Capitalization is
the writing of a word with its first letter in uppercase and the remaining letters
in lowercase. Experienced writers are stingy with capitals. It is best not to
use them if there is any doubt.
Rule 1. Capitalize the first word of a document and the
first word after a period.
Rule 2. Capitalize
proper nouns—and adjectives derived from proper nouns.
Examples:
the Golden Gate Bridge
the Grand Canyon
a Russian song
a Shakespearean sonnet
a Freudian slip
With the passage of time, some words originally
derived from proper nouns have taken on a life, and authority, of their own and
no longer require capitalization.
Examples:
herculean (from the mythological hero Hercules)
quixotic (from the hero of the classic novel Don Quixote)
draconian (from ancient-Athenian lawgiver Draco)
The main function of capitals is to focus attention on
particular elements within any group of people, places, or things. We can speak
of a lake in the middle of the country, or we can be more specific
and say Lake Michigan, which distinguishes it from every other lake
on earth.
Capitalization Reference List
·
Brand names
·
Companies
·
Days of the week and
months of the year
·
Governmental matters
Congress (but congressional), the U.S.
Constitution (but constitutional), the Electoral
College, Department of Agriculture. Note: Many authorities
do not capitalize federal or state unless it
is part of the official title: State Water Resources Control Board,
but state water board; Federal Communications Commission,
but federal regulations.
·
Historical episodes
and eras
the Inquisition, the American Revolutionary War, the Great Depression
·
Holidays
·
Institutions
Oxford College, the Juilliard School of Music
·
Manmade structures
the Empire State Building, the Eiffel Tower, the Titanic
·
Manmade territories
Berlin, Montana, Cook County
·
Natural and manmade
landmarks
Mount Everest, the Hoover Dam
·
Nicknames and
epithets
Andrew "Old Hickory" Jackson; Babe Ruth, the Sultan of Swat
·
Organizations
American Center for Law and Justice, Norwegian Ministry of the Environment
·
Planets
Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, but
policies vary on capitalizing earth, and it is usually not
capitalized unless it is being discussed specifically as a planet: We
learned that Earth travels through space at 66,700 miles per hour.
·
Races, nationalities,
and tribes
Eskimo, Navajo, East Indian, Caucasian, African American (Note: white and black in
reference to race are lowercase)
·
Religions and names
of deities
Note: Capitalize the Bible (but biblical). Do not capitalize heaven, hell, the devil,
satanic.
·
Special occasions
the Olympic Games, the Cannes Film Festival
·
Streets and roads
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Everything you need to know about the rules of capitalization.
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Formal versus informal English.
Lowercase Reference List
Here is a list of categories not capitalized
unless an item contains a proper noun or proper adjective (or, sometimes, a
trademark). In such cases, only the proper noun or adjective is capitalized.
·
Animals
antelope, black bear, Bengal tiger, yellow-bellied sapsucker, German
shepherd
·
Elements
Always lowercase, even when the name is derived from a proper noun: einsteinium,
nobelium, californium
·
Foods
Lowercase except for brand names, proper nouns and adjectives, or custom-named
recipes: Tabasco sauce, Russian dressing, pepper crusted bluefin tuna,
Mandy's Bluefin Surprise
·
Heavenly bodies
besides planets
Never capitalize the moon or the sun.
·
Medical conditions
Epstein-Barr syndrome, tuberculosis, Parkinson's disease
·
Minerals
·
Plants, vegetables,
and fruits
poinsettia, Douglas fir, Jerusalem artichoke, organic celery, Golden
Delicious apples
·
Seasons and seasonal
data
spring, summertime, the winter solstice, the autumnal equinox, daylight
saving time
Rule 3. A
thorny aspect of capitalization: where does it stop? When does the Iraq
war become the Iraq War? Why is the legendary Hope
Diamond not the Hope diamond? Everyone writes New
York City, so why does the Associated Press Stylebook recommend New
York state? There aren't always easy formulas or logical explanations.
Research with reference books and search engines is the best strategy.
In the case of brand names, companies are of little
help, because they capitalize any word that applies to their merchandise. Domino's
Pizza or Domino's pizza? Is it Ivory Soap or Ivory
soap, a Hilton Hotel or a Hilton hotel? Most
writers don't capitalize common nouns that simply describe the products (pizza,
soap, hotel), but it's not always easy to determine where a brand name
ends. There is Time magazine but also the New York
Times Magazine. No one would argue with Coca-Cola or Pepsi
Cola, but a case could be made for Royal Crown cola.
If a trademark starts with a lowercase word or letter
(e.g., eBay, iPhone), many authorities advise capitalizing it to begin a
sentence.
Example: EBay opened strong in trading today.
Rule 4. Capitalize
titles when they are used before names, unless the title is followed by a
comma. Do not capitalize the title if it is used after a name or instead of a
name.
Examples:
The president will address Congress.
Chairman of the Board William Bly will preside at the conference.
The chairman of the board, William Bly, will preside.
The senators from Iowa and Ohio are expected to attend.
Also expected to attend are Senators Buzz James and Eddie Twain.
The governors, lieutenant governors, and attorneys general called for a special
task force.
Governor Fortinbrass, Lieutenant Governor Poppins, and Attorney General
Dalloway will attend.
NOTE
Out of respect, some writers and publishers choose to
capitalize the highest ranks in government, royalty, religion, etc.
Examples:
The President arrived.
The Queen spoke.
The Pope decreed.
Many American writers believe this to be a wrongheaded
policy in a country where, theoretically, all humans are perceived as equal.
Rule 5. Titles
are not the same as occupations. Do not capitalize occupations before full
names.
Examples:
director Steven Spielberg
owner Helen Smith
coach Biff Sykes
Sometimes the line between title and occupation gets
blurred. One example is general manager: is it a title or an
occupation? Opinions differ. Same with professor: the Associated
Press Stylebook considers professor a job description
rather than a title, and recommends using lowercase even before the full
name: professor Robert Ames.
However, titles replacing someone's first name are
generally capitalized.
Example: Here comes Professor Ames.
Rule 6a. Capitalize
a formal title when it is used as a direct address. The more formal the title,
the more likely it is to be capitalized.
Examples:
Will you take my temperature, Doctor?
We're sorry to report, Captain, that we're headed for choppy waters.
That's what you say, mister.
Good afternoon, sweetheart.
Rule 6b. Capitalize
relatives' family names (kinship names) when they immediately precede a personal
name, or when they are used alone in place of a personal name.
Examples:
I found out that Mom is here.
You look good, Grandpa.
Andy and Opie loved Aunt Bee's apple pies.
However, these monikers are not capitalized when they
are used with possessive nouns or pronouns, or when they follow the personal
name, or when they do not refer to a specific person.
Examples:
My mom is here.
Joe's grandpa looks well.
The James brothers were notorious robbers.
There's not one mother I know who would allow that.
Rule 6c. Capitalize
nicknames in all cases.
Examples:
Meet my brothers, Junior and Scooter.
I just met two guys named Junior and Scooter.
Rule 7. Capitalize
specific geographical regions. Do not capitalize points of the compass.
Examples:
We had three relatives visit from the West.
Go west three blocks and then turn left.
We left Florida and drove north.
We live in the Southeast.
We live in the southeast section of town.
Most of the West Coast is rainy this time of year. (referring to the
United States)
The west coast of Scotland is rainy this time of year.
Some areas have come to be capitalized for their fame
or notoriety:
Examples:
I'm from New York's Upper West Side.
I'm from the South Side of Chicago.
You live in Northern California; he lives in Southern California.
Rule 8. In
general, do not capitalize the word the before proper nouns.
Examples:
We visited the Grand Canyon.
They're fans of the Grateful Dead.
In special cases, if the word the is
an inseparable part of something's official title, it may be capitalized.
Example: We visited The Hague.
Rule 9. It
is not necessary to capitalize city, town, county, etc., if it
comes before the proper name.
Examples:
the city of New York
New York City
the county of Marin
Marin County
Rule 10a. Always
capitalize the first word in a complete quotation, even midsentence.
Example: Lamarr said, "The case is far from over,
and we will win."
Rule 10b. Do
not capitalize quoted material that continues a sentence.
Example: Lamarr said that the case was "far from
over" and that "we will win."
Rule 11. For
emphasis, writers sometimes capitalize a midsentence independent clause or
question.
Examples:
One of her cardinal rules was, Never betray a friend.
It made me wonder, What is mankind's destiny?
Rule 12. Capitalize
the names of specific course titles, but not general academic subjects.
Examples:
I must take history and Algebra 101.
He has a double major in European economics and philosophy.
Rule 13. Capitalize
art movements.
Example: I like Surrealism, but I never understood
Abstract Expressionism.
Rule 14. Do
not capitalize the first item in a list that follows a colon.
