CAPITALIZATION:

• Rule #1
• Rule #2
• Rule #3
• Names
• Common with Proper
• Geographical
• Brands
• Titles
• God
• Compound

PUNCTUATION

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ERRORS

MECHANICS

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102

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I. Capitalize the first word in a SENTENCE.

·   “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times . . . .” (A Tale of Two Cities

by Charles Dickens)

·   “Call me Ishmael.” (Moby Dick by Herman Melville)

·   "If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is,

     where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were

     occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap,

     but I don't feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth." (The Catcher in the

     Rye by J. D. Salinger.)

·   "They shoot the white girl first." (Paradise by Toni Morrison)

·   "1801. -- I have just returned from a visit to my landlord -- the solitary neighbour

     that I shall be troubled with." (Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë.)

II. Capitalize the first word in a quoted sentence. 

·    An unwise man once said, “Honey, I don't think you should wear that dress."

·   “I can’t believe you said that!” shouted Gina.  “You are so insensitive some times!”

·   “I am,” Luke apologized, “quite sorry for suggesting that that dress makes you look 

     fat.”

*Notice that “quite” is not capitalized because it does not start a new sentence;

     it simply continues one.

III. Capitalize the first word in a LINE of POETRY, even if it is not the first word in a sentence. 

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?

Thou art more lovely and more temperate.

Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,

And summer's lease hath all too short a date.

Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,

And often is his gold complexion dimm'd.

And every fair from fair sometime declines,

By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd.

But thy eternal summer shall not fade

Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st;

Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,

When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st.

     So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,

     So long lives this and this gives life to thee.

(Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18)

IV.  Capitalize the first word in a Salutation and Complimentary Close:

·  Dear Ms. Whitford,     My dearest Jayne,       Yours affectionately,   Sincerely yours,

V. Do not capitalize the first word following a COLON, an EXCLAMATION POINT, or a

QUESTION MARK:  Do not capitalize these first words if the matter following is merely a

supplementary remark making the meaning clearer.

·   "To be or not to be:  that is the question." (Shakespeare’s Hamlet)

·    "But two months dead! nay, not so much; not two." (Shakespeare’s Hamlet)

·   "What is this? Your knees to me? to your corrected son?" (Shakespeare’s Coriolanus)

Capitalize the single letter used as a word:  the personal pronoun I and interjection O.

·        I:  Regardless of the text-messaging phenomenon, always capitalize the subject

          form of the first-person personal pronoun in formal academic writing.

·        O:  Used as an invocation in poetry or prayer, O is always capitalized.

·        O vs. Oh: 

o   O  is always capitalized and never followed by punctuation.

o   Oh is capitalized only when it starts a sentence and is always followed by punctuation.

Capitalize proper adjectives and nouns.

I) PROPER ADJECTIVES: formed from a proper noun (ShakespeareàShakespearean)

II) PROPER NOUNS:

·       COMMON NOUNS:  general terms for objects (student)

·       PROPER NOUNS:  specific, personal names (Rebekah)

 A) NAMES: 

           1) PEOPLE’S NAMES:

                       (a) GIVEN NAMES:  Capitalize given names (first names). 

• Maria, Juanita, Rosemarie, Shannon

(b) SURNAMES:  Capitalize surnames (last names). 

• Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison

                        *EXCEPTION:  With certain last names—those beginning with O and Mc—

capitalize both letters.

• O’Malley, O’Sullivan, O’Henry

• McCartney, McWilliams, McLean

 *EXCEPTION:  However, usage varies with surnames that begin with Mac,

van, von, de, and du. When in doubt, ask the person or consult a dictionary or

encyclopedia.

(c) ABBREVIATIONS:  Capitalize the abbreviations Sr., Jr., and Esq. when they

follow a name.  Also, use a comma before these abbreviations and a period after

them.

• Martin Luther King, Jr.

• William J. Butler, Sr.

• Daniel P. Webster, Esq.

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           2) COMMON NOUNS and PRONOUNS:  Capitalize common nouns and

           common adjectives when they are part of the name; otherwise, do not

           capitalize them, as mentioned above.

