Grammar Mishaps: Capitalization Rules
98Capitalization Rules
Capitalize the beginning of a sentence.
- This hub is about when to use capitalization.
Capitalize the pronoun "I"
- My friend and I are going to a musical.
Capitalize proper nouns: specific people, places, and organizations
- Abraham Lincoln was born in Hardin County, Kentucky in 1809.
- Women for Women International is a fantastic organization supporting women all over the world.
Capitalize religious figures, holy books, and God
- The Bible has many stories of the Virgin Mary and Jesus.
- Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, was the daughter of Zeus and Dione.
Capitalize days of the week, holidays, and months of the year but not seasons
- I love the fall because of Halloween and Thanksgiving.
- My favorite month of the year is November.
Seasons are capitalized when used in a title.
- The catalog for Spring 2006 will be out in February.
Capitalize countries, languages, and nationalities
- We went to Spain to learn Spanish.
Family relationships only when used instead of proper names
- I went on a trip with Father. (Father could be replaced with my father's name.)
- Your father is six feet tall.
- When we go to the movies with my aunts, my Aunt Marlie always has to be reminded to be quiet.
Capitalize titles that precede names, but not titles that follow names
- Senator Dianne Feinstein was first elected in 1992.
- Diane Feinstein was the first woman mayor of San Francisco.
Capitalize North, South, East, and West when used as sections of the country, but not as compass directions
- We lived in the Pacific Northwest for four years.
- Our house is northwest of Fremont.
Capitalize letter salutations and closings
Only capitalize the first word in the salutation and closing.
- My dear Ms. Taylor,
- With much love,
Capitalize the first word in a quote even when in the middle of a sentence
- My Uncle Bob use to say, "The last time I said no was when they asked me if I had enough."
Capitalize major words in titles of books, written works, or songs.
- A wonderful grammar book is Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Lynne Truss. (The Italics are not working for me, so I underlined the title of the book.)
Short prepositions ("the," "a," or "an") are not capitalized if they aren't the first word.
Capitalize the first word in each line of poetry or verse
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
"The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost
Capitalize members of a group
- Many California Democrats will likely vote for Phil Angelides.
- Barry Bonds plays for the San Francisco Giants.
Capitalize events and periods of time
- The Roaring Twenties were a period of affluence.
- The Democratic Convention is a nationally televised event.
Capitalize company trademarks
- My infant eats Earth's Best baby food.
- We prefer Coke over Pepsi.
Capitalize words and abbreviations of specific names
Katie Couric recently switched from NBC to CBS.
She studied Jungian psychology which focuses on the collective unconscious.
Capitalize solar system names
- The fourth planet from the sun is Mars.
- The moon revolves around the earth.
Capitalize Outlines
I. Food Pyramid
A. Whole grains
1. Breads, cereal, crackers, rice, and pasta
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Do you know any other capitalization rules?
I'm sorry, I don't understand what your are trying to convey. The name of the organization is Women for Women International, and it needs to be capitalized as such. I appologize for any confusion. ;)
When I first started in this business, I was told to always capitalize the names of a ship,ie PRESIDENT
Hi, Bob. ship names should be title: USS President or HMS Victory. The prefix, an abbreviation, should be capitalized without periods, and the first letter of the ship's name should be capitalized. Thanks for the comment! Oops, I noticed I spelled "apologize" incorrectly above. ;)
Women for Women is a great organization. I used to sponsor a woman in Nigeria.
I did as well. It is a great organization. Thanks for reading, Moonmaiden! ;)
I have a question, not a rule. Do you capitalize food names using cities?
For example:
Gouda cheese, Parma ham, Parmesan cheese
Hello Editor...
The Associated Press Syle Book says, "Most proper nouns or adjectives are capitalized when they occur in a food name: Boston brown bread, Russian dressing, Swiss cheese, Waldorf salad. Lowercase is used, however, when the food does not depend on the proper noun or adjective for its meaning: french fries, graham crackers, manhattan cocktail."
I think this "rule" is one that could be defended on either end. As long as you're consistent, you should be fine.
Hope that helps.
I have a question about seasons. I understand you don't capitalize seasons unless they are in a title, correct? All of my granddaughter's correspondence from colleges refer to the Fall of 2007. Correct or now?
I think that I would capitalize "Fall of 2007" because it is like a title. However, I wouldn't capitalize, "I want to go to Vermont in the fall." Hope that makes sense. Thanks!
Hi, what is the capitalisation rule for "Pacific Island Countries" - "Pacific Countries" - is it the way I have written?
Many thanks!
Hi Mary,
I would not capitalize "countries". I would, however, capitalize, "Pacific Island". Thanks!
Do you need to use a comma here: Hi, Bob, ..... or is it Hi Bob,..... ? Thank you
I would say, "Hi Bob,". It is the same as saying, "Dear Bob,". Thanks for the question! Robin
I live in western Kentucky or I live in Western Kentucky?
Hi Nancy,
You would say, "I live in Western Kentucky." Here's the rule from above. Thanks!
