Capitalization means using a capital letter (for example, A
instead of a).
Capitalization Rules
Always capitalize the following:
The first word in a sentence and the first word after a period
examples:
· It is the first day of school.
· He is my husband. His name is Phil. He is an engineer.
The first word in a quotation
examples:
· She said, "They don't know what to do."
· He asked, "When are we leaving?"
The pronoun I
examples:
· This is where I was born.
· Can I have a slice of cake?
The first letter of a proper noun (specific name)
examples:
· My name is John Smith.
· I was born in Brazil.
· I went to Harvard University.
· I drink Starbucks coffee.
The first letter of months, days, and holidays (but not seasons)
examples:
· Today is December 5, 2014.
· My dentist appointment is on Monday.
· My favorite holiday is Christmas.
· My favorite season is winter.
The first letter of nationalities, religions, races of people, and languages
examples:
· I love to eat Chinese food.
· I speak Spanish and German.
· I believe in Christianity.
· There are many Russian students at my school.
The first letter in a person's title
examples:
· My doctor is Dr. Lopez.
· Have you met Mrs. Lee?
Geographic areas: cities, states, countries, mountains, oceans, rivers, etc.
examples:
· My favorite city is Boston.
· I live in New York.
· I was born in London, England.
· We live near the Mississippi River.
The first letter of each major word in the title of a book, movie, article,
etc.
examples:
· Have you seen the movie Harry Potter?
· Tolstoy's War and Peace is my favorite novel.
General Rule: Do not capitalize the word "the" before proper nouns
unless "the" is part of an official title
examples:
· We visited the Grand Canyon.
· We have to fly over the Pacific Ocean.
· The report came from The Associated Press.
· My favorite book is The Great Gatsby,.
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