10 Rules of Capitalization

2. Names of mountains, mountain ranges, hills and volcanoes

Again, we're talking about specific places. The word 'hill' is not a proper noun, but Gellert Hill is because it's the name of one specific hill. Use a capital letter to begin each word in the name of a mountain (Mt. Olympus), mountain range (the Appalachians), hill (San Juan Hill) or volcano (Mt. Vesuvius).

6. Schools, colleges and universities

All of the words in the name of the educational institution should be capitalized. For example, Harvard University, Wilkesboro Elementary School, Cape Fear Community College.

7. Political divisions (continents, regions, countries, states, counties, cities and towns)

As is the case with regions of a country, the divisions may not always be political, but you get the idea. When you refer to New England, the Midwest, the Pacific Northwest or the South as a region (as opposed to a compass direction), you capitalize it. Also, continents (South America), countries (Belgium), states (Wisconsin), counties (Prince William County), cities (London) and towns (Lizard Lick) get capitalized.

5. Street names

Capitalize both the actual name part of the name (Capital) and the road part of the name (Boulevard); both are necessary for forming the entire name of the street (Capital Boulevard).

Your Answer: B Mark Paxton, the Vice President of the company, embezzled over one million dollars.

Correct Answer: A Mark Paxton, the vice president of the company, embezzled over one million dollars. Explanation: do not capitalize when the title is acting as a description following the name.

Sincerely yours, Sincerely Yours,

Correct Answer: A Sincerely yours, Explanation: in correspondence, capitalize only the first word of a salutation and the first word of a complimentary close. Your Answer: B Sincerely Yours,

The president of the United States wields much power. The President of the United States wields much power.

Correct Answer: A The president of the United States wields much power. Explanation: do not capitalize a civil title if it is used instead of a name. Your Answer: B The President of the United States wields much power.

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

Correct Answer: B "You must understand," he pleaded, "that I need more time to pay you." Explanation: capitalize only the first word of a quoted sentence. Your Answer: A "You must understand," he pleaded, "That I need more time to pay you."

I live in the northeastern part of the state, where the climate is colder. I live in the Northeastern part of the state, where the climate is colder.

Correct Answer: B I live in the northeastern part of the state, where the climate is colder. Explanation: Capitalize points of the compass only when they refer to specific geographical regions. In this sentence, "northeastern" is an adjective describing "part," not a region. Your Answer: A I live in the Northeastern part of the state, where the climate is colder.

3. Names of bodies of water (rivers, lakes, oceans, seas, streams and creeks)

From here, it gets pretty easy. The same rules that apply to mountain names also apply to water names. A river is just a river, but the Mississippi River is a proper noun and must be capitalized, just like Lake Erie, the Indian Ocean and the Dead Sea.

4. Names of buildings, monuments, bridges and tunnels

Man-made structures also often have names. The White House, the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty, the Golden Gate Bridge and the Lincoln Tunnel are a few good examples.

8. Titles of books, movies, magazines, newspapers, articles, songs, plays and works of art

This one's a little tricky when 'and,' articles or prepositions are involved. If 'the' is the first word in the given name of a work, it must be capitalized (The Washington Post, The Glass Menagerie). If 'a' or 'an' is the first word, it too is capitalized (A Few Good Men), and if a preposition leads the way, you guessed it: Capitalized (Of Mice and Men). However, if any of these words come in the middle of the title, it is not capitalized.

1. Names of people

you also capitalize suffixes (Jr., the Great, Princess of Power, etc.) and titles. President Lincoln, we are using his role as though it were a part of his name. We don't always capitalize the word president. Indeed, we could say, "During the Civil War, President Lincoln was the president of the United States."