Capitalize North, South, East, and West when used as sections of the country, but not as compass directions.
For example:
We lived in the Pacific Northwest for four years.
Our house is northwest of Fremont.
Thanks for the Hub, it is nice to know the rules of Grammar, mine is horrible. Keep up the good work, you should publish your work.
Hi cgull8m. Thanks for the compliment. I'm glad it helped! ;)
Hi Robin,
Great page, very informative! Could you please clear up a major confusion for me and a dear friend and co-worker? When are titles capitalized? i.e.... John Smith, vp systems??? or John Smith, VP Systems?? Another example, I am an Administrative Assistant ... or I am an administrative assistant supporting the global marketing team??? My friend and I constantly debate this subject. Any help you could provide would be much appreciated.
What do you capitalize when you are spelling out days of the month or years--for example, is this correct?
Friday, June sixth, Two Thousand and Seven.
Hi Elaine,
Titles should be capitalized when they precede a name; however, "VP" would be capitalized because it's an abbreviation for "Vice President".
Here's an example:
We saw Mayor Gavin Newsome at the Ferry Building.
Gavin Newsome is the mayor of San Francisco.
In your second sentence, I would not capitalize "administrative assistant".
Here's a link that has more information: http://www.utexas.edu/visualguidelines/capitalizat
One wonders why this has to be so complicated! Hope it helps!!
Hi Cindy,
I wouldn't capitalize any of the number dates. E.g., Friday, June sixth, two thousand and seven.
Cheers!
Would you capitalize the name of a department in an internal document, such as Human Resources Department, Business Office, Social Services Office?
How about capitalizing titles when connected to department names, ie. Human Resources director?
Thanks!
Hi Kaye,
Capitalize the names of departments except when used in a person’s title. Your first examples would be capitalized, but your second would not, e.g., "Human Resources Department..." and "human resources director" .
Thanks!
Hello Robin,
I love your liberal slant on your examples. Anyway, I’m writing a process document for manufacturing, or is that Process Document, back to the question. Should I capitalize all the letters of keys on a piece of equipment’s user screen? For example, “Return to the RUN screen by highlighting RUN using the up/down arrow keys and press ENTER”??
Should “run” and “enter” be in all caps?
Thanks,
Jimmy
ps. RUSH IS RIGHT!!
Here's my sentence: Last year, the Clifton High School Varsity baseball team members offered their assistance.
are 'baseball team members' capitalized or not?
I am debating a friend regarding the proper capitalization of salutations. Since it is used as a formal closing and not merely another sentence in a letter, is it proper to capitalize multiple words of a salutation? "Best Wishes" appears more appropriate than "Best wishes." Which is the appropriate usage?
Hi Steve,
Thanks for the question. You only capitalize the first word in salutations and closings, e.g., "Best wishes". Cheers!
Hi Marcia,
I would write the sentence:Â "Last year, the Clifton High School varsity baseball team members offered their assistance." ;)
Hi Jim,
I wouldn't capitalize them, but I would put them in quotes. E.g., Return to the run screen by highlighting "run" and using the up/down arrow keys and press "enter". Cheers
'The West' is capitalized, the 'Western World'...but what about '(W)western countries'? adjective?-or...
Is it correct to write ' the Netherlands ' or 'The Netherlands' ?
Hello Robin,
When do you capitalize the name of a recipe? Is it chicken Kiev? coq au vin?
Thanks!
Robin
Can you comment on capitalization of the names of school subjects? All agree that languages need capitalization (English, French etc.) but one source says that other subjects are only capitalized when a *specific* course is named, so it would be "Biology 101" but "All students must take biology."
It seems to me that "biology" in that last example is specifically referring to one of a group of numbered classes and equally deserving of capitalization, but a more general sense it might not, as in "viruses overlap between the worlds of biology and chemistry."
Do we capitalize the names that are for categorization, for example, in a table, there are two columns like Positive Points and Negative Points of a type of a car? Positive Points or Positive points?
And for the names of cars in the very left column, do we capitalize all the first letters of each word or just the first letter of a name? Family Car or Family car?
Would you capitalize "state" in a legal document, e.g. ". . . licensed in the State of Virginia as a . . . "
In a legal document, should "agreement" be capitalized as it refers to the document? eg. " . . . conditions contained in this Agreement. . ."
Thanks!
Gordon,
I would capitalize "Western" as it a specific geographical location. Thanks!
Mary,
You don't capitalize "the" in "the Netherlands." Cheers!
Robin,
Great question. I would capitalize "Chicken Kiev" because it's a proper noun. "Coq au Vin" is as well ("au" is not capitalized because it means "with".) In English it would be "Chicken with Wine". However, I have seen it "coq au vin" with no capitalization. My best advice is to be consistent. It should be italicized because it is French. Unfortunately, I can't italicize in the comment box. Thanks for the question!
Robert,
You are correct. Only specific school courses should be capitalized, e.g., "Biology 101". Many of the rules are confusing and sometimes don't make sense. Maybe this one will eventually change. Our language is very dynamic. Cheers!
