Capitalization - When do I Use a Capital Letter?

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     As a teacher, it is common to read a piece of writing and find numerous capitalization errors.  Most students, though, are actually good with capitalizing the names of cities and proper names, it’s the other 10 or so capitalization rules that students forget.

     Here are some of the common and not-so-common capitalization rules:

Proper Nouns

We capitalize all proper nouns.  Proper nouns name a specific person, place, thing, or idea. 

For example:  New York Yankees, David, Colorado

Proper Adjectives

We capitalize proper adjectives.  Proper adjectives are formed from a proper noun.

For example:  Greek salad, French onion soup, Idaho potato

Names of People

The names of people are capitalized.  We also capitalize the initials or abbreviations that stand for those names.

For example:  Wayne Gretzky, J. Edgar Hoover

Words Used as Names

We capitalize words such as mother, father, grandma, and uncle when these words are used as names.

For example: 

Did Father say when we are going to the game?

(Father is used as a name, that is, we could use his real first name in place of the word Father).

Did your father say when we are going to the game?

(In this case, father describes someone but is not used as a name)

Titles Used with Names

Capitalize titles that are used with the names of people.

For example:  President Carter, Dr. Jones, Mayor David Smith

Historical Events

Always capitalize the names of historical events, documents, and periods of time.

For example: Treaty of Versailles, North American Act,  Paleolithic Age

Abbreviations

We capitalize abbreviations of titles and organizations.

For example:  M.D. (doctor), FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation)

Organizations

Capitalize the name of organizations and associations.

For example:  Girl Guides of America, Conservative Party

First Words of a Sentence

We capitalize the first word of every sentence.

For example: The boy is very nice.

Days and Months

We capitalize the names of days of the week, months of the year, and special holidays.

For example:  Wednesday, June, Passover, Easter

Names of Religions, Nationalities, and Languages

Capitalize the names of religions, nationalities, and languages.

For example: Buddhist, American, Spanish (language)

Official Names

Capitalize the names of businesses and the official names of their products.

For example:  Burger King, Colgate toothpaste, Oreo

      Have your child learn the not-so-common capitalization rules in order improve his or her writing.

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