Rules for Capitalization

Rule # 5: Capitalize the first word in the greeting and closing of a letter.

Example: Dear Mom, I packed a lunch for you to take to work. It's in the fridge. I hope you enjoy it. Love always, Billy

Rule # 9: Capitalize nationalities, peoples, religions, and places of worship.

Examples: British, Aborigines, Catholicism, Temple Beth-Shalom

Rule # 12: Capitalize languages and course names with numbers. Do not capitalize school subjects.

Examples: French, Spanish, Russian, English, Algebra I, math, Physics II, science

Rule # 11: Capitalize compass points ONLY when they name geographical regions. Capitalize the names of planets and stars. Only capitalize "earth," "sun," and "moon" when they are in a sentence with planets or stars.

Examples: Head south on I-75 until you reach North Miami Lakes. The inner planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. What on earth are you talking about?

Rule # 10: Capitalize agencies, organizations, and political parties.

Examples: Internal Revenue Service, The Salvation Army, Libertarian Party

Rule # 3: Capitalize the title that comes before a person's name. Capitalize a title when it is used as part or all of a person's name.

Examples: President Barack Obama General George Patton Mrs. Cook Grandma Julia

Rule # 6: Capitalize the days of the week, the months of the year, and holidays. Don't capitalize seasons.

Examples: Tuesday, February, Christmas, summer.

Rule # 4: Capitalize the first word in a sentence or quotation.

Examples: We are planning our family reunion. "May the odds be ever in your favor!" Effie Trinket exclaimed.

Rule # 2: Proper nouns (names of specific people, places, things, and ideas) should be capitalized.

Examples: William Shakespeare, Golden Gate Bridge, Museum of Natural History, Buddhism

Rule # 1: The pronoun "I" should always be capitalized.

Examples: I'm having a wonderful time. Whenever I go to the museum, I always visit the dinosaur exhibit.

Rule # 7: Capitalize the first, last, and all important words in the titles of books, movies, songs, newspapers, magazines, and television programs.

Examples: Of Mice and Men, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, We are the Champions, The Tampa Tribune, Time Magazine, The Powerpuff Girls

Rule # 8: Capitalize the names of schools and other institutions such as universities, colleges, libraries, hospitals, and businesses.

Examples: Winthrop Charter School, University of Miami, Brooklyn College, New York Public Library, Brandon Hospital, Publix