English Grammar Blog
Proper Use of Capital Letters
Here are some of the standard uses of capital letters:
Sentences always start with capital letters. Capital letters also begin all proper nouns.
Example: They entered Tuscany with John Smith.
Capital letters are also used to name a particular object or thing, such as days, months, eras, locations, organizations, and etcetera.
Examples:
| Days: | Monday, Wednesday, Sunday |
| Months: | January, June, December |
| Locations: | Hudson River, the Louvre, Southeast Asia |
| Organizations: | British Aerospace, the Catholic Church |
When proper nouns, however, are employed in the general sense, or as adjectives, these words require no capitalization.
Example:
One of the references was the Holy Bible.
It was a disaster of biblical proportions.
She was a scholar at Oxford University.
The club had members from various universities and colleges.
For philosophical movements or artistic genres, as well as popular periods in history, capitalization is required.
Examples: the Medieval Ages, Modernism, the Great Depression
Titles of works of art, songs, plays, films, books, and various publications such as magazines, tabloids, and newspapers use capital letters.
Examples:
the Persistence of Memory, Death of a Salesman, West Side Story
Stranger in a Strange Land
Vogue, the National Enquirer, the New York Times
With the abovementioned titles, the initial word and any important nouns or terms are capitalized. Words such as articles and prepositions in the title (aside from the first word) retain lower-case status.
In the French language, titles are conventionally presented with capitalization only on the first word or main word of any title. Other titles, however, follow the standards of English capitalization.
Examples:
Les Sept peches capitaux, Pauline a la plage
Sans Soleil, Le Dernier Combat
The German language capitalizes all nouns within a title.
Examples:
Also sprach Zarathustra
Drafunkel, der kleine Drache
Foreign titles whose contents are written in English follow the conventions of English capitalization.
Examples:
Religio Medici
Fors Clavigera
However, capital letters are not used to start any of the four seasons.
Examples:
spring
summer
autumn/fall
winter
Geographic locations start with capital letters if they are a portion of an area’s title, or a political faction. The opposite occurs if they are general terms or descriptions.
Examples:
The pottery came from the South Pacific.
It was sold in an auction in southern England.
Brands, products, and company or trade names have capital letters.
Examples:
Volkswagen
Apple
Properly using capital letters in whatever you write shows your professionalism and aptitude in the English language. It will clarify what you want to say, as well as sharpen your communication skills. These rules are especially useful for people who write academic documents, business proposals, memos, reports, and other documents.
Related posts:
- What Is an Adjective and How Are They Used?
- Writing Business Letters
- Online Grammar Resources
- What Is a Noun and How Are They Used?
