When do I capitalize TITLES for people’s names?
Cap. titles and abbreviations for titles that appear before and after people’s names:Mrs. BarnhartDr. McKennaRev. Martin Luther King, Jr.
When do I capitalize words such as MOTHER, FATHER, AUNT, UNCLE, etc.?
Cap. words such as mother, father, aunt, uncle, etc. when these words are used as names or when they come just before a name:
Aunt AnnaUncle Steve“I’m coming, Mom.”“Dad, will you help me?”
When shouldn’t I capitalize words such as MOTHER, FATHER, AUNT, UNCLE, etc.?
DO NOT capitalize words that name family members if these words are preceded by a possessive, such as your or my, or by an article such as a or the.
My aunt loves to ski. I love my mother.The father ran after his son.
Rules for RELIGIOUS WORDS
Cap. Words that name religions, sacred beings, or religious scriptures. Also, cap. Adjectives formed from those names:
Allah Jehovah the Torah IslamChristianBuddhism
Rules for RACES/ ETHNIC GROUPS
Cap. The names of races, ethnic groups, languages, and nationalities. Also cap. Adjectives formed from such names:
HispanicColombian coffeeAfrican AmericanFrench food
Rules for ORGANIZATIONS, BUILDINGS, and STRUCTURES
Cap. all important words in the names of organizations, institutions, buildings, and structures:
the Republican Party the American Red CrossGrand Central Station the Taj Mahal the Eiffel Tower the Great Wall of China
Rules for HISTORICAL EVENTS, DOCUMENTS, and PERIODS OF TIMECap. all important words in the names of
historical events, documents, and periods of time:
the Civil War the 1996 Summer Olympics the Declaration of IndependenceGettysburg Address the Magna Carta the Renaissance the Ice Age
Rules for MONTHS, DAYS, HOLIDAYS, and SEASONS
Cap. the names of months, days, and holidays, but not the names of seasons:
OctoberThursdayYom KippurLabor Daywinter
Rules for POETRY
Cap. the first word of each line of poetry:
Roses are red,Violets are blue…
Rules for DIRECT QUOTATIONSCap. the first word of a direct
quotation:Mr. Burns yelled, “Homer, you’re fired!”
Rule for INTERRUPTED QUOTATIONS
Cap. interrupted quotations only when the second part begins a new sentence:
“Close your books,” said Mrs. Barnhart, “and go to lunch.”
“Remind me tomorrow,” said Sarah. “We have to leave now.”
The 10 Rules for GEOGRAPHIC NAMES
1. Cap. the names of cities and towns:
PhiladelphiaBuckinghamDoylestown
2. Cap. the names of counties and townships:
Bucks CountyMontgomery Township
The 10 Rules for GEOGRAPHIC NAMES3. Cap. the names of states:
Pennsylvania Texas Maryland
4. Cap. the names of continents: Asia North America
5. Cap. the names of islands:Philippine IslandsStaten Island
The 10 Rules for GEOGRAPHIC NAMES6. Cap. the names of bodies of water:
Lake ErieDelaware RiverGulf of Mexico
7. Cap. the names of sections of the country: the East Coast the Southwest
*NOTE: DO NOT cap. north, south, east, and west when merely indicating direction:
traveling east the north shore
The 10 Rules for GEOGRAPHIC NAMES8. Cap. the names of mountains:
Black HillsAppalachian Mountains the Rockies
9. Cap. the names of streets:Elm StreetRoosevelt Boulevard \West Third Street
The 10 Rules for GEOGRAPHIC NAMES10. Cap. the names of parks:
Yellowstone National ParkPennypack ParkCentral Park
*NOTE: The COMPLETE NAME is capitalized. Words like Street, Mountain, and River are cap. because they are part of the proper name.
If these words are NOT part of a proper name, they are not capitalized!
Compare:attending high school vs CB East High Schoolin the street vs. Main Street
Rules for SCHOOL SUBJECTS
DO NOT cap. the names of school subjects, except course names followed by a number:
Algebra I World Cultures II social studies math
*NOTE: Remember that the names of languages are always capitalized:
English Spanish Hebrew
Rules for PARTS OF A LETTER
Cap. all important/proper words in the GREETING:
Dear Dr. JonesDear Sir or Madam
In the CLOSING, cap. only the first word:
Yours trulySincerely yours
ABBREVIATIONS
Cap. the abbreviations B.C., A.D., A.M., and P.M.
Homeroom begins at 7:30 A.M.Pompeii was buried by lava in A.D. 79.
Rules for TITLES Cap. the first word and all important
words in titles of:Books—The CayNewspapers—The Philadelphia InquirerPlays—The Importance of Being EarnestT.V. Shows—The Brady BunchMagazines—Vanity FairShort Stories—“Seventh Grade”Songs—“With Arms Wide Open”Poems—“Pied Beauty”
Rules for TITLES *NOTE: In the title, DO NOT capitalize
articles such as a, an, the; conjunctions such as and, or, but, for; or prepositions such as on, about, near, in, to, under, etc.
DO cap. articles, conjunctions, and
prepositions when they come at the beginning of the title:
“And Justice for All” “Under the Bridge”The Tin Man
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