Capitalization
Proper Nouns and Adjectives
Capitalize proper nouns and proper adjectives.
A common noun, which is not capitalized, names a general class or a type of person, place or thing. A proper noun, which is capitalized, names a specific person, place or thing. A proper adjective is formed from a proper noun and is also capitalized. Compare these three types of items in the following chart.
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Nouns and Adjectives |
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Common Nouns |
Proper Nouns |
Proper Adjectives |
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philosopher |
Confucius |
Confucian saying |
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country |
China |
Chinese philosopher |
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planet |
Mars |
Martian soil |
When proper nouns and adjectives occur in compound words, always capitalize the first element of a hyphenated compound.
Capitalize the second element if it is a proper noun.
Japanese-made automobiles Anglo-Saxon kingdom
Prefixes such as pre-, anti-, sub-, and non- are not capitalized when joined with proper nouns and adjectives.
pre-Nixon anti-Communist non-European
Names of Individuals
Capitalize people’s names and initials.
Elizabeth Dole John F. Kennedy A. E. Housman
Many names contain parts such as de, du, mac, o’, and van. Capitalization of these parts varies. Always verify the capitalization of a name with the person or check the name in a reliable reference source. Here are some examples.
Danny DE Vito Charles de Gaulle
W. E. B. DuBois Daphne du Maurier
John D. MacArthur Charies Macintosh
Martin Van Buren Vincent van Gogh
The abbreviations Jr. and Sr., which fall after a person’s name, are part of the name and should always be capitalized.
The abbreviations are always preceded by a comma. Within a sentence, they are also followed by a comma. Former IBM president Thomas Watson,Jr.,once burst in to tears at the thought of going to work for IBM, then still his father’s company,
Titles of Individuals
Titles and abbreviations of titles are capitalized in certain situations.
?When used in direct address:
“How do you feel about your award, Professor?”
?When used before personal names:
General Omar Bradley Mother Teresa
Dr. Joan Borysenko Hon. Thomas Maselli
In general, don’t capitalize a title when it follows a person’s name or is used alone.
Adela Suarez, professor of sociology, received an award.
The president of the university may actually present it.
However, do capitalize abbreviations of titles when they follow names.
Kim Hwang, D.D.S. Deborah Tannen, Ph.D.
Don’t capitalize the prefix ex-, the suffix –elect, or the words former or late when used with a title.
Mayor-elect Williams the late Justice Thurgood Marshall
In formal writing, use the word former rather than the prefix ex-: former President Bush, rather than ex-President Bush.
Family Relationships
Capitalize words indicating family relationships only when they are used as parts of names or in direct address.
Don’t capitalize family names preceded by articles or possessive words.
In our family. Aunt Esther wields great power.
My uncle and cousins exercise power behind the scenes.
Other Names of Places
Capitalize the names of nationalities and languages, and capitalize religious terms. Also capitalize certain geographical names, regions, and historical and calendar items.
Ethnic Groups, Languages, and Nationalities
Capitalize the names of ethnic groups, races, languages, and nationalities, along with adjectives formed from these names.
Amharic Portuguese Israeli
Caucasian French English
Religious Terms
Capitalize the names of religions and their followers, religious denominations, sacred days, sacred days, sacred writings, and deities.
In the following passage, Etty Hillesum, a Dutch Jew who died in Ausch with in 1943, writes about her experiences in the transit camp of Westerbork.
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My God, are the doors really being shut now? Yes, they are. Shut on the herded, densely packed mass of people inside… The train gives a piercing whistle. And 1,020 Jews leave Holland… Opening the Bible at random I find this. “The Lord is my high tower.” I am sitting on my rucksack in the middle of a full freight car.
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The words god and goddess are not capitalized when they refer to the deities of ancient mythology.
Hermes, the god of commerce, invention, cunning, and theft, was also the messenger of ancient Greek gods.
Geographical Names
In geographical names and names of regions, capitalize each word except articles and prepositions.
