L E S S O N

CAPITALIZATION

Words have a longer life than deeds.

Pindar, Greek poet (522 b.c.e.443 b.c.e.)

LESSON SU MMA RY
Capitalization goes beyond the first word of a sentence. This
chapter covers the finer points of capitalization by breaking them
down into two segments: general rules and specific rules.

tart by seeing just how much you already know about the proper use of capital letters. On the next page,
you see the same passage written twice. The first column, called Problem, contains no capitalization at
alldefinitely a problem in writing! Circle those letters you think should be capitalized in the Problem
column, and then check yourself against the Solution column.

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Problem

Solution

when I first saw the black hills on january 2, 1995, i was

shocked by their beauty. we had just spent new years
day in sioux falls, south dakota, and had headed west
toward our home in denver, colorado. as we traveled
along interstate 90, i could see the black hills rising
slightly in the distance. after driving through the badlands and stopping at wall drug in wall, south dakota,
the evergreen-covered hills broke the barren monotony of the landscape. my oldest daughter said, dad,
look! theres something thats not all white. we saw
mount rushmore and custer state park, the home of
the largest herd of buffalo in north america. we also
drove the treacherous spearfish canyon road. fortunately, our jeep cherokee had no trouble with the ice
and snow on the winding road. we were unable to see
needles national park because the needles highway
was snowed shut. winter may not be the best time to
see these sights, but we enjoyed them nonetheless.

When I first saw the Black Hills on January 2, 1995, I

was shocked by their beauty. We had just spent New
Years Day in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and had
headed west toward our home in Denver, Colorado.
As we traveled along Interstate 90, I could see the
Black Hills rising slightly in the distance. After driving
through the Badlands and stopping at Wall Drug in
Wall, South Dakota, the evergreen-covered hills broke
the barren monotony of the landscape. My oldest
daughter said, Dad, look! Theres something thats
not all white. We saw Mount Rushmore and Custer
State Park, the home of the largest herd of buffalo in
North America. We also drove the treacherous
Spearfish Canyon Road. Fortunately, our Jeep Cherokee had no trouble with the ice and snow on the
winding road. We were unable to see Needles
National Park because the Needles Highway was
snowed shut. Winter may not be the best time to see
these sights, but we enjoyed them nonetheless.

How did you do? As you progress through the lesson, try to identify the specific rules that you missed.

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CAPITALIZATION

General Capitalization Rules

This table summarizes general capitalization rules. Rules relating to specific categories of proper nouns are
addressed in the next section.
CAPITALIZATION RULES
RULE

EXAMPLE

Capitalize the first word of a sentence. If the

This is the first word of the sentence.

first word is a number, write it as a word.

Three of us worked the early shift.

Capitalize the pronoun I or the contraction

The group left when I asked them to go.

Im, and the abbreviations B . C . or A . D .

The manuscript was dated 501 A . D .

Capitalize the first word of a quotation.

I said, Whats the name of your dog?

Do not capitalize the first word of a

He called me the worst excuse for a student

partial quotation.

Here is an example of a dialogue that illustrates

these rules. (A note about paragraphing in dialogue:
Each time a speaker finishes, begin a new paragraph
for the next speakers dialogue.)
Good afternoon, said the personal trainer as I
walked into the gym.
Good afternoon! I replied, excited to get started.
You must be Ms. Milner. Im Jennifer Burnett. Its
very nice to meet you.
Tell me about your current workout routine,
Jennifer. Im eager to put together a brand-new
exercise program for you.
I smiled and said, Its so nice to be working with
you. I heard you were a true fitness guru.

he had ever seen.

Practice
Check your ability to apply these rules in the following
practice questions. Choose the correctly capitalized
option from each of the following sets. Answers to each
set of questions can be found at the end of the lesson.
1. a. the movie terrified me at first. after a few minutes, i began to calm down.
b. The movie terrified me at first. after a few
minutes, I began to calm down.
c. The movie terrified me at first. After a few
minutes, I began to calm down.
2. a. what are you doing? my supervisor asked.
trying to finish the memo Ive been writing,
i replied.
b. What are you doing? my supervisor asked.
Trying to finish the memo Ive been writing,
I replied.
c. What are you doing? My supervisor asked.
Trying to finish the memo Ive been writing,
I replied.

