” “FBI.”
  9. I:
    1. The pronoun ‘I’ is always capitalized.
  10. Brand Names:
    1. Names of companies and trademarks.
    1. Example: “Apple,” “Coca-Cola.”
  11. Historical Events and Periods, Specific Geographical Areas:
    1. Example: “World War II,” “the Middle East.”
  12. Religions and Deities:
    1. Names of religions, religious followers, sacred texts, and specific deities.
    1. Example: “Christianity,” “Bible,” “God.”
  13. Family Relationships When Used as Proper Nouns:
    1. When used as names or in place of names.
    1. Example: “I sent a card to Uncle Joe,” but “I sent a card to my uncle.”
  14. School Subjects Only When Specific Courses:
    1. Example: “I’m studying algebra,” but “I’m taking Algebra 101.”
  15. Titles Following Names or When Used in Direct Address:
    1. Example: “I read a book by Author Jane Doe,” but “Jane Doe, the author, wrote a book.”

Remember, there are exceptions and more specific rules, especially regarding compound titles, hyphenated words in titles, or more intricate brand names. Also, these rules can vary slightly depending on the style guide being followed (e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago).