Mastering the use of capital letters in English is an essential aspect of writing skills. Although capitalization may seem simple, there are specific rules that must be followed. Whether you are writing an e-mail, composing an essay or filling out a job application, at Heart of Language we would like to help you understand the situations in which you should use capital letters in order to improve your writing skills.
Capitalizing for proper names
Proper names refer to specific names of people, places, organizations and sometimes things. Adjectives derived from proper names should also be capitalized. This is crucial because it specifies a particular entity or property.
– Names of people: Marie Johnson, Henry Smith, Alexander the Great
– Places: Paris, Mount Everest, Nile River
– Organizations: United Nations, Apple Inc., Harvard University
– Adjectives derived from proper names: American culture, Shakespearean play, Buddhist temple
Capitalize titles when they precede names
Titles such as Mr., Mrs., Doctor, President and Professor should be capitalized when they precede a name. However, do not capitalize titles if they do not become along with a name. Capitalizing titles before names is a sign of respect and formality, and indicates the person’s role or status.
This is Mr. Black.
Did you see Mrs. Davids?
Dr. Wright will see you now.
I’m studying with Prof. Clark
The president will speak at the conference.
Capital letters for days, months and holidays
Days of the week, months of the year and holidays are always capitalized. However, seasons are not capitalized.
Days and months: Monday, January, December
Holidays: Christmas, Thanksgiving
Seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter
English capital letter for “I
The pronoun “I” (me) is always capitalized, regardless of its position in the sentence. The capital “I” provides consistency, readability and emphasizes the subject of the sentence.
She and I went to the store.
I don’t remember why I did that.
I’m not late, am I?
Capitalize important words in titles in English
When writing titles of books, articles, songs, movies and other works, capitalize the first and last word and all important words. Small words such as and, or, in, the, a and but are not capitalized unless they are the first or last word. Capitalizing important words in titles makes them stand out and indicates the title of a work, setting it apart from other text.
Books: To Kill a Mockingbird, The Great Gatsby
Movies: The Lord of the Rings, Pirates of the Caribbean.
Songs: Bohemian Rhapsody, Rolling in the Deep
Capitalize regions and directions if they refer to specific areas
Capitalize words like North, South, East and West when they refer to specific regions, but not when they indicate a direction. Capitalizing regional names helps avoid confusion between geographic areas and directions.
Areas: She lives in the Midwest. I love the culture of the South.
Directions: Go north on Main Street. The sun rises in the east.
Practice these lines and you will see that you will soon master them. Have fun writing!
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