Capitalize proper nouns, the first word in a sentence or a quotation that is a sentence, and the main words in a title.

M2-a Capitalize proper nouns.

Capitalize specific names of people, groups, places, streets, events, historical periods, monuments, holidays, days, months, and directions that refer to specific geographic areas.

Capitalize adjectives derived from proper nouns.

When a reference is general, use a common noun (uncapitalized) rather than a proper one (capitalized). Do not capitalize general names of institutions, seasons, compass directions, or words that you simply want to emphasize.

Note: Common nouns such as street and river are capitalized only when they are part of a proper noun: Main Street, the Mississippi River.

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M2-b Capitalize the word that begins a sentence.

If a complete sentence appears within parentheses and is not part of a larger sentence, capitalize the first word.

See P4-a for information on capitalizing independent clauses following colons.

M2-c Capitalize the first word in a quotation unless it is integrated into your own wording or continues an interrupted quotation.

Writers often incorporate short quotations and quotations introduced by that into their sentences; neither needs an initial capital letter. When a phrase such as she said interrupts a quotation, capitalize the first word in the quotation but not the first word after the phrase unless it begins a new sentence. (See also P6-a.)

Note: If you quote from a poem, capitalize words exactly as the poet does.

M2-d Capitalize titles and subtitles of longer works, such as books, magazines, and newspapers.

Capitalize the first and last words in a title and subtitle plus all other words except for articles, coordinating conjunctions, and prepositions.

(See also P6-c and M5-a.)

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M2-e Capitalize a title that precedes a person’s name.

Capitalize titles only when they precede a name, not when they follow a name or appear without a name.

Note: References to the President (of the United States) and other major public figures are sometimes capitalized in all contexts.

M2-f Avoid overusing capitalization for emphasis.

Although in some writing situations a word that appears entirely in capital letters can create a desired effect, you should limit this use of capital letters to rare occasions.

In most cases, follow the conventions for capitalizing described in this section.