Capitalization: Advanced Rules. Capitals: Help with Capitals // Purdue Writing Lab. Summary: This resource details standard capitalization rules. This handout lists some guidelines for capitalization. If you have a question about whether a specific word should be capitalized that doesn't fit under one of these rules, try checking a dictionary to see if the word is capitalized there. Use capital letters in the following ways: The first words of a sentence When he tells a joke, he sometimes forgets the punch line. The pronoun "I" The last time I visited Atlanta was several years ago.
Proper nouns (the names of specific people, places, organizations, and sometimes things) Worrill Fabrication Company Golden Gate Bridge Supreme Court Livingston, Missouri Atlantic Ocean Mothers Against Drunk Driving Family relationships (when used as proper names) I sent a thank-you note to Aunt Abigail but not to my other aunts. Here is a present I bought for Mother. Did you buy a present for your mother? The names of God, specific deities, religious figures, and holy books God the Father the Virgin Mary Moses. Rules for Capitalization in Titles of Articles. If you have a look at the title of this article you will see that some letters are capitalized and some are not.
Although the capitalization of titles can sometimes depend on the particular style of a writer or publication, there are some general rules to remember. Capitalization Rules for Titles The rules for capitalizing titles can vary according to a particular style guide, such as Associated Press Stylebook (AP), Chicago Manual of Style, and MLA style. They all have different rules for how to capitalize titles. Well, it all depends if a certain style is required by your teacher, course, or subject/field. General Rule: Title Case As discussed there are some exceptions to the rule; however, here is one general rule that you can apply for capitalizing titles.
In Titles: Do Capitalize Generally, these parts of speech are capitalized in titles. In Titles: Do Not Capitalize Generally, we do not capitalize: More Title Capitalization Rules I. For example: II. Final Note. Capitalization. For capitalization in English, there are three main rules on which everyone can agree: Capitalize the first letter in every sentence.Capitalize initial letters of proper nouns.Capitalize the pronoun I.
Beyond these three uses, there is much disagreement over when to capitalize. Every major publication and publisher has its own standards, and many writers have their own preferences (which are generally overridden by in-house rules during publication). In modern writing, there are simultaneous trends toward and away from capitalization. The trend in informal writing and much journalistic writing is away from it. Meanwhile, there is an unfortunate trend in business, corporate, and marketing writing to capitalize words for emphasis or to give words a little extra heft. But if you use instant messaging, text messaging, email, or social networking, you’ve probably noticed that many people don’t capitalize at all in these mediums.
Capitalization Rules for English: Basic Guide to Capital Letters. CAPITALIZATION RULES. Capitalize . . . 1. the first word of a sentence 2. proper nouns names of relatives (to indicate family relationship) when used with name names of relatives when used as proper name | EXAMPLE titles A. preceding a name EXCEPTION - Do not capitalize titles that follow names. EXCEPTION - Do not capitalize titles used as general words. B. when used in direct address Capitalize very high ranking government officials' titles even when not followed by a name or used in direct address when a specific individual is referred to. If no specific individual is referred to, do not capitalize titles of even very high ranking government officials. Capitalize important words in compound titles used with names, but do not capitalize prefixes or suffixes added to the titles. 3. major words in titles of books, articles, and songs EXCEPTION - Do not capitalize short prepositions, conjunctions, or articles unless they are the first word of the title 4. names of God, specific deities, religious figures, and holy books 14.
Capitalization | Punctuation Rules. Capitalization is the writing of a word with its first letter in uppercase and the remaining letters in lowercase. Experienced writers are stingy with capitals. It is best not to use them if there is any doubt. Rule 1. Capitalize the first word of a document and the first word after a period.
Rule 2. Capitalize proper nouns—and adjectives derived from proper nouns. Examples: the Golden Gate Bridge the Grand Canyon a Russian song a Shakespearean sonnet a Freudian slip With the passage of time, some words originally derived from proper nouns have taken on a life, and authority, of their own and no longer require capitalization. Examples: herculean (from the ancient-Greek hero Hercules) quixotic (from the hero of the classic novel Don Quixote) draconian (from ancient-Athenian lawgiver Draco) The main function of capitals is to focus attention on particular elements within any group of people, places, or things.
Capitalization Reference List Lowercase Reference List Rule 3. Rule 4. Rule 5. English Rules | Grammar Rules | Punctuation and Capitalization Rules.