Capitalization Rules

1. Capitalize the first word of a sentence. Do not capitalize the first word of
a clause that follows a colon or semicolon, unless it begins with a title or
proper noun. (Annie treasures the doll collection; she cares for the dolls
as if they were her children.)

2. Capitalize people’s names and initials.

3. Capitalize titles and abbreviations of titles that are used before names or
in direct address. (General Colin Powell, Dr. Brazelton, Secretary of State
Condoleeza Rice)

4. Capitalize the abbreviations of some titles even when they follow names.
(Edward Jones, Sr.; Lewis Kent, Ph.D., Deborah Young, C.E.O.)

5. Capitalize a title of royalty or nobility only when it precedes a name.

(The duke and duchess attended the ball. Princess Catherine wore the
gown.)

6. Capitalize words indicating family relationships only when they are used
as parts of names or in direct address. Do not capitalize a title when it
follows a name or is used without a name. (Aunt Angela gave me a
handmade quilt. Charlie’s uncle took us fishing.)

7. Always capitalize the pronoun I.

8. Capitalize the names of ethnic groups, races, languages, and

nationalities, along with adjectives formed from these names. (Kurds,
French, Navajo, African American)

9. Capitalize the names of religions, denominations or branches of religions,

sacred days, sacred writings, and deities. Do not capitalize the words
god or goddess when they refer to one of a group of gods, as in ancient
mythology, but do capitalize the names of these gods. (The Greek god of
war was Ares.)

a. Religions – Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism

b. Denominations/Branches – Baptist, Catholic, Hasidic, Shiite
c. Sacred days – Ramadan, Christmas, Rosh Hashanah
d. Sacred writings – Bible, Koran, Torah
e. Deities – Allah, God, Jehovah, Yahweh

10. Capitalize the first word of each entry in an outline, as well as the
letters that introduce major subsections.
11. Capitalize the first word, the last word, and all other important words in
a title. Do not capitalize articles, conjunctions, or prepositions of fewer
than five letters.

12. Capitalize the words north, south, east, and west when they name a
particular region of the country or world or are parts of proper nouns.
(When we moved to the West Coast, we drove through South Dakota.)
Do not capitalize compass directions or adjectives that indicate direction
or a general location. (We traveled south on Green Street and then
turned west.)

13. Capitalize the names of planets and other specific objects in the
universe. (Haley’s Comet, Venus, Milky Way Galaxy) Do not capitalize
sun and moon. Capitalize earth only when it refers to our planet or when
it is used with other capitalized terms. Never capitalize earth when it is
preceded by the article the or when it refers to land surface or soil. (Did
water once flow on Mars as it does on Earth? The earth has many land
forms carved by water.)

14. Capitalize the names of specific buildings, bridges, monuments, and

other landmarks.

15. Capitalize the name of specific airplanes, trains, ships, cars, and
spacecraft.

16. Capitalize the abbreviations B.C., A.D., B.C.E., A.M. and P.M. in typed
material. Time abbreviations are usually shown in small capital letters.
(the workshop entitled, “Teaching the Gifted Child” begins at 8:00 A.M.)

17. Capitalize the names of months, days, and holidays but not the names
of seasons. (Every spring we celebrate Memorial Day.)

18. Capitalize the names of special events and awards. (World Series,
Boston Marathon, Pulitzer Prize)

19. Capitalize the names of products but not the common nouns that
follow brand names. (Starbuck’s coffee, Popeye’s chicken, Black and
Decker drill)

20. Capitalize the names of specific courses and courses that are followed
by a number. Do not capitalize the general names of school subjects
 except languages. (A.P. U.S. History, social studies, biology, Psychology
101)

21. Capitalize the names of school years only when they refer to a specific
group or event, or when they are used in direct address. (Every fall, the
juniors hold their prom fundraiser. The Freshman Bake Sale is held every
spring.)

22. Capitalize the first word of a greeting in a letter. Do not capitalize the
rest of the greeting unless it contains a proper noun. (My dearest, To
whom it may concern, My dear Aunt Rachel)

23. Capitalize the first word of every line in traditional poems. Be careful:
the first word in every line is often not capitalized in many contemporary
poems.