Capitalization

 When to Capitalize

You probably already  know that the first word in a sentence and the  pronoun I are always capitalized. These additional rules will help you decide when to capitalize other words.

Rule 1- Capitalize a Proper noun, a word that names a specific person, place, group, or thing.
William Boyle invented the credit card in 1951.
He lived on Spark Street in West Stead on Long Island.
Mr.Boyle worked for the Franklin National Bank.


Rule 2- Capitalize a proper adjective, a descriptive word that comes from the name of a specific person or place.
Francklin's main competitor was First American Bank.

Rule 3- Capitalize a title that comes directly before a person's name.
on the bank's board of directors was Mayor Graham.
A depositor, Ms. Ailey, asked for credit to pay a big heating bill.

Rule 4- Capitalize the name of holidays, days of the week, and months of the year.
Statements were sent out on the first Monday of the month.
By New Year's Day in January 1952, Franklin National Bank had set up over 700 credit card accounts for its customers.

When Not to Capitalize

Rule 1- A title or a family name that is preceded by a,the, or a possessive pronoun such as my is not capitalized.

Incorrect : Alice went to see the Dean.
Correct : Alice went to see the dean.
Correct : Alice went to see Dean Asher.

Rule 2- The names of the seasons are not capitalized.
Incorrect : Both are going back to school in the Fall.
Correct : Both are going back to school in the fall.

Rule 3- A school subject is not capitalized unless it is the name of a specific or a language.
Incorrect : Alice wants to take a History course.
Correct : Alice wants to take a history course.
Correct : Alice wants to take American History 101 and Swahili.

Rule 4- A direction word is not capitalized unless it refers to a specific place, such as a region of the country.
Incorrect : They walked South to the administration building.
Correct :They walked south to the administration building.
Correct : Alice was born here, but William grew up in the South.

Rule 5- A geographic place is not capitalized unless it is part of a specific name you can find on a map.
Incorrect : The school is next to the huge Lake.
Correct : The school is next to the huge lake.
Correct : The school is next to the Lake Ontario.

Posted in: English