There are three basic rules of capitalization: Capitalize the first letter of
CAPITALIZATION OF SENTENCES
Capitalize the first letter in each new sentence, including the first word in a direct quotation.
Mary was surprised when she saw all the people.
She asked, “What’s going on here?”
CAPITALIZATION OF NAMES OF SPECIFIC PEOPLE, PLACES, DATES, AND THINGS
Capitalize the first letter in names of specific people, places, dates, and things. Do not capitalize general words such as college as opposed to the specific name: Lincoln College. Look at the examples for each group.
People
Capitalize the first letter in names of specific people and in titles used with names of specific people.
The word president is not capitalized unless it comes directly before a name as part of that person’s title: President Barack Obama.
| SPECIFIC | NOT SPECIFIC |
|---|---|
| Carol Schopfer | my friend |
| Dr. D’Ambrosio | the physician |
| Professor Shute | your professor |
The name of a family member is capitalized when the family member is being addressed directly or when the family title is standing in for a first name.
| Good to see you, Dad. | I see that Mom is taking classes. |
In other instances, do not capitalize.
| It is my father’s birthday. | My mom is taking classes. |
Places
Capitalize the first letter in names of specific buildings, streets, cities, states, regions, and countries.
| SPECIFIC | NOT SPECIFIC |
|---|---|
| Bolton Police Department | the police department |
| Washington Street | our street |
| Boston, Massachusetts | my hometown |
| Texas | this state |
| the West | the western part of the country |
| Italy | that country |
Do not capitalize directions in a sentence: Drive south for five blocks.
Dates
Capitalize the first letter in the names of days, months, and holidays. Do not capitalize the names of the seasons (winter, spring, summer, fall).
| SPECIFIC | NOT SPECIFIC |
|---|---|
| Monday | today |
| January 4 | winter |
| Presidents’ Day | my birthday |
Organizations, Companies, and Groups
| SPECIFIC | NOT SPECIFIC |
|---|---|
| Santa Monica College | my college |
| Toys“R”Us | the toy store |
| Merrimack Players | the theater group |
Languages, Nationalities, and Religions
| SPECIFIC | NOT SPECIFIC |
|---|---|
| English, Greek, Spanish | my first language |
| Christianity, Buddhism | your religion |
The names of languages should be capitalized even if you are not referring to a specific course: I am taking nutrition and Spanish.
Courses
| SPECIFIC | NOT SPECIFIC |
|---|---|
| Nutrition 100 | the basic nutrition course |
Commercial Products
| SPECIFIC | NOT SPECIFIC |
|---|---|
| Diet Coke | a diet cola |
Capitalization of Titles
For more on punctuating titles, see “Quotation Marks.” For a list of common prepositions, see “Subjects” in Chapter 15.
Capitalize the first word and all other important words in titles of books, movies, television programs, magazines, newspapers, articles, stories, songs, papers, poems, legislation, and so on. Words that do not need to be capitalized (unless they are the first word) include articles (the, a, an); coordinating conjunctions (and, but, for, nor, or, so, yet); and prepositions.
American Idol is a popular television program.
Newsweek and Time often have similar cover stories.
“Once More to the Lake” is one of Chuck’s favorite essays.