Kyunghee,
Titles of columns should be capitalized, e.g. "Positive Points".
Capitalize "president" when their name is before or after the word president or when making a direct address. If you are referring to all the presidents then do not capitalize.
1. They said that President Bush arrived at Camp David last night.
2. What time are you leaving, Mr. President?
3. The president will be arriving at 4:00
I would capitalize "Columbus Day Parade" because it's a proper noun.
Do you always capitalize the word indians?
Hi Tammy,
Yes, you always capitalize "Indians". Cheers!When specifying a place such as a certain forest or meadow should it be capitalized, i.e., the Forest, the Meadow or should it be The Forest, The Meadow? Thanks.
Marilyn,
You wouldn't capitalize "the forest" or "the meadow" unless there is a specific name associated. They are common nouns, not proper nouns. An example of a proper noun for forest would be Stanislaus National Forest. Thanks!
If you are referring to the city of Baltimore, is city capitalized...or the state of Virginia?
Hi Linda,
Capitalize "city" and "state" only when they follow the name you are referring to, not when they precede it; e.g., city of Baltimore, state of Virginia, Washington State, Emerald City. Great question!
Hey, are you supposed to capitalize the i in island?I mean the word island alone without a name of one island.
Hi Donna,
Island on its own is not capitalized. Cheers!
When referring to a rule, such as FCC Rule 235 or FCC rule 235, is the word "rule" capitalized?
Hi Smitty,
I would capitalize "rule" in this case. However, if "rule" precedes "FCC" I would not capitalize it; e.g., FCC Rule 235, the rule that they were referring to was number 235. Hope that helps! Robin
How about the capitalization of the word, "city" when you are refering back to it. As an example,
"I visited Raliegh, NC. I thought the City was beautiful."
In the second sentence I've capitalized "city," but I believe it should be lower-case. Any advice?
Hi Andrew,
You are correct, in this instance "city" would not be capitalized. Capitalize "city" if it directly follows the name of the city and is a proper name or nickname (Kansas City, Emerald City), or if it is used as a municipality, event, or committee. When "city" is used as a general reference it is not capitalized. Â
when writing a paper do you cap. business office? All files are kept in the business office.
The Development Office is responsible for...? The Communications Director is responsible for...?
The Clinton School Board of Directors...after this do you cap. board or not when you use it again. The board is responsible for...?
Hi Kathy,
1. Capitalize "Business Office" in your sentence, "All files are kept in the Business Office." This is a proper noun and should be capitalized. This is sometimes a debatable rule; the key is consistency. However, you wouldn't capitalize "office" in this sentence: All files are kept in the office.
2. Capitalize departments, offices, sections, units, and divisions when they are used as proper nouns. "Development Office" should be capitalized.
3. Don't capitalize job titles when used alone or if a comma separates their name. (Some high level officials want their titles capitalized.) Do capitalize when used before a name and as a name. E.g., the communications director is responsible for...; Communication Director Jane Doe is responsible for...; Jane Doe, Communications Department director, is responsible for....
4. You do not capitalize "board" in the second sentence, "The board is responsible for...".
Hope that helps!
In the second sentence here, should the word "school" (underlined) be capitalized? "We are teachers at Central High School. The School is conducting a survey." I seem to recall learning that if a specific institution is being referred to, then it is correct to capitalize . (In this case, the "S" of school should be a capital letter.)
Kudos on a great site!
Hi David,
In your first sentence, "We are teachers at Central High School," your capitalization of "school" is correct. In your second sentence, I would not capitalize "school", e.g., The school is conducting a survey. Even though you are referring to a specific school, it is still a general term.Â
Thanks for the comment,
Robin
Could you please explain why the word Internet is always used with a capital I? It doesn't seem to fall under any grammar/spelling rules that I can find.
Hi Kathy,
The word Internet is a proper noun and should always be capitalized. Thanks!
Internet is a single thing in the world. Like New York or Paris.
What are the rules around "Board of Directors?" I would assume that it should be capitalized when referred as the whole group, but lower case when using separate components (e.g., The board voted unanimously)... Do you get around these rules if you set it up as such: the GE Board of Directors (Board), in which case you then use capital letters to refer to the Board from that point on?
Jamie,
You are correct, when referring to the "Board of Directors" you would capitalize as such, and when referring to the group in general my best advice is to be consistent. I would prefer to not capitalize "board" in general, but some grammarians disagree. Great question!
We are writing an employee handbook and the debate is to capitalize the Company throughout the document. Some employees say it should read the Company and others prefer it says the company. Which would it be? We also have a non compete agreement wrote by our labor attorney and he states the Company throughout the document he wrote. Please give advice.
Hi Tara,
I would not capitalize "the company" throughout your document; however, you always capitalize the actual name of the company. The key is to be consistent. Hope this helps!
I have a question actually: In an article that has subtitles, should these subtitles be all capitalized?
Hi Jacinta,
Yes, you do capitalize subtitles. Follow the same capitalization rules as when capitalizing a title. Judy Vorfeld gives the following guidelines:
Capitalize all words with four or more letters. Capitalize words with fewer than four letters except:
Articles: a, an, the.
