{"id":102,"date":"2017-09-04T06:25:09","date_gmt":"2017-09-04T06:25:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/americanboard.org\/Subjects\/english\/?page_id=102"},"modified":"2017-09-21T14:56:02","modified_gmt":"2017-09-21T14:56:02","slug":"capitalization","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/americanboard.org\/Subjects\/english\/capitalization\/","title":{"rendered":"Capitalization"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"twelve columns\" style=\"margin-top: 10%;\">\n<div class=\"advance\"><a class=\"button button-primary\" href=\"http:\/\/americanboard.org\/Subjects\/english\/punctuation\">\u2b05 Previous Lesson<\/a>\u00a0<a class=\"button\" href=\"http:\/\/americanboard.org\/Subjects\/english\/standard-english-language-conventions\">Workshop Index<\/a>\u00a0<a class=\"button button-primary\" href=\"http:\/\/americanboard.org\/Subjects\/english\/abbreviations\">Next Lesson \u27a1<\/a><\/div>\n<p><!-- CONTENT BEGINS HERE --><\/p>\n<h1 id=\"title\">Capitalization<\/h1>\n<h4>Objective<\/h4>\n<p>In this lesson, you\u2019ll learn about capitalization.<\/p>\n<h4>Previously Covered:<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>In the previous lesson we discussed punctuation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<h4>Capitalization and Sentences<\/h4>\n<p>We\u2019ll jump right into the basics of capitalization.<\/p>\n<p>Capitalize the first word of a sentence.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong> Time<\/strong> is our greatest friend and our most spiteful foe.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Capitalize the first word of a quotation that is a complete sentence.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Sara looked at the painting and said, \u201c<strong>This<\/strong> is your most colorful work yet.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>E. E. Cummings used unconventional spacing and capitalization. In \u201cin Just\u2014spring\u201d he uses spaces to slow down the rhythm of the poem, and he combines words to speed up the rhythm:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>the queer<\/p>\n<p>old balloonman whistles<\/p>\n<p>far and wee<\/p>\n<p>and bettyandisbel come dancing<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h4>Capitalization and Nouns<\/h4>\n<p>Capitalize <abbr title=\"Proper noun \u2013 Names a specific person, place, thing, or abstraction \"><strong>proper nouns<\/strong><\/abbr>, including specific names of people, places, buildings, time periods, businesses, and other organizations.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>James Manley<\/p>\n<p>Barbara Simmons<\/p>\n<p>Puerto Rico<\/p>\n<p>the Strait of Gibraltar<\/p>\n<p>the Eiffel Tower<\/p>\n<p>the Jurassic period<\/p>\n<p>the Enlightenment<\/p>\n<p>Mansfield Light and Electric<\/p>\n<p>the Bayville Volunteer Cleanup Squad<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Capitalize all words in the title of a major work except <abbr title=\" Article \u2013 The words a, an, and the\"><strong>articles,<\/strong><\/abbr> <abbr title=\" Preposition \u2013 a word that the defines the relationship of a noun or pronoun to another word or element in the sentence; for example, in, over, because, after \"><strong>prepositions,<\/strong><\/abbr> and <abbr title=\"Coordinating conjunction \u2013 Words like but and and, which join two independent clauses \"><strong>coordinating conjunctions.<\/strong><\/abbr> Also capitalize the first and last words, regardless of part of speech.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cOde on a Grecian Urn\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe Are Seven\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOut, Out\u2013\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Pride and Prejudice<\/p>\n<p>Of Mice and Men<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Capitalize all letters in acronyms.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>NASA<\/p>\n<p>SAT<\/p>\n<p>MRI<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Capitalize days of the week, months, and holidays.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, . . .<\/p>\n<p>January, February, March, . . .<\/p>\n<p>Fourth of July<\/p>\n<p>Thanksgiving Day<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Capitalize <abbr title=\" Abstract noun \u2013 A noun that names a concept or idea. Also called an abstraction. \"><strong>abstract nouns<\/strong><\/abbr> 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.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The search for Truth had finally started.<\/p>\n<p>Cynicism<\/p>\n<p>Romanesque<\/p>\n<p>Judaism<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h4>When Not to Capitalize<\/h4>\n<p>Do not capitalize the first word of a phrase or sentence set apart by dashes.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Instead of: I can\u2019t believe it\u2014<strong>We<\/strong> won the blue ribbon!<\/p>\n<p>Use : I can\u2019t believe it\u2014<strong>we<\/strong> won the blue ribbon!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Do not capitalize the directions north, south, east, and west, unless these words are part of a proper noun.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Capitalize: the North Pole, South Africa, East 7 th Street<\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t capitalize : Turn north onto Meridian Street, go five blocks, and turn east.