Example: Bring the following: paper, a pencil, and a
snack.
For more on capitalization after a colon, go to "Colons,"
Rules 1, 3, and 4.
Rule 15. Do not capitalize "the national anthem."
Rule 16a. Composition
titles: which words should be capitalized in titles of books, plays, films,
songs, poems, essays, chapters, etc.? This is a vexing matter, and policies
vary. The usual advice is to capitalize only the "important" words.
But this isn't really very helpful. Aren't all words in a title important?
The following rules for capitalizing composition titles
are virtually universal.
·
Capitalize the
title's first and last word.
·
Capitalize all
adjectives, adverbs, and nouns.
·
Capitalize all
pronouns (including it).
·
Capitalize all verbs,
including the verb to be in all forms (is, are, was, has
been, etc.).
·
Capitalize no, not,
and the interjection O (e.g., How Long Must I Wait, O
Lord?).
·
Do not capitalize an
article (a, an, the) unless it is first or last
in the title.
·
Do not capitalize
a coordinating conjunction (and, or, nor, but, for, yet, so)
unless it is first or last in the title.
·
Do not capitalize the
word to, with or without an infinitive, unless it is first or last
in the title.
Otherwise, styles, methods, and opinions vary; for
instance, certain short conjunctions (e.g., as, if, how, that)
are capped by some, lowercased by others.
A major bone of contention is prepositions. The
Associated Press Stylebook recommends capitalizing all prepositions of
more than three letters (e.g., with, about, across).
Other authorities advise lowercase until a preposition reaches five or more
letters. Still others say not to capitalize any preposition, even big words
like regarding or underneath.
Hyphenated words in a title also present problems.
There are no set rules, except to always capitalize the first element, even if
it would not otherwise be capitalized, such as to in My
To-go Order (some would write My To-Go Order). Some
writers, editors, and publishers choose not to capitalize words following
hyphens unless they are proper nouns or proper adjectives (Ex-Marine but Ex-husband).
Others capitalize any word that would otherwise be capped in titles (Prize-Winning, Up-to-Date).
Rule 16b. Many
books have subtitles. When including these, put a colon after the work's title
and follow the same rules of composition capitalization for the subtitle.
Example: The King's English: A Guide to Modern Usage
Note that A is capitalized because it
is the first word of the subtitle.
Suppose you are reviewing a book whose title on the
cover is in capital letters: THE STUFF OF THOUGHT. Beneath, in
smaller capital letters, is the subtitle, LANGUAGE
AS A WINDOW INTO HUMAN NATURE. All sides would
agree that the main title should be written, The Stuff of Thought.
But depending on which capitalization policy you choose, the subtitle might be
any of the following:
Language As a
Window Into Human Nature
Language as a Window Into Human Nature
Language As a Window into Human Nature
Language as a Window into Human Nature
Any title of more than two words can be a challenge.
How would you capitalize a title such as not yet rich? Since the
first and last word in any title are always capitalized, the only question is
whether to cap yet. In this case, yet is an
adverb, and adverbs are always capped. So make it Not Yet Rich.
Now suppose the title is rich yet miserable.
This time yet is one of the seven coordinating conjunctions
(the others are and, or, nor, but, for,
and so). Since coordinating conjunctions are not capitalized in
titles, the right answer is Rich yet Miserable.
Here are two correctly capitalized titles: Going
up the Road and Going Up in a Balloon. In the first
title, up is a preposition, and short prepositions are not
capitalized. In the second title, Up is an adverb and should
be capped.
Along the same lines, compare the following three
sentences: I Got It off the Internet, Please Put It Off for
Today, and I Hit the Off Switch. In the first example, the
preposition off is lowercase. But the word must be capped in
the second example because put off, meaning "to
postpone," is a two-word phrasal verb (a verb of two or more words).
One-word verbs, helping verbs, and phrasal verbs are always capitalized. Off is
also capped in the third sentence because the word functions as an adjective in
that title, and adjectives are always capitalized.
Although the seven coordinating conjunctions are not
capitalized, you may have noticed there are many more than seven conjunctions
in English. Most of these are called subordinating conjunctions,
because they join a subordinate clause to a main clause. Familiar examples
include as, although, before, since, until, when.
There are three approaches to capping subordinating
conjunctions: capitalize them all, lowercase them all, or capitalize them if
they are words of four letters or more. Take your pick.
Capitalizing composition titles is fraught with gray
areas. Pick a policy and be consistent.
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