Short Conjunctions: and, or, nor, for, but, so, yet.
Short Prepositions: prepositions like at, by, for, in, of, off, on, out, to, up.
Tips: Always capitalize the first and last words in titles and subtitles and all other major words.
Capitalize the first word following a dash or colon in a title.
When a heading flows to the next line, do not capitalize the first word of that second line unless it would have been capitalized anyway.
Exceptions: Many common prepositions function as adjectives, adverbs, or nouns. When they do: capitalize them.
Capitalize prepositions when they are stressed, e.g., A River Runs Through It.
Capitalize prepositions that are used as conjunctions, e.g., Look Before You Leap.
Lowercase "at" and "to" in any grammatical function, for simplicity's sake.
Some style guides, like APA, have a four- and five-letter rule. Capitalize all prepositions of four or five letters or longer.
Tip: avoid starting a heading with a symbol or number. Spell it out or re-cast the heading.
Thank you for meeting with me yesterday to discuss the upcoming national sales meeting.
Should "national sales meeting" be capitalized?...if so, how come?
Hi Greg,
I would not capitalize "national sales meeting" in your sentence; it is too general of a term. If the meeting had a specific name, I would capitalize it. Hope that helps!
Okay, here's a tough one. I know that when you are referring to a geographical region, you capitalize. For example, "John was proud that he was from the Southern part of California." But how about when you are referring collectively to states in general? I know that when you are referring to the "Southern States" you capitalize, but what is the rule for capitalizing the word "states" when it is being used? Here are some examples:
Tensions ran high between the Northern and Southern States.
One common belief was that the states had the right to determine for themselves.
There has to be some consistent benchmark for when you capitalize the word "states" and when you don't. What is it?
Argh! LOL
Hi Lancer525,
Great questions! In general the capitalization rule for the word "state" is: capitalize the word "state" when it follows the name of a state or is part of an imaginative name, e.g., Washington State, the Bluegrass State. Unfortunately, this doesn't really help with your question. I think we just need to look at the word as a proper noun or not.
In both of your above examples you have used the capitalization of the word "states" as I would. In your first example you are using the word "state" as a proper noun. In the second you are not. Hope that helps. It's a tricky rule, unfortunately I don't know of another consistent benchmark. As long as you are consistent, I don't think anyone would argue your usage. Thanks for the question!
I work in for an accounting firm that does audits for citys. The examples that I have included our taken from a communication with council letter. Please let me know if our use of capitalization is correct in these examples. Thank you!
To the Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
(City), (State)
This letter is intended to inform the city council about significant matters related to the conduct of the annual audit so it can appropriately discharge its oversight responsibility and that we comply with our professional responsibilities to the city council.
Management and City Council has the ultimate responsibility for the appropriateness of the accounting policies used by the City.The City did not adopt any significant new accounting policies nor have there been any changes in existing significant accounting policies during the current period which should be brought to your attention for approval.
Here's how I would write the sentence. In this letter the use of capitalization is "up style" meaning we capitalize more than less. In this case, "city" and "city council" are capitalized because you are writing from the their perspective.
To the Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council (City), (State)
This letter is intended to inform the City Council about significant matters related to the conduct of the annual audit so it can appropriately discharge its oversight responsibility and that we comply with our professional responsibilities to the City Council.
Management and City Council has the ultimate responsibility for the appropriateness of the accounting policies used by the City. The City did not adopt any significant new accounting policies nor have there been any changes in existing significant accounting policies during the current period which should be brought to your attention for approval.
I have a question regarding the capitalization of a word which I am unsure is a title or not. I understand you would capitalize a title preceding a name, such as Officer Johnson. Would the word inmate be considered a title when followed by the name of the prisoner? EX. Inmate Smith. When I typed into a word document, then grammar checked it, it was stated as correct both capitalized and uncapitalized. Does that matter? Thank You.
Hi Tony,
Good question. I would not capitalize inmate. The word inmate is a classification not a title. Regards, Robin
"Coming from the state to our West, Johnston worked at the Oregon Department of Public Affairs before arriving in our City in Idaho."
Should both West and City be capitalized in the above sentence?
I would not capitalize "west" or "city" in your sentence. We don't capitalize these words because "west" is used as a directional reference, and "city" does not follow the name of the city. Cheers!
We are writing a list of board members and will put Mr A. Smith, Chairman, but should we put Mr B. Smith, Vice-Chairman or Mr B. Smith, Vice-chairman?
would i say western world or Western world?
Chris,
If you are going to capitalize "Chairman" than I would capitalize "Vice-Chairman" as well. ;)
Hi Tammy,
When directions are used as a name then capitalize, but when they are used as a direction do not capitalize, e.g., Western world, the West, the Mid-West, west of the Mississippi, the South, south of France, South Pole, etc. Hope that helps!
We are having a debate in our office about capitalization and hyphens. Which of these is correct: "Problem-Based Approach..." or "Problem-based Approach..."?
