Capitalization

1
Capitalization
2
Names and Initials

• Carissa A. Jones
• Brooke L. Shore
• Carson B. Kohler
• Bryson F. Phillips

3
Personal Titles and Abbreviations

• Mr.
• Mrs.
• Ms.
• Dr.
• Jr.
• Sr.
• Ph.D.
• M.D.
• D.D.S.
• D.V.M.

• Senator, Secretary of State, Surgeon General,
  Justice, Mayor, etc.
• President, Czar, Prime Minister, King, Queen,
  etc.
• Capt., Lt., P.F.C., etc.
• Rev., Fr., Sr., Br., etc.
• Only capitalize these titles if they come
  directly in front of a specific name.
• The senator from New York is Clinton.
• New Yorks Senator Clinton was running for
  president.

4
Family Relationships

• Capitalize family words only if they are used as
  names or before names.

• My mother is a saint.
• That is Mother she is a saint.
• My favorite cousin is Marsha.
• I am going with Cousin Marsha to the movies.

5
The Pronoun I

• She and I are best friends.
• When will I receive my money?

6
Religious Terms

• Religions Christianity, Judaism, Islam,
  Buddhism
• Holy Days Christmas, Rosh Hashanah
• Writings Bible, Torah, Koran
• Deities God, Yahweh, Allah

7
Nationalities, Languages, and Races

• Mexican
• Japanese
• German
• French
• English
• Jewish
• Muslim

8
Sentences and Poetry

• Capitalize the first word of every sentence.
• You are a sight for sore eyes.
• In traditional poetry, the first word of every
  line is capitalized.
• Roses are red.
• Violets are blue.
• You look like a monkey.
• And act like one, too!

9
Quotations

• Capitalize the first word of a direct quote if it
  is a complete sentence.
• Ms. Berger said, My favorite class is English.
• If the quote is divided do not capitalize the
  second portion of the quote (unless it starts a
  new sentence.)
• My favorite class, said Ms. Berger, is
  English.
• My favorite class is English, said Ms. Berger,
  It is fabulous!

10
Outlines

• Capitalize only the first word of each new entry
  in an outline.

• I. Capitalization
• A. People and cultures
• 1. Personal titles
• 2. Abbreviations
• 3. Family relationships
• 4. The pronoun I
• 5. Religious terms
• 6. Nationalities, races
• B. First words and titles
• 1. Sentence and poetry
• 2. Quotes
• 3. Outlines
• 4. Parts of a letter
• 5. Titles

11
Parts of a Letter

• Capitalize only the first word in the greeting
  and closing of the letter.

• Dear darling Darby,
• Yours truly,

12
Titles

• Capitalize all words in a title except for
  articles, conjunctions, and prepositions less
  than five letters.
• If an article, conjunction, or preposition is the
  first word in the title, it may be capitalized.

• Books Surviving the Applewhites, The Witch of
  Blackbird Pond
• Plays and musicals The Sound of Music
• Short Stories Ghost of the Lagoon
• Poems Where the Sidewalk Ends
• Magazines and Newspapers Time, The Wall Street
  Journal
• Musical Compositions U and UR Hand,
  Paralyzer, See You Again
• Movies Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
• T.V. Shows Third Rock from the Sun
• Works of Art Mona Lisa, The Last Supper
• Games Guitar Hero

13
Geographical Names

• Divisions of the world Northern Hemisphere,
  Western Hemisphere
• Continents Asia, Europe, North America, South
  America, Africa, Australia, Antarctica
• Bodies of Water Pacific Ocean, Red Sea, Lake
  Michigan
• Islands Hawaii, Canary Islands, Puerto Rico
• Mountains Himalayas, Alps, Rockies,
  Appalachian, Andes
• Other Land Forms Strait of Magellan, Bering
  Strait, Cape Horn
• Regions Central America, Latin America, Great
  Plains
• Nations Canada, United States, Mexico, China,
  Japan, Germany, France, England
• States Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee
• Cities and Towns Louisville, Elizabethtown,
  Dale, Santa Claus
• Roads and Streets Klondike Lane, Bardstown
  Road, Taylor Blvd.

14
Bodies of the Universe

• Capitalize the names of the planets and other
  important objects in the universe.
• Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn,
  Neptune, Uranus, (and sometimes Pluto)
• Haleys Comet
• Milky Way
• Aurora Borealis

15
Regions and Sections

• Capitalize north, south, east, and west only when
  they are used to refer to a specific region.
  They are not capitalized when being used as a
  direction.
• We went to the West for our family vacation this
  summer.
• I have to travel east to get to work.

16
Buildings, Bridges, and Other Landmarks

• Empire State Building
• Sears Tower
• Golden Gate Bridge
• Sherman Minton Bridge
• Kennedy Bridge
• Churchill Downs
• Indianapolis Motor Speedway

• Mount Rushmore
• Washington Monument
• Kennedy Space Center

17
Planes, Trains, and Other Vehicles

• Airplanes Spirit of Saint Louis, Enola Gay
• Trains - Orient Express, Cannonball Express
• Ships USS Arizona, HMS Bounty, Titanic
• Cars Pontiac, Ford, Honda
• Spacecraft Discovery, Challenger, Apollo XIII

18
Organizations and Institutions

• St. Martha School
• League of Nations
• NATO
• United Nations
• National Honors Society
• Governors Cup
• Book Bee
• Quick Recall

• University of Louisville
• University of Kentucky
• Indiana University

19
Historical Events, Periods, and Documents

• Revolutionary War
• Civil War
• World War II
• Reconstruction
• Renaissance
• Industrial Revolution
• Space Age
• Jurassic Period
• Constitution of the U.S.

• Bill of Rights
• Magna Carta

20
Time Abbreviations and Calendar Items

• A.D. or C.E.
• B.C. or B.C.E.
• A.M.
• P.M.
• Do not capitalize the seasons!!!!

• Months January, February, March, April, May,
  June, July, August, September, October, November,
  and December
• Days Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday,
  Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
• Holidays Memorial Day, Valentines Day,
  Halloween, etc.

21
Special Events, Awards, and Brand Names

• Super Bowl
• World Series
• World Cup
• Country Music Awards
• Peoples Choice Awards
• Oscars
• Emmys

• Nike
• Frito Lay
• Coca Cola
• McDonalds