1 capitalization rules lessons for copyeditors by jeff south vcu school of mass communications

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Capitalization rulesCapitalization rules

Lessons for copyeditors

By Jeff South

VCU School of Mass Communications

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In generalIn general ‘Down style’ It’s faster. Blame cheap publishers! When in doubt, check the AP

Stylebook.

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Proper vs. common nounsProper vs. common nouns

Proper nouns = specific people, places, things

Common nouns =general people, places, things

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Proper vs. common nounsProper vs. common nouns

Proper

Tim KaineKenyaPepsiRichmondUniversity of Virginia

Common

a mancountrysoft drinka cityuniversity,school

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Now you try!Now you try!

The (nations/Nations) formed an alliance.The nations formed an alliance.She once lived in (deltaville/Deltaville).She once lived in Deltaville.One of the (johns/Johns) arrested in the

prostitution sting said his name was (john/John) Smith.

One of the johns arrested in the prostitution sting said his name was John Smith.

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TrademarksTrademarks

They’re specific, so capitalize them:Students will get free Cokes at class.A Realtor sold the house in two days.

The concert is being sponsored by Sprite.

She wore an Armani suit. Check the AP Stylebook and gov’t

. offices to see if a brand name is still protected.

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Clenching a (kleenex/Kleenex), she tearfully recalled what happened on the beach.

Clenching a Kleenex, she tearfully recalled what happened on the beach.

He made a (xerox/Xerox) of the document to prove it existed.

He made a Xerox of the document to prove it existed.

They had (jello/Jell-O) for dessert.They had Jell-O for dessert.

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TrademarksTrademarks

Unless the trademark name is essential to the story, use the generic word:

cola instead of Cokereal estate agent instead of Realtor

gelatin instead of Jell-O

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Clenching a Kleenex, she tearfully recalled what happened on the beach.

Clenching a tissue, she tearfully recalled what happened on the beach.

He made a Xerox of the document to prove it existed.

He made a photocopy of the document to prove it existed.

She was wearing Nikes and Ray-Bans.She was wearing running shoes and sunglasses.

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Compass pointsCompass points

Capitalize if it’s a specific region:He is from the West.

They live in Southside Virginia. Lowercase if it’s a direction:

She drove south on I-95.Five miles east of the city, the

officers found the abandoned car.

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Clinton was popular in the east but not in the south.

Wrong. Clinton was popular in the East but not in the South.

The wind shifted suddenly to the north.Correct.After leaving Nashville, they headed West.Wrong. After leaving Nashville, they

headed west.

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The south will rise again, he said.Wrong. The South will rise again, he said.The tracks run from West to East.Wrong. The tracks run from west to east.It rarely snows that far south.Correct.They moved here from the West Coast.Correct.

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Awards, honors and prizesAwards, honors and prizes

Capitalize specific awards:Nobel PrizeEmmyOscarMedal of HonorPulitzer PrizeHeisman Trophy

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She won an academy award in 1998.Wrong. She won an Academy Award in 1998.The newspaper received a Pulitzer for

international reporting.

Correct.She has earned numerous awards for teaching.Correct.The Nobel peace prize is awarded each spring.Wrong. The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded ...

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Multiword proper nounsMultiword proper nouns

Capitalize all the words if they’re part of the formal name:

Hermitage High SchoolJames River

Chesterfield CountyMain Street

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Be careful with plurals:

Hermitage and Armstrong high schoolsJames and York rivers

Chesterfield and Powhatan countiesMain and Harrison streets

Don’t capitalized the ‘pluralized’ word, such as schools or streets.

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Capitalize:Grant and Lee fought in the Civil War.He is taking History 102.Spain is part of the European Union.

But lowercase:There’s a civil war in Sri Lanka.She is studying American history.Morocco is seeking a union with

Algeria.

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He fell from the top of the Empire State building.

Wrong. He fell from the top of the Empire State Building.

The accident occurred at Main and Laurel Streets.

Wrong. The accident occurred at Main and Laurel streets.

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She had no transcript from Middle School when she transferred to Godwin High school.

Wrong. She had no transcript from middle school when she transferred to Godwin High School.

