Capitalization Rules: Correcting Common Mistakes

1. Capitalization

2. Capitalize the first letter of the first word of a sentence. The rotten pear sat in a puddle of goo on the kitchen counter. the rotten pear sat in a puddle of goo on the kitchen counter. Formal writing is not the same as texting your friend!

3. If that liar Darlene claims that she spent the night studying, I will say that I saw her kissing Thomas at the movies. Capitalize the pronounI. If that liar Darlene claims that she spent the night studying, i will say that i saw her kissing Thomas at the movies. Don’t be lazy! Capitalize those I’s. You deserve a capital letter!

4. Capitalize proper nouns. On Tuesday, September 18, Elizabeth cooked her first pot of squid eyeball stew. On tuesday, september 18, elizabeth cooked her first pot of squid eyeball stew. Proper nouns include the days of the week, the months of the year, and names.

5. Other Proper Nouns • TitlesbeforeNames • Specific Places • Organizations • Companies • Product Names • Religions • Languages • Nationalities • Holidays • Departments • Historical Eras • Regions of the Country • Course Names • Titles of Works

6. Titles Before Names CAPITALIZED • Professor Stone • Miss Bryski • President Obama lower case • the nursing professor • my teacher • the president of our stamp collecting club

7. Specific Places CAPITALIZED • Tito’s Taco Palace • New York City • Gatorland lower case • the taco stand outside • a city • a theme park

8. Organizations CAPITALIZED • World Wildlife Fund • American Red Cross • Doctors Without Borders lower case • an environmental group • an emergency response agency • a medical humanitarian organization

9. Companies CAPITALIZED • Starbucks Corporation • The Keystone School • Apple Inc. lower case • a coffee house • my high school • a computer manufacturer

10. Product Names CAPITALIZED • Frappuccino • Oreo • Power Mac lower case • a frozen coffee • a cookie • a computer

11. Religions CAPITALIZED • Buddhism • Seventh Day Adventists • Druids lower case • meditation practice • vegetarians • nature worshippers

12. Languages CAPITALIZED • French fries • Russian boar • Spanish moss lower case • fried potatoes • wild pigs • air plants

13. Nationalities CAPITALIZED • Brazilians • the French • ancient Egyptians lower case • summer tourists • wine connoisseurs • pyramid builders

14. Holidays CAPITALIZED • Thanksgiving • Halloween • Fourth of July lower case • family dinner • costume party • fireworks show

15. Departments CAPITALIZED • Division of Motor Vehicles • Orlando Fire Department • Internal Revenue Service lower case • driver’s license • firefighters • tax collectors

16. Historical Eras CAPITALIZED • Transcendentalism • Old Kingdom • the Great Depression lower case • a timeof enlightenment • proliferation of pyramids • poor economic times

17. Regions of the Country CAPITALIZED • the South • the Northeast • the West lower case • the south exit • blowing from the northeast • west of the mall

18. Course Names CAPITALIZED • Fundamentals of Biology • Intermediate Algebra • American Literature lower case • biology • algebra • literature

19. Titles of Works CAPITALIZED • The Sweet Hereafter • The Crucible • Thriller lower case • an enticing novel • the best movie ever made • a dance album