And why? (Where can we find a hard & fast rule on this?)
Hi Mark,
Good question. Capitalize the second word in a compound if it is as important as the first. There isn't a steadfast rule other than this. If you capitalize it in one area of your work, be sure to be consistent and capitalize it throughout. Hope that helps; unfortunately there isn't a yes or no answer. The discussion continues!
I always have problems with capitals, and this is a very helpful Hub. A possible addition is that pronouns referring to God are usually capitalised. I've been caught by this recently. And I'm never sure whether I should capitalise the 'word' in, "His Word", for example. If I'm not sure about whether something needs a capital I give it one anyway -- I figure that that way I am less likely to offend anyone. ;-)
Thanks for the comment, StuartJ. I would capitalize "His Word". I think it is clearer this way and more appropriate. I'm so much more mindful of my capitalization after writing this hub. I think some people may be offended by the lack of capitalization of some terms, e.g., the word "president" isn't always capitalized. I guess you just have to know your audience and be consistent. Cheers! ;)
I have a question from my resume.
"I am a commerce student majoring in international business and accounting"
or,
"I am a Commerce student majoring in International Business and Accounting"
I prefer the latter although I can't think of any reason they should be capitalized.
Please help!
Hi Kelly,
I would write your statement as follows: I am a commerce student majoring in International Business and Accounting.
Hope that helps! Cheers!
Would "grandmother" in this sentence be capitalized or not? I've found different information...I always thought to capitalize when one is directly addressing the family member, otherwise, it's lower case. Your answer will make the difference in my son's language test grade!! Thanks!
"Has Grandmother ever visited your house on Maple Street?
Hi Marci,
The rule that I use: if you can replace grandmother, grandfather, mom, dad, aunt, uncle, etc. with their name, and the sentence still makes sense, then capitalize the word. Here are a few examples.
Has Grandmother ever visited your house on Maple Street?
My aunt is having a surpise 60th birthday party today at Grandmother's house.
Where are you going, Mom?
I am going with your dad to the birthday party.
Will you call your Aunt Betty to make sure that Dad is on his way to pick up your uncle?
Hope that helps and good luck to your son on the test!! ;)
Hi Marcie,
I was wondering if you capitalize Mrs. Jon's Fourth Grade Class, or is it Mrs. Jon's fourth grade class. I know if I was just writing about a fourth grade class it is lower case, but when it is someone's class is it then caps?
Thanks! Darcie
There has been some contriversy about the use of a fully capitalized proper noun versus a capitalization of only the first letter of a proper noun. For Example, JOHN SMITH versus John Smith. It has been proposed that in the Commercial Code laws that the fully capitalized proper noun indicates a corporation or comercial entity. In the above example, JOHN SMITH would be the corporate or comercial entity of John Smith Inc. while in the example, John Smith would be the person of John Smith. Is this correct and where can the rules for such stylization be found?
I'm writing a programme document for a university course for health psychologists (in the UK). Should it be, 'The course is designed to provide an advanced understanding of the theoretical issues in the field of Health Psychology' or ' the field of health psychology'?
Do I say 'There is a healthy demand in the labour market for qualified Health Psychologists' or 'qualified health psychologists'
I'm inclined not to capitalise but am I wrong?
What about a title after a signature, e.g.
Rosie Smith
Chartered Health Psychologist
Then I am inclined to capitalise but aren't I being inconsistent?
Thanks, Rosie.
This says that we should capialize solar system names and than goes on saying that sun, earth and moon should not ba capitalized. Arent's Sun and Earth part of the solar system? Therefore, how do we write those if we refer to them as planets? For example, the goal of NASA is to exit Earth's atmosphere, resist the harmful efects of the Sun and land of the Mars.Please help with this issues.
Capitalization and punctuation combo for university degrees: What's correct for the following sentences:
1. I earned a bachelor of science in chemistry.
2. The master of arts degree requirements have changed.
3. A masters degree is worth very little without work experience.
4. I have a masters degree.
5. A masters in philosophy and $3.00 will get you a cup of plain coffee.
6. Did you get a master(s) in biology? (Should it have the s?)
Hi,
Is this sentence capitalized correctly:
"This Is the Happiest Day of my Life."
The capitalization of the words happiest, day and life is for emphasis. Is this correct? What about in the advertising/internet marketing worlds?
When using a pronoun such as who to refer to a deity, do you capitalize the pronoun? For example: The power of our prayers rests with the One Who hears, not with the person who speaks. Should "Who" be capitalized?
Would the 'd' in desert be capitalized when referring to the Sonoran desert (or Desert) or Chihuahuan desert (Desert). I know desert would not be capitalized on its own, but with a regional clarifier in front of it, would it then be capitalized? I don't think I've ever seen boreal forest capitalized, or Amazon rainforest (the 'r', that is), so would the rule be different here? Many thanks from the Sonoran desert (or Desert?).
Hi I'm Maeng in Korea
I have question. Would anyone answer my qestion?