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3) GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES: Capitalize geographical names: 

(a) POLITICAL UNITS:  countries (Slovakia, Brazil), states (Utah, Georgia),

counties (Bedford County, Luzerne County), townships (Trevorford Township,

Kingston Borough), cities (San Angelo, Juno)

(b) LAND MASSES and LAND FORMS:  continents (Africa, South America),

islands (Long Island, Canary Islands), peninsulas (Yucatan Peninsula)

(c) TOPOGRAPHICAL LAND FEATURES: mountains (Appalachian Mountains,

Mount McKinley), canyons (Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon), deserts (Gobi Desert,

Sahara Desert), plains (Northern Great Plains), forests (Allegheny National Forest,

Petrified Forest), parks (Yosemite National Park), dams and others (Hoover Dam,

Indian Echo Caverns)

(d) BODIES  of WATER:  oceans (Artic Ocean), seas (Dead Sea), lakes (Lake

Superior), rivers, harbors, and others (Susquehanna River, Boston Harbor,

Bering Strait, Walden Pond)

(e) STREETS and ROADS:  River Street, St. Mary’s Road, Warren Avenue,

Maryland Boulevard, Griffith Lane, Route 322, Northern Central Expressway,

King’s Highway, Forty-second Street (*Notice in the last instance the second

word is not capitalized; see #8.)

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4) Names of COMPASS DIRECTIONS:  Capitalize compass directions

only when they are used as names of specific sections of a country or

the world; do not capitalize them when they simply indicate direction:

                      *Do not capitalize an adjective that indicates direction unless it is part of

                             a political unit or a recognized region:   southern Iowa, the Southern

                             Hemisphere and a northerly wind, Northern Ireland.

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5) Names of ORGANIZATIONS, BUSINESSES, GOVERNMENTAL BODIES: 

Capitalize the names of the following: 

(a) ORGANIZATIONS and INSTITUTIONS:  United States Marine Corps, Young

Republicans, Brownsville Board of Education, Philosophy Department, Buffalo

Springs Community College, American Association for the Arts

(b) GOVERNMENT BODIES: United States Senate, United Nations, Department of

the Interior, House of Commons, Department of Homeland Security, Social Security

Administration, Federal Emergency Management Agency, United nations, Hague

Peace Conference

(c) BUSINESS FIRMS, BRAND NAMES:  Petty Publishing, Inc., Interstate Savings

and Loans, Coca-Cola, Saucony

                      *EXCEPTION (BRAND NAMES):  Do not capitalize common nouns or

                             adjectives that follow brand names:  Aim toothpaste, Zest soap, Cadillac sedan

(d) TRAINS, PLANES, SHIPS, BUILDINGS:  Orient Express, Spirit of St. Louis,

Titanic, Empire State Building, Ford Theatre, Bates Motel

(e) SPECIAL EVENTS:  Olympic Games, Buick Open, Junior-Senior Prom,

Democratic National Convention, World Series

(f) HISTORICAL EVENTS and PERIODS:  Wars of the Roses, French Revolution,

Constitutional Convention, Middle Ages, Information Age, the Restoration

(g) CALENDAR ITEMS:  Friday, November, Labor Day, Christmas, Ramadan,

Earth Day

*EXCEPTION (SEASONS):  Do not capitalize the names of seasons unless they are personified: 

·   O Summer, thou art gone! BUT Today is the last day of summer.

·   He looked like Old Man Winter. BUT “Now is the winter of our discontent made

     glorious summer by this sun of York . . . .” (from Shakespeare’s Richard III),

(h) RACES, RELIGIONS, NATIONALITIES, TRIBES:  Caucasoid, Australoid,

Mongoloid, Negroid, Methodist, Islam, Roman Catholic, Brazilian, Italian, Cherokee,

Bantu

(i) SCHOOL SUBJECTS:  Do not capitalize the names of school subjects except 1)

proper nouns or adjectives (English, French, Russian, Greek), and 2) course names

followed by numbers (Civics II, Advanced Composition 222)

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6) Names of TITLES:

(a) personal titles:  Capitalize personal (civil, religious, military, professional)

titles only if they precede the name; if titles follow a name or stand alone, capitalize

them only if they refer to a high official or to someone to whom you wish to show

especial respect.

