Capitalization Rules in English
Here are some common rules for using capital letters in English:
1. Start of a Sentence:
* Always capitalize the first letter of a sentence.
* Example: The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
2. Proper Nouns:
* Capitalize proper nouns, which are specific names of people, places, things, and organizations.
* Examples:
* People: John Smith, Queen Elizabeth II
* Places: London, Mount Everest, Pacific Ocean
* Things: iPhone, Toyota Corolla, Star Wars
* Organizations: United Nations, Google, National Geographic
3. Days of the Week and Months:
* Capitalize the days of the week and months of the year.
* Examples: Monday, July
4. Holidays:
* Capitalize holidays.
* Examples: Christmas, Thanksgiving, Independence Day
5. Titles of Books, Movies, Plays, and Articles:
* Capitalize the first letter of the first word and all major words in titles.
* Examples: "The Lord of the Rings," "The Lion King," "Hamlet," "How to Train Your Dragon"
6. Nationalities and Languages:
* Capitalize nationalities and languages.
* Examples: American, Spanish, Japanese
7. Religious References:
* Capitalize names of religions, deities, and sacred texts.
* Examples: Christianity, Allah, Bible, Quran
8. Acronyms:
* Capitalize all letters in acronyms.
* Examples: NATO, NASA, FBI
9. Titles of People:
* Capitalize titles when they are used before a name.
* Examples: President Biden, Dr. Smith, Professor Jones
10. Compass Points:
* Capitalize compass points when used as directions.
* Examples: North America, the East Coast
11. Formal Documents:
* Capitalize important words in formal documents like legal contracts and letters.
* Examples: Agreement, Plaintiff, Defendant
12. Titles of Departments and Courses:
* Capitalize titles of departments and courses.
* Examples: Department of English, Introduction to Psychology
13. Abbreviations:
* Capitalize abbreviations that are pronounced as words.
* Examples: NATO (pronounced "nay-toe"), USA (pronounced "you-ess-ay")
14. Words at the Beginning of a Line of Poetry:
* Capitalize the first word of a line of poetry, even if it's not the start of a sentence.
Exceptions:
* Prepositions: Prepositions under five letters (like "on," "of," "in") are not capitalized in titles.
* Conjunctions: Conjunctions under five letters (like "and," "or," "but") are not capitalized in titles.
* Articles: Articles ("a," "an," "the") are not capitalized in titles unless they are the first word.
Note: These rules may have variations depending on the style guide being used.
Always consult a style guide like the Chicago Manual of Style or the MLA Handbook for specific and detailed rules.