Capitalization Rules

Capitalization Rules 8th grade, language arts

Rule #1 – Capitalize the first word of every sentence. Example: Many people worked for the independence of the colonies.

Rule #2 – Capitalize the first word of a direct quotation that’s a complete sentence. Example: Travis said, “One of those people was Paul Revere.”

Rule #3 - When a direct quotation is interrupted by explanatory words, such as she said, don’t begin the second part of the direct quotation with a capital letter. Example: “I read a famous poem,” said Kim, “about Paul Revere.”

Rule #4 – If the second part of the quotation starts a new sentence, then you should capitalize the first word. Example: “I know that poem,” said Sarah. “My class read it last week.”

Rule #5 – Don’t capitalize an indirect quotation that is preceded by that. Example: The teacher said that the poem was written by Longfellow.

Rule #6 – Capitalize the first word in a salutation and a closing of a letter. (title and name of person) Example: Dear Mrs. Adamson, Sincerely yours, With love, My dear Abigail,

Rule #7 – Capitalize a title before a person’s name or if it’s used in place of a name. Example: President Wilson, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “Has the enemy surrendered, General?” asked the soldier.

Rule #8 – DO NOT capitalize a title that follows a name or is used as a common noun. Example: Woodrow Wilson, president of the United States during WWI, supported cooperation among nations. Who was Wilson’s vice president?

Rule #9 – Capitalize Jr. and Sr. and abbreviations of academic degrees. Example: M. Smith, M.D. Janice Stein, Ph.D. Otis James Jr.

Rule #10 - Capitalize words that show family relationships when they’re used as titles or as substitutes for names. Example: Last year Father and Aunt Beth traveled to Oregon.

Rule #11 – DO NOT capitalize words that show family relationships when they follow possessive nouns or pronouns. Example: Jo’s uncle took photographs. My aunt Mary framed them.

Rule #12 – ALWAYS CAPITALIZE THE PRONOUN I. Example: American history is the subject I like best.

Capitalization Rules Cont’d #13 - Capitalize the names of cities, counties, states, countries, and continents. #14 - Capitalize the names of bodies of water and other geographical features. #15 - Capitalize the names of sections of a country. #16 - Capitalize all important words in the names of particular historical events, time periods, and documents. #17 - Capitalize brand names but not the nouns following them. #18 - Capitalize the names of days of the week, months of the year, and holidays. Don’t capitalize the names of the seasons.

Rule #19 – Capitalize direction words when they name a section of a country Example: the South, the West Coast, the Northeast

Rule #20 – DO NOT capitalize direction words used in other ways. Example: southern California, northerly winds, Tennessee is south of Kentucky

Rule #21 – Capitalize names of streets and highways. Example: Main Street, Route 66

Rule #22 – Capitalize names of particular buildings, bridges, monuments, and other structures. Example: the White House, Golden Gate Bridge, the Rose Bowl

Rule #23 - Capitalize all important words in the names of clubs,organizations, businesses, institutions, and political parties. Example: Girl Scouts of America, American Red Cross, Microsoft Corporation

Rule #24 – Capitalize the names of languages, nationalities, and ethnic groups. Example: English, Japanese, Native Americans

Rule #25 - Capitalize proper adjectives. A proper adjective is an adjective formed from a proper noun. Example: African American voters, Mexican art, a Broadway musical, Appalachian families

Rule #26 - Capitalize the names of religions and the people who practice them. Capitalize the names of holy days, sacred writings, and deities. Example: Islam, Muslims, Easter, the Bible, Allah

Rule #27 - Capitalize the names of trains, ships, airplanes, and spacecraft. Example: the Orient Express, Titanic, Spirit of St. Louis, Voyager 2

Rule #28 - Don’t capitalize the names of school subjects, exceptfor proper nouns and adjectives and course names followed by a number. Example: language arts, geography, earth science, American history, French, Algebra 1

Capitalization Rules