- Capitalize the first word in a sentence.
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- Did anyone see my hat?
- My dad took me to the game.
- The storm passed right over us.
- We had to walk all the way home.
- Everyone knows that Jack is good at baseball.
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- Capitalize the first word after a colon.
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- This was the moment: She couldn't look back.
- Everything was going as planned: We would be in California before long.
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- Exception: Do not capitalize the first word after a colon if it starts a list.
Example:
- The contents of his bag include: bottled water, snacks, and spare clothing.
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- Capitalize the first word of a direct quotation.
- A direct quotation states the exact words of the person speaking.
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- I thought, "This isn't so bad."
- Our coach yelled, "Win the game!"
- Her reply was, "My dog ate my homework."
- Nick said, "Please
- be careful with my project."
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- Capitalize proper nouns - names of specific people, places, organizations, and sometimes things.
- A proper noun names specific people, places, and things.
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People
Places
- Italy
- San Diego, California
- Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Organizations
- Association of Teachers Educators
- Organization of American Historians
Things
- National Anthem
- Encyclopedia Britannica
- Declaration of Independence
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- Capitalize family relations when used as proper names.
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- Here is a present I bought for Mother.
- I received a letter from Aunt Martha.
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- Exception: Do not capitalize when using as a common noun.
Examples:
- Uncle Ned, not my other uncle, was born in Vermont.
- Did you buy a present for your mother?
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- Capitalize the names of planets and other major celestial objects and terrain.
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Planets
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
Other
- Milky Way
- Sun
- Moon
- Halley's Comet
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- Exception: Do not capitalize celestial objects when used as common nouns.
Examples:
- The Moon is the fifth largest moon in the Solar System.
- Plants grow from the earth on the planet Earth.
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- Capitalize the names of God, specific deities, religious figures, and sacred books.
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Gods
Religious figures
- Dalai Lama, Jesus, Mohammed
Sacred books
- The Bible, the Old Testament, the Koran
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- Exception: Do not capitalize the word god when not referring to a specific figure.
Examples:
- Polytheists believe in many gods.
- Monotheists believe in one god, known as God.
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- Capitalize names of regions, rivers, lakes, mountains, and oceans.
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Regions
- Atlantic States
- Middle West
Rivers
- Colorado River
- Ohio River
Lakes
Mountains
- MountMcKinley
- Mount Whitney
Mountains
- PacificOcean
- AtlanticOcean
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- Capitalize names of school subjects only when you use them to refer to a particular course.
- Capitalize names of Educational institutions and degrees.
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Particular Course
- I'll be taking History 101 at the community college.
Educational Institutions
- University of Maryland
- Capital Community College
Degree
- Bachelor's of Science
- Master of Business Administration
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- Exception: Do not capitalize subjects when talking about them in general.
Examples:
- After biology, I'm going to my Spanish class.
- I prefer learning French over geometry.
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- Capitalize proper adjectives.
- A proper adjective describes specific people, places, and things.
- Proper adjectives include national and religious identities, such as Mexican, Canadian, Muslim, Jewish.
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People
- American citizen
- Spanish musician
- Spanish musician
- Alaskan native
Places
- Christian church
- Native American reservation
- Greek temple
Things
- European customs
- Buddhist statue
- Shakespearean dialogue
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- Capitalize names of countries, states, cities, nationalities, and specific languages.
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Countries
States
Cities
Nationalities
Specific Languages
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- Capitalize titles preceding names.
- Capitalize titles when used in direct address.
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Titles Preceding Names
- Over 2,000 people attended the rally for Prime Minister Cameron.
- India
Direct Address
- We appreciate your hardwork Mayor.
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- Exception: Do not capitalize titles that follow names.
Example:
- Over 2,000 people attended the rally of David Cameron, prime minister of the United Kingdom.
- Exception: Do not capitalize titles when used as general words.
Example:
- The prime minister attended the rally today.
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- Capitalize the pronoun I and the contractions: I've, I'll, I'm, I'd.
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- Martin and I are best friends.
- First I'll eat, and then I'll practice.
- No, I'm too tired to go.
- That's what I've always wanted.
- Then I've got to get ready.
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- Capitalize titles.
- The following have titles: books and stories, poems, songs, magazines, newspapers, works of art.
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Books and stories
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid
- "The Princess and the Pea"
- "The Wind in the Willows"
Poems
- "The Road Not Taken"
- "Charge of the Light Brigade"
- "Paul RRide"
Songs
- "Jingle Bells"
- "Old McDonald Had a Farm"
- "Itsy Bitsy Spider"
Magazines and Newspapers
- Scholastic
- The New York Times
- People
Works of Art
- The Starry Night
- American Gothic
- Guernica
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- Exception: Do not capitalize short prepositions, conjunctions, or articles in a title, unless they are the first word.
Example:
- I enjoyed A Tale of Two Cities, but I love Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
- The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is my favorite book in The Chronicles of Narnia..
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- Capitalize the first word in every line of a poem.
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Once there was a little boy, With curly hair and pleasant eye-
A boy who always told the truth,
And never, never told a lie.
(From "The Boy Who Never Told a Lie." Anonymous.)
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- Capitalize historical events or periods and documents.
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- American Revolution
- Civil War
- The Renaissance
- The Middle Ages
- Declaration of Independence
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- Exception: Do not capitalize century numbers.
Example:
- Benjamin Franklin lived in the eighteenth century, a period that saw the Enlightenment in Europe and the United States..
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- Capitalize names of groups and departments.
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- United States Senate
- New York Yankees
- National Park Service
- Salvation Army
- Declaration of Independence
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- Capitalize the names of national, political, social, racial, civic, and athletic groups.
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- Green Bay Packers
- Asian-Americans
- Anti-Semitic
- Republicans
- Action Against Hunger
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- Capitalize brand names and trademarks.
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- Microsoft
- Nike
- Ford
- Staples
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- Capitalize acronyms and initials.
- An acronym abbreviates a word or phrase using the first letters.
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Acronyms
Initials
- John F. Kennedy
- A.A. Milne
- F. Scott Fitzgerald
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- Capitalize days of the week, months of the year, and holidays.
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Days
Months
Holidays
- Labor Day,
Halloween, Easter
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- Capitalize seasons when used in a title.
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- Fall Fashion 2013
- Summer Institute
- Winter Olympic Games
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- Exception: Do not capitalize seasons, such as spring and fall.
Example:
- I can't wait until the summer to attend Summer Heritage Festival. .
- This spring, we're going to Spring Mountain. .
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- Capitalize directions used as names.
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- the West
- the Middle East
- North Pole
- South Beach
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- Exception: Do not capitalize directions when used as compass routes.
Example:
- Birds fly south for the winter, and many go to South America..
- The migrants traveled west for work and settled in West Texas. .
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