I made a mistake in making questions in final exam(I'm a English teacher, in Korea) I wrote a sentence : May She( By accident I capitalized second word 'she') rest in peace! among multiple choice in one of my qestions. Students have to choose right sentense.One of my students choose insist that the sentense is wrong. Therefore she tell me that I have to make all student right in that question. May She rest in peace! : this sentece is all wrong in terms of grammar. the qusetion was about grammar.
Please help me
I made some mistakes in former comment. I'm not good at typing and English writing. My point is whether capitalizing in the middle of sentence is grammatically fully wrong.
I'm applying for a job in critical care. Should I capitilized critical care when I'm discussing Critical Care Medicine?
I am writting a report for work and am confused if a title should be capitalized if used in place of a name.
The request is approved by the Security Officer and forwarded to the TM Application Manager.
How should the above sentence be capitalized?
Would you capitalize anything else in this sentence, "He was beer and wine warehouse manager in another state."
Hi Robin,
I love what you are doing! And, I have a few specific questions for you.
1. Do you need to capitalize the word "statement" in the following example: "The Profit and Loss Statements are...."?
2. This one, in particular could go anyway: "What was even more remarkable to this guy from back east was that...." Would you capitalize the word "east"?
3. Are you knowledable about the usage of hyphens?
Robin,
Thanks for hosting this site. The questions are interesting to read as well. Would you recommend capitalizing the S in Standard English, or is just the E in English capital?
Thanks!
Debbie
Hi, I can't figure out whether to capitalise the World Running Championships. I would have thought it is the name of an event, but the newspapers I have searched sometimes use capitals and sometimes just World is capitalised.
you are really good at that stuff
Greetings -
I would maybe drop the rule about capitalising the first word in each line of poetry. That has been optional for almost a century, both among formalists and among free versifiers.
Hi there,
I am writing a paper, and I can't figure out if "master's degree" and the subject it is in needs to be capitalized... Is "He has a master's degree in engineering" correct? What about "I received my master's in 1999?" And then if I say, "The highest degree the university offers is a Master's of Sciences," it is capitalized?
I've searched other stuff ont he internet, but I find a lot of different things...
Thanks so much!
Hi, Why do you not capitalize pages?
Ex. Read Chapter 29, pages 112 through 120.
Hi,I am working with some students on capitalization rules and we have been stumped by a couple of things. We were taught that we should capitalize names of things but our answer key indicates that names of trees (oak tree, baobab tree) are not capitalized. Also, "scurvy" and "vitamin C" are not capitalized. Why? Thanks!
Should the article "the" be capitalized when coupled with a family name. A sample sentence: This was our first visit with the Hausers/The Hausers.
Thank you
Maeng-
Peronal pronouns - with the exception of I - are never capitalized unless they are the first word of the sentence. May She rest in peace is incorrect.
Wouldnl't you say, "the roaring twenties" WAS a period of affluence? Isn't it considered a "group?"
In the sentences below shat should be capitalized?
We are writing a new constitution for our club, The Rookies.
should New Constitution and club be capitalized?
&
The Fourth of July is a noisy holiday.
should Holiday be capitalized?
Thank you so much for your time and answers. Please respond as soon as you can... You can e-mail me if you would like on this matter.
is the army in Napolean's army capitolized?
How about Main Street station, or Grand Central station, or Penn station, should the word "station" be capitalized?
Does it matter if it's a title, like Grand Central, as opposed to whatever your local station name is?
Thank you.
I haven't seen the rule for scientific names of species outlined here. The generic name (the first one) should be capitalized and the species name (the second one) should be lower case; e.g. Homo sapiens, Crex crex, Ranunculus repens.
I know that I shouldn't capitalize trees like oak, maple, and elm. But is it Silver Oak, Silver oak, or silver oak.
Thanks
Something might happen in the 21st Century or the 21st century?
Here's a little question. I've never actually got around finding out the answer, and most people seem not to care.
If you make an interjection within a quote, it'd go something like this:
"One plus one," he was saying, "equals two."
At least I believe that's the case. Now what if it's a question mark? Do you capitilize the interjection as in:"So what's the answer?" he was asking. "Two?
"So what's the answer?" He was asking. "Two?
The "he was asking" is clearly in the same sentence as the former quote, but lies after a question mark, so it should be capped. English is not my first language, either, so this may seem obvious, but I'm not too sure which one to go by. Thanks for your time.
We were talking about the names of breeds of horses and dogs. They are not capitalized unless one like English sheepdog. Any comments?
What is the rule for terms of endearment used in direct address? And what if they are preceeded by a possessive pronoun?
I don't know what I would do without you, Darling.
Be reasonable, my dear.
So I have read all the rules on capitalization, however, I still don't feel I have a clear answer for my questions. When do you capitalize "state and federal government" I'm referring to this frequently throughout a paper and I don't understand when to capitalize and when not to. Also what about Dual Federalism, Cooperative Federalism and so on....I would assume these would always be capitalized? What about just Federalism? I need Help!!
