Capitalization

Objective

In this lesson, you’ll learn about capitalization.

Previously Covered:

• In the previous lesson we discussed punctuation.

Capitalization cues readers to pay attention to important things: the beginning of sentences and quotations, names, geographic places, dates, events, and perhaps the most important word for some readers: the singular personal pronoun.

Capitalization and Sentences

We’ll jump right into the basics of capitalization.

Capitalize the first word of a sentence.

Time is our greatest friend and our most spiteful foe.

Capitalize the first word of a quotation that is a complete sentence.

Sara looked at the painting and said, “This is your most colorful work yet.”

When quoting lines of poetry, use the same capitalization that the original poet used. Poet E. E. Cummings, for example, did not use standard capitalization.

E. E. Cummings used unconventional spacing and capitalization. In “in Just—spring” he uses spaces to slow down the rhythm of the poem, and he combines words to speed up the rhythm:

the queer

old balloonman whistles

far and wee

and bettyandisbel come dancing

Capitalization and Nouns

Capitalize proper nouns, including specific names of people, places, buildings, time periods, businesses, and other organizations.

James Manley

Barbara Simmons

Puerto Rico

the Strait of Gibraltar

the Eiffel Tower

the Jurassic period

the Enlightenment

Mansfield Light and Electric

the Bayville Volunteer Cleanup Squad

Capitalize all words in the title of a major work except articles, prepositions, and coordinating conjunctions. Also capitalize the first and last words, regardless of part of speech.

“Ode on a Grecian Urn”

“We Are Seven”

“Out, Out–”

Pride and Prejudice

Of Mice and Men

Capitalize all letters in acronyms.

NASA

SAT

MRI

Capitalize days of the week, months, and holidays.

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, . . .

January, February, March, . . .

Fourth of July

Thanksgiving Day

Capitalize abstract nouns when they are discussed as concepts and you want to emphasize them. Also capitalize specific abstract nouns such as religious groups and artistic periods, if the name of the period comes up from a proper noun.

The search for Truth had finally started.

Cynicism

Romanesque

Judaism

When Not to Capitalize

Do not capitalize the first word of a phrase or sentence set apart by dashes.

Instead of: I can’t believe it—We won the blue ribbon!

Use : I can’t believe it—we won the blue ribbon!

Do not capitalize the directions north, south, east, and west, unless these words are part of a proper noun.

Capitalize: the North Pole, South Africa, East 7 th Street

Don’t capitalize : Turn north onto Meridian Street, go five blocks, and turn east.

Do not capitalize the seasons of the year unless these words are part of a proper noun.

Capitalize : the Spring Dance, Winter Solstice

Don’t capitalize: Because I live where it’s quite hot, I love the coast of Maine in summer.

As discussed previously, do not capitalize the first word of a quotation when the quotation is not a complete sentence.

The Gray Areas of Capitalization

Because the writing habits of people influence grammar conventions, these rules constantly change. You may have already noticed that rules of capitalization differ from one textbook to the next. Capitalization rules for titles and groups of people seem to be some of the most changeable rules.

Capitalization varies at the beginning of an independent clause following a colon. You can begin the second independent clause with a lowercase or an uppercase letter.

That’s what I want to teach my children: Love yourself first, then you’ll have plenty of love for the rest of the world.

Listen carefully to my task list for today: mow the lawn, walk the Siberian Husky, and glaze the stained glass.

In general, capitalize national, political, and ethnic group names.

the Italian people

Democrats and Republicans

Mayans

the Balinese

Capitalize national, political, and ethnic group names in phrases that include these group names.

my English class

Japanese cars

Typically, you should not capitalize racial, economic, and social group names. However, words such as Hispanic and Asian American are often capitalized.

the upper echelons

blue-collar workers

churchgoers

Capitalize titles that come before names. Less formal titles, such as aunt and uncle, may be capitalized or not capitalized when referring to a specific person.

Ms. Daly

Professor Quinoa

my Cousin Gerald or my cousin Gerald

Don’t capitalize titles that stand alone when the title is very general.

my cousin

the jury foreman

the police officer

Capitalize academic or professional titles that follow a name.

Carey Byron, Ph.D.

Mason Moore, D.O.

Question

Identify the choice with the capitalization error.

1. We boarded the plane for Canada on March 21, 1991.
2. My father used to say, “You know you’re almost home when you see the Statue of Liberty.”
3. Every Fall, we go to the town of East Peoria to hear the local symphony.
4. My pet hamster Roberta loves lunch.

Reveal Answer

Answer C contains the error. Although East Peoria is properly capitalized, Fall should not be capitalized because it is a season. Choice A correctly capitalizes the place Canada and the month March. Choice B correctly capitalizes Statue of Liberty and the first word in the quotation, and father is appropriately lowercased. Choice D correctly capitalizes the name Roberta. All four choices capitalize the first word in the sentence.

Review of Capitalization

• Capitalize proper nouns, titles, acronyms, calendar words, and abstract nouns that you want to emphasize.
• Capitalization rules change, and grammarians disagree about some rules. Use the dictionary if you have a question.

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