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10.1 PEOPLE AND CULTURES

Names and Initials• Capitalize people’s names and initials.•Cleopatra•Maria Theresa• J.R.R. Tolkien• Yasunari Kawabata

10.1 PEOPLE AND CULTURES

Personal Titles and Abbreviations• Capitalize titles and abbreviations of titles that are used before names and in direct address.• Professor Anita Jones•Dr. Celia Brammer

• Capitalize abbreviations of some titles when they follow names.• Ted Stein, Jr.•Mary Witt, Ph. D.

10.1 PEOPLE AND CULTURES

Capitalize titles of heads of state, royalty, or nobility only when they are used before the persons’ names or in place of the persons’ names.

Queen Marie AntoinetteChief Justice William H. Rehnquist

Do not capitalize titles when they are used without proper names.The king will be remembered for his contributions to great architecture.

10.1 PEOPLE AND CULTURES

Family Relationships• Capitalize words indicating family relationships only when they are used as names or before names.•Aunt Paula•Grandpa Smith

• In general, do not capitalize a word indicating a family relationship when it follows the person’s name or is used without a proper name.•Maria Tellez, my cousin, saw the Great Pyramid.

10.1 PEOPLE AND CULTURES

The Pronoun I• Always capitalize the pronoun I.•Grandpa and I read all about Stonehenge.

10.1 PEOPLE AND CULTURES

Religious Terms• Capitalize the names of religions, sacred days, sacred writings, and deities.• Religions: Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism• Sacred Days: Ramadan, Good Friday, Purim• Sacred Writings: Bible, Koran, Torah• Deities: God, Yahweh, Allah

• Do not capitalize the words god and goddess when they refer to the gods of ancient mythology.• The statue of Zeus at Olympia honored the Greek god Zeus.

10.1 PEOPLE AND CULTURES

Nationalities, Languages, and Races

• Capitalize the names of nationalities, languages, races, and most ethnic groups, as well as the adjectives formed from these names.•Romans•Greek•African-American

10.2 FIRST WORDS AND TITLES

Sentences and Poetry

• Capitalize the first word of every sentence• The “seven wonders of the medieval world” date back to the Middle Ages.

• In traditional poetry, capitalize the first word of every line.The willow is like an etching,Fine-lined against the sky.The ginkgo is like a crude sketch, Hardly worthy to be signed. Eve Merriman

10.2 FIRST WORDS AND TITLES

Quotations

• Capitalize the first word of a direct quotation if it begins a complete sentence.• My teacher asked, “Has anyone read about the Colosseum?”

• In a divided quotation, do not capitalize the first word in the second part of the quote unless it starts a new sentence.• “I hear you’re going to Italy,” Theresa said. “Make sure you see the Leaning Tower of Pisa.”• “Did you know,” asked Theresa, “that the Leaning Tower of Pisa has been tilting for 800 years?”

10.2 FIRST WORDS AND TITLES

Outlines

• Capitalize the first word of each entry in an outline and the letters that introduce major subsections.

I. Famous buildings of the Middle Ages

A. The Leaning Tower of Pisa

1. Construction of the Bell Tower

2. Repairs to the tower foundation

10.2 FIRST WORDS AND TITLES

Parts of a Letter

• Capitalize the first word in the greeting and in the closing of a letter.•Dear Mrs. Song:• Yours truly,

10.2 FIRST WORDS AND TITLES

Titles

• Capitalize the first word, the last word, and all other important words in a title.

• Don’t capitalize articles, coordinating conjunctions, or prepositions of fewer than five letters.• The House of Dies Drear• The Wizard of Oz•Venus de Mio

10.3 PLACES AND TRANSPORTATION

Geographical Names

• In geographical names, capitalize each word except articles and prepositions• Tropic of Cancer•Mediterranean Sea•North Street• Prairie Road

10.3 PLACES AND TRANSPORTATION

Bodies of the Universe

• Capitalize the names of planets and other specific objects in the universe.• Big Dipper• Pluto• North Star

• Do not capitalize sun and moon. Do not capitalize earth when it is preceded by the and when it does not refer to the planet Earth.• Ants and earwigs tunneled through the earth under the porch.

10.3 PLACES AND TRANSPORTATION

Regions and Sections

• Capitalize the words, north, south, east, and west when they name particular REGIONS of the United States or the world or when they are proper names.• The Grand Canyon is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the West.

• Do not capitalize these words when they indicate general directions or locations.• The Statue of Liberty is south of the Empire State Building in New York City.

10.3 PLACES AND TRANSPORTATION

Buildings, Bridges, and Other Landmarks

• Capitalize the names of specific buildings, bridges, monuments, and other landmarks.•Sears Tower•Great Wall of China

10.3 PLACES AND TRANSPORTATION

Planes, Trains, and Other Vehicles

• Capitalize the names of specific airplanes, trains, ships, cars, and spacecraft.•Air Force One•Orient Express•Mustang•Sputnik

10.4 ORGANIZATIONS AND OTHER SUBJECTSOrganizations and Institutions

• Capitalize all important words in the names of organizations, institutions, stores, and companies.•Muir Middle School•Dave’s Hardware

•Do not capitalize words such as hospital, school, company, church, and college when they are not used as parts of names.• The renovations in our church are now complete.

10.4 ORGANIZATIONS AND OTHER SUBJECTSOrganizations and Business Abbreviations

• Capitalize abbreviations of names of organizations, businesses, and institutions.

• Notice that these abbreviations are formed from the initial letters of the complete names and that the letters are usually not followed by periods.•NFL (National Football League)•MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving)

10.4 ORGANIZATIONS AND OTHER SUBJECTSHistorical Events, Periods, and Documents

• Capitalize the names of historical events, periods, and documents.• Events: Revolutionary War• Periods: Great Awakening, Roaring Twenties•Documents: Treaty of Versailles, Declaration of Independence

10.4 ORGANIZATIONS AND OTHER SUBJECTSTime Abbreviations and Calendar Items

• Capitalize the abbreviations B.C., A.D., A.M., and P.M.

• Capitalize the names of months, days, and holidays but not the names of seasons.• April• Saturday• spring

• When a season is used in the title of a festival or celebration, (Grove Fall Festival), capitalize all important words, including the season.

10.4 ORGANIZATIONS AND OTHER SUBJECTSSchool Subjects

• Capitalize the names of school subjects only when they are names of languages, when they are followed by course numbers, or when they contain proper adjectives.• algebra•Spanish•Biology II

10.4 ORGANIZATIONS AND OTHER SUBJECTSClass Names

• Capitalize the words freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior only when they are used as parts of titles.• The freshmen will attend Freshman Orientation Week during the last week in August.

10.4 ORGANIZATIONS AND OTHER SUBJECTSSpecial Events, Awards, and Brand Names

• Capitalize the names of special events and awards.•Academy Awards•World Cup

• Capitalize the brand names of products but not the common nouns that follow brand names.• Fiji compasses• Staton tents