While sun, earth, and moon have not been capitalized in the past, I suggest that now, in an age of space exploration, they should be capitalized when referring to the specific objects in space, as should Solar System (but not "solar" when not uniquely referring to our Sun, as in "solar panel" or "solar radiation").
The reason is that there are many planets, moons, and solar systems. Earth, Moon (i.e., Earth's moon), and the Sun are specific examples, not to be confused with a sun in another solar system ("solar" here being used as a generic adjective), or with the moon(s) of another planet. "Earth" should not be capitalized when referring to dirt, as in "earth moving equipment."
Greetings Sweet Robin!! Sapphire here!! I am Earth Angel and new to HubPages thanks to the patient encouragement of James-Extraordinaire!! I was amazed by the amount of interest in grammar and punctuation until I read your entries!! You go girl!! GREAT reference source!! I especially like the referral to Aunt Marlie at the movies!! Blessings to you and your entire clan!!
muchos desocupados
I'm confused about when to capitlize the terms Junior, Senior, etc. when writing about grades. For example, if I was Vice President of the Junior class, is Junior correct there. If I am referring to living in a fresman and sophomore dorm, is that capitalized? I am writing my college essays, so please help me with this.
If I have different kinds of bears, do I capitalize the names?
Black Bear
Brown Bear
Grizzly Bear
Polar Bear
Help please
Hi - I love your work here! Thank you for providing help to everyone. My question is this: My partner and I are starting a company, kidwinks.com. We do not capitalize the name of the company in our logo or anywhere else. However, if our company name happens to be the first word in a sentence, should it be capitalized? We are split on this. Help, please!
Thanks. Well presented, clear and (as far as I can see) comprehensive list. And hats off to you for taking the time and trouble to answer all the questions people ask!
What about terms of endearment... aka dear, honey, darling, baby?
i am usually pretty comfortable with grammar (i come from a family of editors), but this one stumps me!
thanks!
Here is one more capitalization rule: If a clause following a colon is a complete sentence, it begins with a capital letter.
I was happy to find your blog. The conventions of written and spoken English are so frequently abused, the errors will begin to look and/or sound correct! Nice that you have so many participants and people motivated to search for an answer to a detail that others would just take a shot at and not look back.
I'll take the liberty of responding to Kayte's question. Terms of endearment are capitalized when used in the place of a person's name. For example -
"Would you pick up a bottle of wine on the way home, Darling?" but
"Would you be a darling and pick up a bottle of wine on the way home?"
Hope that helps.
thanks!!!!
Interesting topic, nicely done. Keep up the good work.
Bob rule
if you can replace father, mother, or brother with bob capitilize it
Is it
Season's Greetings!
Season's greetings!
When you write University Degree are these capitalized correctly?
I understand that the names of businesses are capitalized. Can anyone explain why I have seen sentences like this: We stopped at a Caltex service station and then shopped at a Safeway supermarket. Is it possibly because the service station, for example, is one of many owned by the company, but it may not necessarily by the name of the service station – We stopped at a Caltex service station, Oily Joe’s Stop and Fill. Also, can anyone explain the rules for embassies? The Australian Embassy – The Australian embassy – I’ve often seen both used.
Great hub, Robin. Looks like you have your work cut out for you in these above comments! :) Grammar seems to be such an issue for so many people, but it's always come quite naturally to me. Good to know someone out there has the patience to help people out!
Hi,
I, too, love grammar and think this is a great resource page! However, I can't find an answer for the following question:
Would I say, I live in Central Seoul or central Seoul?
Thanks!
This is a great refresher course! There's no way I would add a question to make your work harder.
Writing methods and correctness needs to be stressed for new writers, especially.bjp
I disagree: "
Erin says:12 months ago
Do you need to use a comma here: Hi, Bob, ..... or is it Hi Bob,..... ? Thank you
Robin says:12 months ago
I would say, "Hi Bob,". It is the same as saying, "Dear Bob,". Thanks for the question! Robin
I don't think "Hi, Bob" is at all the same as "Dear Bob". The first is in the vocative case and the second is an adjective.
"Capitalize the first word in each line of poetry or verse"
This rule is incorrect. You should follow the poet's capitalization exactly. Most poets do capitalize the first word of each line, but not all.
OK, very interesting and helpful comments on capitalisation, an area which has always challenged me, once you get away from the obvious. So how would you treat the following: "the aristocracy and prelates governed in the name of the Holy Crown, having seals engraved displaying the double crossed coat of arms of the country" For instance should it be "the Country"
Comments appreciated
Mark
What an incredible hub and the questions that flowed
Bravo...a Hub that is really useful and read!
Hello All,
Can anyone cite an authority as to whether it is proper to capitalize the word 'all' when referring to an informal group in the salutation of an e-mail? In other words, when I wrote "Hello All," at the beginning of this message did I do it correctly?
Thanks.
THE, listed above, is NOT a preposition, rather a definite article.
Is it Email or email?
It is e-mail according to Merriam-Webster.
I'm sending a thank you letter for a job interview. Do I capitalize the job title, math faculty, in the following sentence?
Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to discuss the position of mathematics faculty with you.
would you capitalizie m in mom in the follewing sentance: My mom went to the store.
I write plays...what if someone is calling someone else a name...like "Shut up, freak!" Is "freak" ever worthy of a capital?
Useful info! thanks.
Is this correct? (specifically the Corporate Policy)
All assets technically belong to Acme and Corporate Policy does not allow Schools/Departments to “sell” their surplus to other areas.
Lol, I never knew grammer was political :)
Hi. i have a question.
if the sentence were:
Louisiana is in the south. would south be capitalized?
and also if the sentence were:
The yearbook advisor announced the new advertising rates would yearbook advisor be capitalized?
thanks
Only traditional poetry (sonnets, blank verse, etc.) should begin each line with a capital letter. Free verse should have a capital at the beginning of each "sentence" wherever the sentence might fall.
Example:
While cleaning house today,I found your note among the odds and ends of life that harvest space in drawers and closets left unpurged too long.
Besides poetry, I publish books and newsletters. Thanks for helping poets and writers find the facts they need!
Donna
Would you capitalize the underlined words in the following sentences?
1- Mrs.Stratton, head of the English department, discovered that...
2- Like many western communities, Calgary began asa NWMP post.
3- ...his efforts in creating the UN emergency force in the Middle East.
Thanks. Keep getting conflicting info.
I agree with the writer who said to use a comma in "Hi, Bob." It is essentially the same as "Don't go away mad, Bob."
Also, I am still waiting for a response to Lynda's question about "freak." Let me give another example. If my friend's nickname is officially 'Buddy,' I would capitalize it, as in "How ya doin', Buddy?" But what if the character in my story is a coach talking to one of the kids on his team and says, "Keep up the good work, B(b)uddy" when 'B(b)uddy is more of a term of affection rather than a formal nickname?"
Some quick responses to recent posts:
1) With all due respect to Merriam-Webster, we capitalize and hyhenate T-shirt and X-ray, so why not E-mail?
2) To Jennifer, no, I would not capitalize "mathematics faculty." If a position is unique, such as Secretary of State, it is capitalized, but if it is not unique, it is not capitalized.
3) To grammer (sp?) 18, in your example, "mom" would not be capitalized. A modifer, as in "my mom" or "Shirley's dad," indicates a generic term, which is not capitalized. "Mom" is capitalized when it is used as a nickname, as in "Do I have to, Mom?"
4) To Stephanie, "corporate policy" would probably not be capitalized. It would only be capitalized if it refers to a named document ("On page 12 of Corporate Policy, employees are...").
5) To ashleyzimxo, "South" is capitalized when it refers to a specific region of the country; it is not capitalized when it refers to a direction ("Turn south on Main Street..."). "Yearbook advisor" is not capitalized unless it is used as a title before somone's name ("Ms. Johnson will be our yearbook advisor next year." "Yearbook Advisor Sharon Johnson will announce...").
6) To Tinaluisa, there was no underlining in your posting, but I'm going to guess at the terms you are asking about. "Head" and "Department" are not capitalized, but see my comment above on "yearbook advisor."
Capitalize "Western" (see my comment about "South" above), but not "community" or "post."
Do not capitalize "emergency force" if it is a generic or descriptive term. Do capitalize it if it is part of the official name of the group
OK, I'm worn out now, and I've got papers to grade, so....
Bob
I would disagree about capitalizing Western Kentucky. I thought you only capitalized the area when it was a state. It sounds like Western Kentucky is a state not a part of Kentucky. How would you say you live in North North Carolina?
I believe that specific culinary dishes should be capitalized, but I cannot find the rule anywhere. I'd appreciate other opinions.
As such, I might write, "I would like Orange Chicken for dinner."
Also, "He likes Noodles Romanov." But that is too easy, because "Romanov" is a proper name. Are there times, however, when a proper name is "properly" de-capitalized?!
Wow...amazing...
can i save this hub for my children ????
Thanks
I have seen that when describing various ingredients of cosmetic products (perfumes, lotions, etc.), capitals are often used, for example Aloe Vera, Shea Butter, Olive Oil, etc. Even vitamins, when they are specified, e.g. Vitamin C. Is there a rule hidden in this practice? Should Latin names of substances, such as Marrubium, Nectapure, etc. be capitalized? How about Edelweiss?
This is a wonderfully informative post. Thanks so much!
Is it the No Child Left Behind Act or the No Child Left Behind act? Thanks! I can't find the rule anywhere!
In the sentence, "His favorite subjects are art, math, English, and Spanish," I believe that only English and Spanish should be capitalized as they are languages. Am I correct?
This is a wonderfully informative post.
Cute picture of you and your little girl. I am having a friendly argument with a coworker. Do you capitalize B in Board members in a sentence such as: John Smith was a Board member of XYZ company in 1985.
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working
Woemwood says:
2 years ago
Women for Women international is a
fantastic organization supporting women
all over the World.
quite frankly I can't see the logic behind
that statement why should you not write
Women for women supporting women
or else it should be stated
Women working for Women supporting Women.