*EXCEPTION (PRESIDENT):  The titles president and vice-president are both

capitalized when they refer to the leader of a nation. The President will address the

nation.

*EXCEPTION (PREFIXES):  Do not capitalize ex-, -elect, former, or late when

they are used with personal titles:  ex-Senator Hartley, Congresswoman-elect

O’Leary, former President Milton, the late Governor Novitsky.

 *EXCEPTION (FAMILY MEMBERS):  Family titles (mother, father,

grandmother, sister, brother, aunt, uncle) are capitalized only when they precede a

name or when they are used in place of a proper name, especially when used in

direct address.  Do not capitalize such titles when they are preceded by a possessive

pronoun AND are not part of a person’s name.

•  I heard Uncle Albert went down to Junior’s farm. (proper noun, part of  name)

•  My uncle and I watched that horror movie on television. (not proper noun)

•  My Uncle Albert and I made microwavable popcorn. (part of name)

 *EXCEPTION (DIRECT ADDRESS): Capitalize titles used in direct address: 

•  Will this hurt, Doctor?

•  Tell me what it is like to be a mother, Mother.

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 (b) titles of WORKS of LITERATURE or ART:  Capitalize the first word, the last

word, and all important words in titles of books, magazines, newspapers, articles,

works of art, movies, television shows, laws, historical documents.

• Stephen King’s The Drawing of the Three

• New York Times

• “War is Over”

• Vincent van Gogh’s Sunflowers

• Star Wars

• The X-files

• Second Amendment

• United States v. Four Hundred Twenty-two Casks of Wine

• Freedom of Information Act

• Bill of Rights

 *EXCEPTION (ARTICLES):  Capitalize the articles a, an, and  the only when

they begin a title (see Stephen King’s title above).  Do not capitalize the articles

when they are in the middle of titles and, in sentences, when they come before a

newspaper or magazine (unless, of course, they appear in the actual title). 

• The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

• “A Rose for Emily”

• I read the Daily News today.

*EXCEPTION (LINKING VERB):  Capitalize forms of the linking verb “to be”,

such as is, am, are, and be.

• What Color Is God?

*EXCEPTION (LONG PREPOSITIONS):  Capitalize long prepositions (5+

letters) within a title of a work.  Do not capitalize short prepositions within a title.

• The Issue Concerning Mike

• Three Days of the Condor

 *EXCEPTION (COORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS):  Do not capitalize

coordinating conjunctions within a title.

• There but for the Grace of God

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            7) Names of the MONOTHEISTIC  DEITY:  Capitalize words referring to

            to the Judeo-Christian, Muslim God:

• God, Jehovah, the Father, the Son, the Messiah, the Almighty, Allah

                        *Pronouns referring to God are often capitalized as well:  He, Him, Who,

                               Whom (rarely)

                        *EXCEPTION (MYTHS):  Do not capitalize the word god when it refers to

                                the figures of ancient mythology:

•  The ancient gods and goddesses lived on Mount Olympus.

•  Some of the Greek and Roman gods were Zeus/Jupiter, Hera/Juno, Helois/Sol, and Venus/Aphrodite.

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            8) Names of PARTS of a COMPOUND WORD:  Capitalize parts of a

                compound word as if they stood apart:

•  Arabic-speaking students, God-given rights (only the first part of      these words would be

•  capitalized if they were   separated)

•  anti-American sentiment, pro-Brazilian support, post-Hellenic society, pre-Victorian England

•  (the prefixes are not capitalized; the proper adjectives are, as usual, capitalized)

•  Slovakian-American, Indo-European, Anglo-Saxon English (these words consist of 2 proper

•  nouns or adjectives, so both are capitalized)