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Capitalization

Capitalization. A good dictionary can also tell you when to use capital letters. Rule #1. Capitalize proper nouns and words derived from them; do not capitalize common nouns. What is a proper noun ?. Names for the deity, religions, religious followers, sacred books

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Capitalization

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  1. Capitalization A good dictionary can also tell you when to use capital letters.

  2. Rule #1 • Capitalize proper nouns and words derived from them; do not capitalize common nouns.

  3. What is a proper noun? • Names for the deity, religions, religious followers, sacred books • Words of family relationship used as names • Particular places • Nationalities and their languages, races, tribes • Educational institutions, departments, degrees, particular courses • Government departments, organizations, parties

  4. More Proper Nouns • Historical movements, periods, events, documents • Specific electronic sources • Trade names • Months, holidays, and days of the week

  5. Examples PROPER NOUNS COMMON NOUNS God (the name) a god Book of Common Prayer a book Uncle Pedro my uncle Father (a priest) my father Lake Superior a picturesque lake The Capital Center a center for study The South a southern state

  6. More Examples PROPER NOUNS COMMON NOUNS Wrigley Field a baseball stadium University of Wisconsin a good university Geology 101 geology Environmental Protection a federal agency Agency Phi Kappa Psi a fraternity a Democrat an independent

  7. A Few More Examples PROPER NOUNS COMMON NOUNS the Enlightenment the eighteenth century the Declaration of a treaty Independence the World Wide Web a homepage the Internet a computer network Advil a painkiller

  8. Rule #2 • Capitalize titles of persons when used as part of a proper name but usually not when used alone. EXAMPLES • Prof. Margaret Barnes; Dr. SinyeeSein • District Attorney Marshall was reprimanded. • The district attorney was elected.

  9. Rule #3 • Capitalize the first, last, and all major words in titles and subtitles of works such as books, articles, songs, and online documents.

  10. More Explanation of Rule #3 • MAJOR WORDS—nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs • MINOR WORDS—articles, prepositions, and coordinating conjunctions

  11. EXAMPLES • Seizing the Enigma: The Race to Break the German U-Boat codes • “Fire and Ice” • “I Want to Hold Your Hand” • The Canadian Green Page • “Work and Play” in Santayana’s The Nature of Beauty • “Size Matters” on Discovery Channel Online

  12. Rule #4 • Capitalize the first word of a sentence. Early detection of breast cancer significantly increases survival rates. (See table 2.) When lightning struck the house, the chimney collapsed.

  13. Rule #5 • Capitalize the first word of a quoted sentence but not a quoted phrase. In Time magazine Robert Hughes writes, “There are only about Sixty Watteau paintings on whose authenticity all experts agree.” Russell Baker has written that in our country, sports are “the opiate of the masses.”

  14. A Further Example of Rule #5 • If a quoted sentence is interrupted by explanatory words, do not capitalize the first word after the interruption. “If you want to go out,” he said, “tell me now.”

  15. In the Case of Poetry. . . • When quoting poetry, copy the poet’s capitalization exactly. Many poets capitalize the first word of every line of poetry; a few contemporary poets dismiss capitalization altogether. When I consider everything that grows Holds in perfection but a little moment. –Shakespeare it was the week that i felt the city’s narrow breezes rush about me —Don L. Lee

  16. Rule #6 • Capitalize abbreviations for departments and agencies of government, other organizations, and corporations; capitalize the call letters of radio and television stations. EPA, FBI, OPEC, IBM, WCRB, KNBC-TV

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