capitalization

UNIVERSITY OF THE SACRED HEART

CENTER FOR LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT ACROSS THE DISCIPLINES

LAD

Brief Guidelines for Capitalization

Capital Letters

In writing, capital letters are used at the beginning of a sentence and for a proper noun.

A capital letter is used at the beginning of:

A sentence, or a word or phrase that stands alone

A direct quotation

Proper nouns, that is, names of particular persons, places, or things

People’s titles

Words for religions and their adjectives

The first word and all the important words in the title of books, movies, television programs, etc.

Languages

Centers and institutes

Are the stores closed today?

The stores are closed

today.

Perhaps.

Yes.

Examples of a sentence, a word or a

phrase that stands alone

Example of a direct quotation

She whispered, “Can you hear me?” He answered, “Of course.”

If a quotation is part of the structure of a sentence, it begins with a small case letter.

She said she was “very pleased” to be invited.

If a quoted sentence is interrupted, the second part begins with a small letter:

“When the pie is done,” he said, “let it cool on the table.”

Examples of proper nouns

Particular persons

Ricky Martin

Particular place

Puerto Rico

Particular idea

Scientology

Other examples of proper nouns

Nationalities

• Germans

• Mexicans

Organizations

• US Army

• National Basketball Association

Names of days and months

• Tuesday

• July

Examples of people’s titles

• Mr. Rivera

• President Obama

• Dr. Maldonado

• Uncle Joe

Examples of religions and their

adjectives

She is

Catholic.

The history

of Judaism

Islamic law

•When do we capitalize the word god?

It is capitalized when it refers to the deity:

In God we trust.

It is not capitalized when it refers to the gods of ancient

mythology or when it is used as a descriptor:

The god Apollo is often shown playing the lyre.

Examples of titles, movies, and

television shows

I am reading The Art of War by Sun Tzu.

Have you seen Harry Potter?

My favorite television program is Extreme Makeover: Home edition.

Other examples include…

English

Spanish

French

German

Mandarin

University of the Sacred Heart

Center for Language Development Across the Disciplines

Languages Centers and Institutes

Remember

If you follow the

rules, you will learn

to capitalize

correctly.

References

Landau S. Ed (2003). Cambridge Dictionary of American English (p. 121, 4th printing). United Kingdom: The Press Syndicate of the University of Cambridge.

Carnegie Mellon University. (2011) Writer’s Style Guide. Retrieved September 20, 2010. from http://www.cmu.edu/marcom/brand- guidelines/images/writers_style_guide.pdf

http://leitrimmontessori.com/Pics/registrationpic.jpg, retrieved on September 20, 2010.

Soraya font [Word font type] Retrieved on September 201, 2012 from http://media.smashingmagazine.com/cdn_smash/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/fonts-08.jpg

The Art of War [Cover page] Retrieved on September 20, 2010 from http://www.tempe.gov/LIBRARY/events/images/books.jpg

Agostini, E. (Photographer). (2010) [Photograph] Retrieved on September 20, 2010 from http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/images/stories/large/2010/06/10/RickyMartin101609881.jpg

Newspapers and Flags from Around the World [Puerto Rican Flag] Retrieved on September 20, 2012 from http://www.newspapercountry.com/PuertoRico.png

Church of Scientology International. [Image of Scientology cross ] Retrieved on September 20, 2012 from http://www.scientology-europe.org/about/proclamation.html

Prepared by N. Piñero

Revised by LAD professors in May 2012.