They flew missions in the Korean and Vietnam wars.

Correct.

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I took four semesters of History.Wrong. I took four semesters of history.I flunked Biology 101.Correct.The professor has taught at the Universities

of Tennessee and West Virginia.Wrong. The professor has taught at the

universities of Tennessee and West Virginia.

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GovernmentGovernment

Capitalize specific governmental bodies:CongressSenateHouseVirginia General Assemblythe General Assemblythe Legislature

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Lowercase nonspecific and plural references:The Knesset, Israel’s parliament, …The Virginia and Maryland

legislatures

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By October, Congress is expected to pass the long-delayed bill.

Correct.No Legislature has passed the

amendment.Wrong. No legislature has passed …The new cabinet met with the presidentWrong. The new Cabinet met …

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Jesse Helms is retiring from the Senate.Correct.The North and South Carolina Legislatures

will consider regulating pig farming.Wrong. The North and South Carolina

legislatures will consider ... She is a member of the Diet, Japan’s

parliament.Correct.

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Capitalize ‘Capitol’ because it refers to a specific building:He visited the Capitol in Washington, D.C.

Lowercase ‘capital’ - referring to the city where government is headquartered:Richmond is the capital of Virginia.

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Capitalize City Hall and City Council because they’re specific.

Lowercase ‘council’ standing alone:The council will vote next week.

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The capitol dominates the skyline of the nation’s Capital.

Wrong. The Capitol dominates the skyline of the nation’s capital.

What is the capital of West Virginia?Correct.The protesters marched east to the capitol.Wrong. The protesters marched east to the

Capitol.

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ReligionReligion

Capitalize names of religions, religious groups, their deities and their sacred books:God, Allah, BuddhaChristians, Jews, Muslimsthe Bible, the Torah, the Koran

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ReligionReligion

But remember:‘bible’ can be lowercase, too:The AP Stylebook is the reporter’s

bible. Always lowercase ‘biblical.’

The speech included several biblical references.

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Jerry Garcia was almost a god to his devoted fans.

Correct.Jerusalem is sacred to Jews, Muslims and

Christians.Correct.The talmud is a book of religious and civil

laws.Wrong. The Talmud is a book ...

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Race & ethnicityRace & ethnicity

Capitalize the formal names of races and ethnic groups:African American, Caucasian,

Asian, Hispanic, Indian Lowercase skin colors:

black community, white residents, the whites, the blacks

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Race & ethnicityRace & ethnicity

Call people what they want to be called. Black or African American? Native American or Indian?Hispanic, Latino or Chicano?

But first, consider: Is race relevant to the story? If not, don’t use it.

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In the South, Whites used the poll tax to keep Blacks from voting.

Wrong. In the South, whites used the poll tax to keep blacks from voting.

Virginius Dabney, a white editor at the Richmond Times-Dispatch, won a Pulitzer for opposing the poll tax.

Correct.

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But the Times-Dispatch led the campaign against allowing blacks and whites to attend schools together.

Correct.As a result, many people in the Black

Community continue to distrust the white-owned daily.

Wrong. As a result, many people in the black community continue to distrust the white-owned daily.

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TitlesTitles

Capitalize formal titles directly before a name (‘fused’ to a name), not separated by a comma:The speaker is Mayor Tim Kaine.Today, President Bush signed the bill.

Lowercase descriptive titles:The concert featured singer Sheryl Crow.The city bought the land from farmer Jerry

Crawford.

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TitlesTitles

Formal titles denote authority or professional or academic achievement:Pope Paul, President Bush, King

Henry Descriptive titles include:

sophomore Bill Sims, reporter Jean Williams, first baseman Mark Grace

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TitlesTitles

If a comma separates the title and name, the title is no longer a proper noun: The new dean, Steve Gottfredson,

will meet with the students. The U.S. president, George W. Bush,

held a state dinner for Mexican President Vicente Fox.

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TitlesTitles

Likewise, lowercase titles that come after a name:Eugene Trani, president of Virginia

Commonwealth University, ... Jeff South, a VCU professor, taught

Newswriting last year. Juan Carlos, the king of Spain, is

visiting South America.

