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 GRAMMAR
Capitalization rules vary by language. Just because a word or phrase is capitalized in your native tongue, does not necessarily mean it will require capitalization in English – and vice versa. English capitalization can be a little tricky, but, with a little study and a good memory, you’ll be Successful successful!
USE CAPITALIZATON FOR: |
EXAMPLE: |
The first word of a sentence |
How many hours did you study last night? |
Names of individuals |
Abraham Lincoln, Bill Gates |
Names of countries, cities, towns, roads & unique landmarks |
United States of America, the North Pole, the High Tatras, Ruscoe Road |
Names of geographies when they stand alone or refer to a specific geographic area |
the Midwest, the Northeast ( but: he lives in the eastern part of the state) |
The pronoun I |
Do you think I would like that movie? |
Titles, only when they come before names |
President Bush, Dr. Smith, Aunt Sophie
(Do not capitalize if you’re speaking in general terms, as in: I’m going to see the president of our company). |
Days of the week, months of the year |
Tuesday, December |
Names of holidays |
Christmas, Hannukah, Thanksgiving |
Religions & their followers |
Hindus, Hinduism, Christians, Christianity |
Names of races |
Asian, African American, Caucasian |
Names of languages & words derived from these names |
German, Germanic |
Historical periods & events |
the Dark Ages, the Vietnam War |
All the words in titles of books, articles, plays, films, TV shows, except short prepositions, conjunctions, and articles (such as the, a, in, for, or) |
The Innocents Abroad, The Purple Rose of Cairo, Desperate Housewives |
All words in the names of specific organizations and agencies, except prepositions, conjunctions, and articles |
Random House, the United Nations, Harvard University, the Department of Agriculture |
The first word in the closing of a letter |
Sincerely yours,… Warm regards,… |
For academic titles, capitalize letters of acronyms only (but not when the title is spelled out) |
M.B.A., B.A. Ph.D. ( but master of business administration, bachelor of arts, doctorate) |
For grades received at school. |
She earned an A in history and a B in chemistry. |
USE LOWER CASE FOR: |
EXAMPLE: |
Seasons |
summer, fall, winter |
Classes and courses, unless you’re referring to the exact title or you’re talking about a language class |
I’m taking physics (but: I’m taking Physics for Poets) |
Student classifications |
She’s a sophomore. He’s a senior. |
When a title is used alone |
She was promoted to vice president.
The president or our university will speak tomorrow. |
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