Capital Letters

In this lesson I will briefly explain how to use capital letters, and when to use capital letters, and give you examples of proper capitalization.

Proper nouns are always capitalized. Proper nouns are names of specific persons, places, and things. Sentences should always begin with a capital letter. Proper nouns should always be capitalized. Many words should be capitalized only in certain contexts and it’s up to you to determine when to do so.

Here are the most common and most uncommon uses of capitalization:

1. The first word in a sentence or direct quotation

My sister said, “Don’t forget my baby shower. It’s on Sunday at 3 P.M.”

“Hopefully,” I replied, “that everybody shows up!”

*The word that in the last sentence is not capitalized because it did not begin the sentence that begins with Hopefully.

2. The word I

I love you.

You and I go together like two peas in a pod.

“I hope I’ll see you later,” I told my best friend.

3. People’s names

I ran into Dustin Cheatham at the grocery store.

Tina Fey is a hilarious comedian!

Uncle Larry and Aunt Gene are my favorite aunt and uncle.

My dentist, Dr. Watson, never pushes too hard on my teeth when examining them.

*Titles before someone’s name is treated as part of their name, therefore it is capitalized.

4. Names of any specific places and languages

I graduated from Shasta High School on Eureka Way in Redding, California. My English classes were always my favorite. I did, however, study American Sign Language before deciding to major in Spanish.

5. Names of specific groups (races, religions, nationalities, companies, clubs, and other organizations)

My mother grew up a Christian Scientist and later she became a Lutheran. I grew up a Lutheran, but just call myself a Christian now. I have a lot of Jewish heritage though. This summer I went to Italy where I met a few Italian Jewish men and women who volunteer as tour guides at the Jewish Ghetto and Museum.

6. Calendar items (holidays)

Names of days of the week: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday Sunday

Months of the year: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December

Actual names of holidays: Christmas Day, Hanukkah, Labor Day, Fourth of July

*Names of seasons (spring, summer, autumn/fall, winter) are not capitalized

7. Product names and Businesses

I prefer to shop at Safeway, but Winco usually has all the top brands for lower prices.

I will only buy Pillsbury cookie dough. I would never buy the off brand Hy-Top.

8. Titles (books, television or stage shows, songs, magazines, movies, articles, poems, stories, paper, and so forth are always capitalized)

The play the Taming of the Shrew was made into the movie 10 Things I Hate About You. I read an article in People Weekly comparing the two versions. I decided to write a review, “Comparing Shrews,” for my drama class.

*Only capitalize the first, last, and all major words in titles. Do not capitalize words such as of the in The Taming of the Shrew.

9. Family words that substitute for names

I’ll ask Dad if he’ll lend us some money.

Usually, Mom can only lend us twenty dollars.

*Only capitalize a word such as mom and dad if it is being used as a substitute for their actual name. Do not capitalize when they are preceded by a possessive noun such as my, her, or their.

10. Specific school courses

To graduate from college I still need to complete Advanced Journalism, Drama as Literature 101 and 102, and Literature of Other Cultures.

11. Abbreviations (departments, agencies of government, organizations, corporations, radio and television stations)

FBI, LAPD, KNBC-TV, MOMA