Grammar: Capitalization

Capitalization

The following rules tell you what words to capitalize and not capitalize. Knowing the rules will also help you edit your essay.

People
Always capitalize the names of people.

• I think Harrison Ford is in that movie.
• My girlfriend introduced me to her friend Maria.

Capitalize titles, like doctor, professor, and judge, when they refer to a specific person. Don’t capitalize those words when they refer only to an occupation.

• He was sentenced to five months’ probation by Judge Karen Wilcke.
• The course was taught by Professor Johnson.
• When I was a kid, I thought I’d be a doctor, but I became a professor instead.

Capitalize family relationships only when they are used as part of a person’s title.

• Sarah’s Aunt Trudy bought her the ugliest sweater I’ve ever seen.
• My mother is named Nancy Barker.

Capitalize the names of political, racial, social, national, civic, and athletic groups.

• The local Red Cross is holding a blood drive today.
• I love to watch the Chicago White Sox play baseball.
• This university has a high population of Asian-American students.

Places
Always capitalize the names of specific places: cities, countries, geographic regions, street names, schools and universities, and landmarks.

• She is originally from Cairo, Illinois, but now she’s living in New York City.
• On my vacation next week, I’ll get to see Mount Rushmore.
• This flight will be my first time flying over the Atlantic Ocean.
• When we were kids, we played basketball on Arbor Street.
• I’m taking classes right now at Heartland Community College, but I will transfer to Illinois State next year.

Capitalize words that are derived from the names of places, including languages.

• My favorite Italian city is Florence.
• Celine Dion is my favorite Canadian singer.
• Spanish was my first language.

Do not capitalize directions or other general geographical words.

• The mall is just a little bit south of here.
• I think I would enjoy living in the desert.
• The state is cracking down on drunk drivers.

Dates and Events
Always capitalize names of months, days of the week, and holidays.

• I was sick for nearly the entire month of November.
• Jamie isn’t available on Tuesday, so we’ll need to schedule the meeting for Wednesday.
• My favorite holiday is Thanksgiving, but Valentine’s Day is a close second.

Capitalize the names of historic events.

• My research paper is about the Vietnam War.
• We will study the Great Depression during this unit.

Do not capitalize the names of seasons, unless the season is part of a title.

• I love fall because of crisp, cool air.
• We are going to bike a lot during summer vacation.
• I am taking my last two classes during the Fall 2008 semester.

Titles of Works
Always capitalize the titles of articles, books, magazines, songs, albums, television shows, plays, etc.

• This month’s Rolling Stone had a really interesting article on punk music.
• The song “No Excuses” is the best grunge song ever.

Capitalize the brand names of specific products.

• I love Pepsi, but I absolutely hate Mountain Dew.
• My first car was a Chevy Cavalier.

Don’t capitalize short prepositions or articles (the, an, of, etc.) if they aren’t the first word of the title.

• The best Shakespeare play, I think, is Romeo and Juliet.
• I’m tired today because I stayed up all night watching The Office.
• My favorite book is definitely The Catcher in the Rye.

Do not capitalize the general names of products.

• I sort of feel like pizza tonight, but I could go for burgers and fries instead.
• It would be nice to have a convertible, but it’s too cold for it here in North Dakota.

CAPITALIZATION EXERCISE: Correct the capitalization mistakes in these sentences—if there are any.

1. early in 1996, I was asked to light the cauldron at the summer olympic games in atlanta, georgia.

2. In egypt’s tahrir square, coptic christians mingle with devout muslims.

3. Two in three americans are obese or overweight, according to the centers for disease control and prevention.

4. Every christmas season, I painted the baskin-robbins windows with Winter scenes—and got paid in Ice Cream.

5. My Mother would bring out her old singer sewing machine, study pictures in magazines, then make Ethnic versions of those same dolls and stuffed animals to sell at Church fundraisers.

6. I believe that happy children are those given the Freedom to be expressive.

7. I left honduras and arrived in the u.s. at the age of 15.

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