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CAPITALIZATION

3. a. the book noted that Henry VIII reigned from

15091547 a.d.
b. The book noted that Henry VIII reigned from
15091547 a.d.
c. The book noted that Henry VIII reigned from
15091547 a.d.
4. a. After the game is over, I want to watch the
interviews with the players.
b. after the game is over, I want to watch the
interviews with the players.
c. After the game is over, i want to watch the
interviews with the players.

Proper Nouns and Proper

Adjectives
All proper nouns and proper adjectivesones that
name a specific person, place, or thingmust be capitalized, but remembering which nouns and adjectives
are proper can be difficult. The tables that follow lay
out the most common categories of proper nouns and
adjectives. Each section begins with a table that illustrates five to seven related rules, followed by several
practice exercises.

PROPER NOUNS, PART ONE

CATEGORY OF PROPER NOUNS

EXAMPLES

days of the week

Friday, Saturday

months

January, February

holidays

Christmas, Halloween

historical events, periods, documents

Civil War (historical event), Dark Ages (historical

period), Declaration of Independence (document)

special events, calendar events

Pebble Beach Fall Classic, Renaissance Festival,

Green River Days (special events); Labor Day,
Fathers Day (calendar events)

names of people and places

Practice
Using these rules, choose the correctly capitalized version of each of the following pairs.
5. a. Chaucer was one of the foremost poets from
the Middle ages.
b. Chaucer was one of the foremost poets from
the Middle Ages.

John Doe, Lincoln Center, Sears Tower

7. a. The u.s. constitution contains the bill of rights.

b. The U.S. Constitution contains the Bill of
Rights.
8. a. Judy has two Uncles who fought in world
war II.
b. Judy has two uncles who fought in World
War II.

6. a. The Martins will begin their summer with a

weeklong Memorial Day celebration at a beautiful lakeside hotel.
b. The Martins will begin their summer with a
weeklong Memorial day celebration at a beautiful Lakeside hotel.
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CAPITALIZATION

PROPER NOUNS, PART TWO

CATEGORY OF PROPER NOUNS

EXAMPLES

names of structures and buildings

Washington Memorial, Empire State Building

names of trains, ships, aircraft, and other

Queen Elizabeth, Discovery, Sioux Lines,

modes of transportation

TransWorld Airlines

names of products

Corn King hams, Dodge Intrepid

names of officials

Mayor Daley, President Clinton

works of art and literature

Black Elk Speaks (book), Mending Wall (poem),

Mona Lisa (painting)

ethnic groups, races, languages, nationalities

Practice
Choose the correctly capitalized version of each of the
following pairs.
9. a. Shakespeares comedy of errors is one of his
easiest plays to read.
b. Shakespeares Comedy of Errors is one of his
easiest plays to read.
10. a. We caught a Vanguard Airlines flight to
Orlando.
b. We caught a Vanguard airlines flight to
Orlando.

Asian American, Caucasian, French, Indian

12. a. Paul has an editing job with Meredith

Publishing.
b. Paul has an Editing job with Meredith
Publishing.
13. a. The University of Michigan has an excellent
business school.
b. The university of Michigan has an excellent
business school.
14. a. Dr. Gallagher researched her book at the
Library of Congress.
b. Dr. Gallagher researched her book at the
Library of congress.

11. a. The Talmud is a guide to the teachings of

judaism.
b. The Talmud is a guide to the teachings of
Judaism.

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PROPER NOUNS, PART THREE

CATEGORY OF PROPER NOUNS

EXAMPLES

cities, states, and governmental units

Des Moines, Iowa; Barrow, Alaska; Republic of

South Africa

streets, highways, and roads

Grand Avenue, Interstate 29, Deadwood Road

landmarks and geographical locations

Continental Divide, Grand Canyon

public areas and bodies of water

Superior Forest, Missouri River

institutions, organizations, and businesses

Dartmouth College, Lions Club, Dodge Trucks

Practice

Proper Adjectives

Choose the correctly capitalized version of each of the

following pairs.

