When do I capitalize TITLES for people’s names?

1. When do I capitalize TITLES for people’s names? Cap. titles and abbreviations for titles that appear before and after people’s names: Mrs. Barnhart Dr. McKenna Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

2. 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 Anna • Uncle Steve • “I’m coming, Mom.” • “Dad, will you help me?”

3. 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.

4. 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 • Islam • Christian • Buddhism

5. Rules for RACES/ ETHNIC GROUPS • Cap. The names of races, ethnic groups, languages, and nationalities. Also cap. Adjectives formed from such names: • Hispanic • Colombian coffee • African American • French food

6. 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 Cross • Grand Central Station • the TajMahal • the Eiffel Tower • the Great Wall of China

7. Rules for HISTORICAL EVENTS, DOCUMENTS, and PERIODS OF TIME • Cap. all important words in the names of historical events, documents, and periods of time: • the Civil War • the 1996 Summer Olympics • the Declaration of Independence • Gettysburg Address • the Magna Carta • the Renaissance • the Ice Age

8. Rules for MONTHS, DAYS, HOLIDAYS, and SEASONS • Cap. the names of months, days, and holidays, but not the names of seasons: • October • Thursday • Yom Kippur • Labor Day • winter

9. Rules for POETRY • Cap. the first word of each line of poetry: • Roses are red, • Violets are blue…

10. Rules for DIRECT QUOTATIONS • Cap. the first word of a direct quotation: • Mr. Burns yelled, “Homer, you’re fired!”

11. 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.”

12. The 10 Rules for GEOGRAPHIC NAMES 1. Cap. the names of cities and towns: • Philadelphia • Buckingham • Doylestown 2. Cap. the names of counties and townships: • Bucks County • Montgomery Township

13. The 10 Rules for GEOGRAPHIC NAMES 3. Cap. the names of states: • Pennsylvania • Texas • Maryland 4. Cap. the names of continents: • Asia • North America 5. Cap. the names of islands: • Philippine Islands • Staten Island

14. The 10 Rules for GEOGRAPHIC NAMES 6. Cap. the names of bodies of water: • Lake Erie • Delaware River • Gulf 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

15. The 10 Rules for GEOGRAPHIC NAMES 8. Cap. the names of mountains: • Black Hills • Appalachian Mountains • the Rockies 9. Cap. the names of streets: • Elm Street • Roosevelt Boulevard • \West Third Street

16. The 10 Rules for GEOGRAPHIC NAMES 10. Cap. the names of parks: • Yellowstone National Park • Pennypack Park • Central 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 School • in the street vs. Main Street

17. 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

18. Rules for PARTS OF A LETTER • Cap. all important/proper words in the GREETING: • Dear Dr. Jones • Dear Sir or Madam • In the CLOSING, cap. only the first word: • Yours truly • Sincerely yours

19. 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.

20. Rules for TITLES • Cap. the first word and all important words in titles of: • Books—The Cay • Newspapers—The Philadelphia Inquirer • Plays—The Importance of Being Earnest • T.V. Shows—The Brady Bunch • Magazines—Vanity Fair • Short Stories—“Seventh Grade” • Songs—“With Arms Wide Open” • Poems—“Pied Beauty”

21. 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