Capitalization... when do you use it?

The grammar concept of capitalization seems basic when learning punctuation in elementary grades. We all seem to remember to capitalize the first word of a sentence, people's names, days and months of the year, and names of places. As we get older and this rule has been ingrained in our brain, we tend to over look this rule in other circumstances such as words used as names, titles used with names of persons, or names of religions, nationalities, and languages to name a few. So here is a quick guide to refer to as to when to use capitalization.

Quick Guide to Capitalization Rules

Proper nouns and proper adjectives

Capitalize all proper nouns and proper adjectives. A proper noun names a specific person, place, thing, or idea. A proper adjective is formed from a proper noun.

Names of people

Capitalize the names of people and also the initials or abbreviations that stand for those names.

Words used as names

Capitalize words such as mother, father, aunt, and uncle when these words are used as names.

Geographic names

Capitalize geographic names that are either proper nouns or proper adjectives i.e. planets and heavenly bodies, continents, states, countries, provinces, cities, counties, bodies of water, landforms, public areas, roads and highways, and buildings.

Titles used in names

Capitalize titles used with names of persons i.e. President Obama, Mayor Micheal Bloomberg, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Historical events

Capitalize the names of historical events, documents, and periods of time i.e. Boston Tea Party, Stone Age, Emancipation Proclamation

Abbreviations

Capitalize abbreviations of titles and organization i.e. M.D. (doctor of medicine) ADA (American Dental Association)

Organizations

Capitalize the name of an organization, an association, or a team and its members i.e. Girl Scouts of America, New York Yankees, the Democratic Party, Republicans

Titles

Capitalize the first word of a title, the last word, and every word in between except article (a, an, the), short prepositions, and coordinating conjunctions.

First words

Capitalize the first word of every sentence and the first word of a direct quotation.

Days and months

Capitalize the names of days of the week, months of the year, and holidays. Do not capitalize the seasons (winter, summer, spring and fall (autumn).

Names of religions, nationalities, and languages

Capitalize the names of religions, nationalities, and languages i.e. Islam, Australian, and Hebrew

Official names

Capitalize the names of businesses and the official names of their products (trade names) i.e. Walmart, Bazooka gum, Rice Crispy cereal, and Crest toothpaste.          

Vocabulary

Read the following definitions of the vocabulary words and use them in two sentences. The first sentence will be a sentence that shows you understand the meaning of the word and the second sentence will be about yourself using the vocabulary word.

Concept- a general idea

Capitalization- the act of writing or printing in capital (upper case) letters

Basic- elementary or simple

Punctuation - the practice or system of using certain conventional marks or characters in writing or printing in order to separate elements and make the meaning clear, as in ending a sentence or separating clauses.

Ingrained- firmly fixed; deep-rooted

Circumstances -an incident or occurrence

Grammar point: There are many rules to remember in English grammar so in order to keep them fresh in your mind always go back and review the basic rules and apply them in your writing, conversations, reading, and listening. Capitalization is a rule that we use frequently in most forms of writing such writing emails or letters, filling out an application, or writing out checks. Thus, it's important to review our basics every so often so we don't make careless mistakes in our writings.

Review the quick guide one more time and complete a short quiz on capitalization.You can use the answer key to check your answers. This quiz is from GrammarBook.com

Capitalization Quiz

1. Choose the correct sentence.

	A)	She said, "bees are not the only insects that sting."
	B)	She said, "Bees are not the only insects that sting."

2. Choose the correct sentence.

	A)	"You must understand," he pleaded, "That I need more time to pay you."
	B)	"You must understand," he pleaded, "that I need more time to pay you."

3. Choose the correct sentence.

	A)	Mark Paxton, the vice president of the company, embezzled over one million dollars.
	B)	Mark Paxton, the Vice President of the company, embezzled over one million dollars.

4. Choose the correct sentence.

	A)	The president of the United States wields much power.
	B)	The President of the United States wields much power.

5. Choose the correct sentence.

	A)	I live in the Northeastern part of the state where the climate is colder.
	B)	I live in the northeastern part of the state where the climate is colder.

6. Choose the correct sentence.

	A)	The West, especially California, is famous for its cutting-edge technology.
	B)	The west, especially California, is famous for its cutting-edge technology.

7. Choose the correct sentence.

	A)	Have you read All the King's Men?
	B)	Have you read All The King's Men?

8. Choose the correct sentence.

	A)	I enjoy Summer more than any other season.
	B)	I enjoy summer more than any other season.

9. Choose the correct sentence.

	A)	Employees of the Company were laid off with little hope of returning to work.
	B)	Employees of the company were laid off with little hope of returning to work.

10. Choose the correct sentence.

	A)	My dear Mr. Simpson:
	B)	My Dear Mr. Simpson:

11. Choose the correct sentence.

	A)	Sincerely yours,
	B)	Sincerely Yours,

Answer key: B,B,A,A,B,A,A,B,B,A,A

If you want learn more about capitalization, complete practice exercises, or take a quiz,click on the following website link:  Capitalization