Proper adjectives are adjectivesthat is, words that

modify nounsformed from a proper noun, often the
name of a place. For instance, the proper noun Canada
becomes the proper adjective Canadian when it modifies another noun, as in Canadian bacon. Note that the
noun is not capitalized unless it is a proper noun in its
own right.

15. a. New York Citys Sixth Avenue is also called the

Avenue of the Americas.
b. New York citys sixth avenue is also called the
Avenue of the Americas.
16. a. Near a body of water called firth and forth,
you can see Edinburgh, Scotland.
b. Near a body of water called Firth and Forth,
you can see Edinburgh, Scotland.
17. a. There is an incredible view of the Pacific ocean
from Big Sur, California.
b. There is an incredible view of the Pacific
Ocean from Big Sur, California.
18. a. Mount Everest, which is in the middle of the
Himalayas, is the highest mountain in the
world.
b. Mount Everest, which is in the middle of the
Himalayas, is the highest mountain in the
World.
19. a. I have traveled on the Garden state Parkway, a
main highway in New Jersey.
b. I have traveled on the Garden State Parkway, a
main highway in New Jersey.

Examples:
English muffin, Polish sausage, Japanese yen

Practice
Choose the correctly capitalized version of each of the
following pairs.
20. a. Some residents of ireland still speak the Gaelic
Language.
b. Some residents of Ireland still speak the Gaelic
language.
21. a. Frida Kahlo, a Mexican artist, painted many
self-portraits.
b. Frida Kahlo, a mexican artist, painted many
self-portraits.
22. a. My Irish ancestors immigrated to the United
States in 1853.
b. My irish ancestors immigrated to the United
States in 1853.

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23. a. I will never attempt to swim the English

channel.
b. I will never attempt to swim the English
Channel.
24. a. The new Ethiopian Restaurant was getting
rave reviews.
b. The new Ethiopian restaurant was getting rave
reviews.

When NOT to Capitalize

Putting capital letters where they dont belong is as bad
as leaving them out where they do belong. Watch for
these capitalization traps.

Avoid unnecessarily capitalizing compass directions; however, direction words that refer to a specific area of the country should be capitalized.
Examples:
We headed west after the Depression.
The future of the country was cultivated in the West.
Avoid unnecessarily capitalizing the words referring to family members. Capitalize them only
when they are used as names. If a possessive adjective (my, our, your, his, her, their) comes before the
word referring to a family member, the family
word is not capitalized.
Examples:
When Uncle Harry visited last winter, none of
my other uncles came to see him.
After my mother called me for lunch, Father
served the entree.
Avoid unnecessarily capitalizing the seasons of the
year or parts of the academic year.
Example:
If the university offers History of Education 405
in the spring semester, Horace can graduate
in May.
Avoid unnecessarily capitalizing school subjects.
They should be capitalized only if they are part of
the name of a specific course.

Examples:
I try to avoid math courses because Im not very
good at them.
Betsy is taking Algebra II and Trigonometry I
next semester.
Avoid unnecessarily capitalizing words modified
by proper adjectives.
Examples:
Polish sausage, not Polish Sausage
Mexican restaurant, not Mexican Restaurant

Practice
Choose the correctly capitalized version of each of the
following pairs.
25. a. Digging the Canal through Panama took
many years.
b. Digging the canal through Panama took many
years.
26. a. The Smoky Mountains are in the Southeastern
part of the country.
b. The Smoky Mountains are in the southeastern
part of the country.
27. a. Nicholi Milani does more business in the East
than in the West.
b. Nicholi Milani does more business in the east
than in the west.
28. a. My least favorite subject in school is history,
although I have to admit I enjoyed taking
European History I last semester.
b. My least favorite subject in school is History,
although I have to admit I enjoyed taking
European History I last semester.
29. a. Marianne had never been as far East as
Columbus, Ohio.
b. Marianne had never been as far east as
Columbus, Ohio.

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