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TitlesTitles

Put long titles (more than three words) after a name:Tracy Smith, chairwoman of the

Henrico County Planning and Zoning Commission, voted against the proposal.

Ron Nixon, a deputy secretary of state for Middle Eastern affairs, attended the meeting.

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TitlesTitles

Always lowercase titles standing alone, without a name.They met the president in the White

House.The pope gave his blessing.

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TitlesTitles

Formal titles are used on first reference only, with the person’s full name:First reference: Dr. Thomas AlexanderSecond reference: AlexanderFirst reference: Vice President Richard

CheneySecond reference: Cheney

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TitlesTitles

Plural formal titles are capitalized:In Washington, Presidents George W.

Bush of the United States and Vicente Fox of Mexico are discussing immigration.

The committee will be headed by Vice Provosts Cynthia McWilliams and Oscar Garcia.

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TitlesTitles

Don’t capitalize words that modify or describe a formal title:At VCU, former President Jimmy

Carter will speak at a symposium on poverty.

The group invited retired Gen. Art Hall.

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TitlesTitles

AP style does not use courtesy titles (Miss, Ms., Mrs., Mr.) unless they are needed to prevent confusion.

But some publications do use courtesy titles. (See The NY Times, or Richmond Times-Dispatch obituaries.)

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A popular Soul Singer, Mary J. Blige, will perform in Richmond.

Wrong. A popular soul singer, Mary J. Blige, will perform in Richmond.

The pressure is building on president Bush.

Wrong. The pressure is building on President Bush.

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Police Officer Jessica Jean Cheney died Saturday night in a traffic accident.

Correct.A police officer, Jessica Jean Cheney, died

Saturday night in a traffic accident.Correct.Jessica Jean Cheney, a police officer, died

Saturday night in a traffic accident.Correct. These are three ways of handling titles.

Capitalize only if it’s a formal title ‘fused’ to the person’s name (sentence No. 1).

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OrganizationsOrganizations

Capitalize an organization’s namebecause it’s a proper noun.

But don’t capitalize:a, an, theandprepositions of fewer than 5 letters

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OrganizationsOrganizations

Boy ScoutsGreater Richmond Chamber of Commercethe Delta Chi Fraternity (because

‘Fraternity’ is part of the name)the Phi Mu sorority (because ‘sorority’

isn’t officially part of the name)VCU Board of VisitorsFederal Communication Commission

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Amnesty InternationalCorrect.Black Awakening ChoirCorrect.American Society Of Interior DesignersWrong. American Society of Interior …Activities Programming boardWrong. Activities Programming Board

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Federal Bureau Of InvestigationWrong. Federal Bureau of InvestigationLatino Student Alliance Correct.the Donkey And Elephant SocietyWrong. Donkey and Elephant SocietyVCU Student Government AssociationCorrect.

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U.S. military branchesU.S. military branches

Capitalize when written in full or shortened formthe U.S. Air Forcethe Air Forcethe U.S. Armythe Armythe U.S. Marinesthe Marines

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U.S. military branchesU.S. military branches

Lowercase when these wordsdon’t mean military: An army of ants took over the picnic. Like an air force bent on destruction,

the birds swooped over the crowd and dropped their bombs.

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Political termsPolitical terms

Capitalize ‘party’ when it is part of a proper noun:the Democratic Partythe Republican Partythe Green and Libertarian parties

She is a Democrat and a loyal member of the party. He is a longtime Republican senator.

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Political termsPolitical terms

Lowercase a political term when it refers to a form of government or an ideology (not a political party):

They believed in the republican form of government, with elected representatives.

She opposes socialism, but she used to belong to the Socialist Party of America.

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The democratic governor appointed a Republican to the Supreme Court.

Wrong. The Democratic governor appointed a Republican …

She joined the Navy at age 19.Correct.He spent his life fighting

Communism.Wrong. Lowercase ‘communism.’

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The Green party is collecting signatures.

Wrong. The Green Party …The country was founded in 1776

on Democratic ideals.Wrong. Lowercase ‘democratic’ ideals.A ragged army of refugees fled from

the drought-striken region.Correct.

1 capitalization rules lessons for copyeditors by jeff south vcu school of mass communications

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