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Do not capitalize the seasons of the year unless these words are part of a proper noun.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Capitalize : the Spring Dance, Winter Solstice<\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t capitalize: Because I live where it\u2019s quite hot, I love the coast of Maine in summer.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>As discussed previously, do not capitalize the first word of a quotation when the quotation is not a complete sentence.<\/p>\n<h4>The Gray Areas of Capitalization<\/h4>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>That\u2019s what I want to teach my children: <strong>Love<\/strong> yourself first, then you\u2019ll have plenty of love for the rest of the world.<\/p>\n<p>Listen carefully to my task list for today: <strong>mow<\/strong> the lawn, walk the Siberian Husky, and glaze the stained glass.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>In general, capitalize national, political, and ethnic group names.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>the Italian people<\/p>\n<p>Democrats and Republicans<\/p>\n<p>Mayans<\/p>\n<p>the Balinese<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Capitalize national, political, and ethnic group names in phrases that include these group names.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>my English class<\/p>\n<p>Japanese cars<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Typically, you should not capitalize racial, economic, and social group names. However, words such as Hispanic and Asian American are often capitalized.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>the upper echelons<\/p>\n<p>blue-collar workers<\/p>\n<p>churchgoers<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Ms. Daly<\/p>\n<p>Professor Quinoa<\/p>\n<p>my Cousin Gerald <em>or <\/em>my cousin Gerald<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Don\u2019t capitalize titles that stand alone when the title is very general.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>my cousin<\/p>\n<p>the jury foreman<\/p>\n<p>the police officer<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Capitalize academic or professional titles that follow a name.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Carey Byron, Ph.D.<\/p>\n<p>Mason Moore, D.O.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<section class=\"question\">\n<h4>Question<\/h4>\n<p>Identify the choice with the capitalization error.<\/p>\n<ol type=\"A\">\n<li>We boarded the plane for Canada on March 21, 1991.<\/li>\n<li>My father used to say, \u201cYou know you\u2019re almost home when you see the Statue of Liberty.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Every Fall, we go to the town of East Peoria to hear the local symphony.<\/li>\n<li>My pet hamster Roberta loves lunch.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><a class=\"button button-primary q-answer\"> Reveal Answer <\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"q-reveal\" style=\"display: none;\">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.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<h4>Review of Capitalization<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>Capitalize proper nouns, titles, acronyms, calendar words, and abstract nouns that you want to emphasize.<\/li>\n<li>Capitalization rules change, and grammarians disagree about some rules. Use the dictionary if you have a question.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><!-- CONTENT ENDS HERE --><\/p>\n<div class=\"advance\"><a class=\"button button-primary\" href=\"http:\/\/americanboard.org\/Subjects\/english\/punctuation\">\u2b05 Previous Lesson<\/a>\u00a0<a class=\"button\" href=\"http:\/\/americanboard.org\/Subjects\/english\/standard-english-language-conventions\">Workshop Index<\/a>\u00a0<a class=\"button button-primary\" href=\"http:\/\/americanboard.org\/Subjects\/english\/abbreviations\">Next Lesson \u27a1<\/a><\/div>\n<p><a class=\"backtotop\" href=\"#title\">Back to Top<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u2b05 Previous Lesson\u00a0Workshop Index\u00a0Next Lesson \u27a1 Capitalization Objective In this lesson, you\u2019ll 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 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-102","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/americanboard.org\/Subjects\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/102","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/americanboard.org\/Subjects\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/americanboard.org\/Subjects\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanboard.org\/Subjects\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanboard.org\/Subjects\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=102"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/americanboard.org\/Subjects\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/102\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":315,"href":"https:\/\/americanboard.org\/Subjects\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/102\/revisions\/315"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/americanboard.org\/Subjects\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=102"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}