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Geographical Names and Regions |
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Cities, states |
London Paris |
West Virginia Oregon State |
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Regions |
West Coast East |
Highlands Pacific Northwest |
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Countries |
Congo Thailand |
Uruguay New Zealand |
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Parts of the world |
South America Europe |
Northern Hemisphere North Pole |
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Land features |
Ural Mountains Death Valley |
Sahara Desert Grand Canyon |
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Bodies of water |
Adriatic Sea English Channel |
Lake Huron Amazon River |
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Streets, highways |
N0. 10 Downing Street Lake Shore Drive |
Route 66 Park Avenue |
Do not capitalize words that indicate locations general directions or locations.
Many prospectors made a fortune out West. [SPESIFIC REGION]
They headed west to search for gold. [GENERAL DIRECTION]
The Wilkie family settled on the west side of the city. [GENERAL LOCATION]
Historical and Calendar Items
Capitalize the names of historical events, historical periods, and calendar items, including days, months, and holydays.
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Historical and Calendar Items |
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Historical events |
Seven Years’ War Russian Revolution |
V.j Day Battle of Waterioo |
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Historical periods |
Bronze Age Han Dynasty |
Edwardian Era Industrial Revolution |
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Calendar items |
Tuesday March |
Arbor Day New Year’s Eve |
Don’t capitalize the names of seasons: spring, summer, winter, and fall.
Organizations and Institutions
Capitalize all important words in the names of organizations, including teams and businesses.
Capitalize all important words in the names of institutions, including schools, hospitals, and government and political bodies.
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Organizations and Institutions |
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Organizations |
American Cancer Association for Women in Science |
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Businesses |
Ford Motor Company Blockbuster Incorporated |
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Institutions |
New York University Los Angeles Public Library |
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Government bodies |
Senate Department of Education |
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Political parties |
Republican Party Democratic Party |
Don’t capitalize words such as democratic, republican, socialist and communist when they refer to principles or forms of government.
Capitalize them when they refer to specific political parties.
The United States has a democratic government.
The Democratic Party will be meeting soon.
First Words and Titles
First Words
Capitalize the first word of every sentence and line of traditional poetry.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Old age should burn and rave at close of day.
Rage, against the dying of the light.
Capitalize the first of a direct quotation only when the quotation is a complete sentence and is not connected
grammatically to the sentence in which it appears.
“Have you seen the holyday classic Scrooge?” Ed asked.
Ed is fond of calling his favorite old movies “classics.”
In a divided quotation, do not capitalize the first word of the second part unless it starts a new sentence.
“We watch old movies,” said Ed, “especially during the holidays.”
“Scrooge is my favorite,” he said. “Which one do you like best?”
When quoting fewer than four lines of poetry, use slash marks between the lines and mimic the capitalization in the poem.
The grand old Duke of York / He had ten thousand men.
Capitalize the first word of each item in an outline and the letters that introduce major subsections.
I. Life of Dylan Thomas
A. Early years
1. Family
2. Education
B. Adult years
In a letter, capitalize the first word of the greeting, the word Sir or Madam, and the first word of the closing.
My dear Karyn, Dear Sir, Your friend,
Pronoun I
Always capitalize the pronoun I.
Well, I hope I’ll live a long and happy life.
TitlesCapitalize the first, last, and all other important words in a title including verbs.
Do not capitalize conjunctions, articles, or preposition of fewer than five letters unless they begin the title.
Book Title Paradise Lost
Short Story Title “A Sunrise on the Veld”
Movies Title Shakespeare in Love
Play Title The Tragedy of Macbeth
Abbreviations
Capitalize abbreviations of place names, abbreviations related to time, and abbreviations of organizations and government agencies.
Place Names
Capitalize the abbreviations of cities, states, countries, and other places.
N. Y. C. U. S. A. Vancouver, B. C.
A. A. U. K. Mex
Use a state abbreviation only in an address or reference- not in formal writing.
Time
Capitalize the abbreviations B.C., A.D., A.M., and P.m. and the abbreviations for time zones.
The Han dynasty ruled China from approximately 206 B.C. to A. D. 220.
The documentary on the governor’s trip to the Beijing airs at 7:n00 P.M. EST.
Organization Names
Capitalize abbreviations of the names of organizations and agencies formed by using the initial letters of the complete name.
Notice that these abbreviations usually do not take periods.
AAUW (American Association of University Women)
CIA (Central Intelligence Agency)
AU (African Union)
UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Culture Organization)