1. Chapter 10
Capitalization

2. Lesson 1: People and Cultures
Capitalize people’s names and initials.
Michelle Kwan
Robert D. Ballard
W.P. Kinsella

3. Titles and Abbreviations of Titles
Capitalize titles and abbreviations of titles that are used before names or in direct addresses.
Mr. Carl Lewis
Dr. Dot Richardson
Did you write a book about the Olympics, Professor?

4. Abbreviations Following Names
Capitalize abbreviations when they follow a name.
Todd Owens, Jr.
Mary Mueller, Ph.D.

5. Heads of State and Royalty
Capitalize titles of heads of state, royalty, or nobility ONLY when they are used before persons’ names or in place of persons’ names.
Baron Pierre de Coubertin
Attorney General Janet Reno
Dame Judi Dench

6. Heads of State/Royalty
DO NOT capitalize titles when they are used without proper names or after names.
We saw the queen sitting in the royal box.

7. Family Relationships
Capitalize words indicating family relationships ONLY when they are used as names or before names.
Aunt Carla
Grandpa Johnson
Both Dad and Uncle Ray love to watch the Olympics on TV.

8. Family Relationships
In general DO NOT capitalize a family relationship word when it follows a person’s name or is used without a proper name.
Lisa Fernandez, my cousin, will compete in the next Olympiad.

9. Nationalities, Races, Ethnic Groups
Capitalize the names of nationalities, languages, races, and most ethnic groups, as well as adjectives formed from these names.
Kurds
Native Americans
Hispanic
African American

10. Lesson 2: First Words and Titles
Capitalize the first word of every sentence.
Baseball comes from an English sport called rounders.

11. Poetry In traditional poetry, capitalize the first word of every line.
Modern poets sometimes choose not to begin the lines of their poems with capital letters. If you make this choice in your own writing, make sure the meaning of your work is still clear.

12. Quotations
Capitalize the first word of a direct quotation presented as a complete sentence.
Yogi Berra once asked a player, “How can you think and hit at the same time?”

13. Divided Quotations
In a divided quotation, DO NOT capitalize the first word of the second part UNLESS it starts a new sentence.
“Don’t worry,” said Nina. “There is always next season.”
“Yes,” said Fred, “but with us, it’s always spring training.”

14. Outlines
Capitalize the first word of each entry in an outline and the letters that introduce major subsections.
See page 234 for an example of an outline.

15. Letters
Capitalize the first word in the greeting and in the closing of a letter.
Dear Miss Ulasovich:
Yours truly,

16. 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 Giver
The Call of the Wild

17. Lesson 3: Places and Transportation
In geographical names, capitalize each word except articles and prepositions.
Northern Hemisphere
North America
Gulf of Mexico
Interstate 55

18. Celestial Bodies
Capitalize the names of planets and other specific objects in the universe.
Milky Way
Venus
Alpha Centauri

19. Directional Words
Capitalize the words north, south, east, and west when they name particular regions of the United States or the world or are parts of proper names. Do not capitalize these words when they indicate general directions or locations.
In South Africa, children use small stones to play a game called diteko.
If you go south on Main Street, you will find Mel’s Video Rental.

20. Buildings, Monuments, and Landmarks
Capitalize the names of specific buildings, bridges, monuments, and other landmarks.
World Trade Center
Statue of Liberty
Golden Gate Bridge

21. Transportation
Capitalize the names of specific airplanes, trains, ships, cars, and spacecraft.
Air Force One
U.S.S. Arizona
Mustang
Challenger

22. Lesson 4: Organizations and Other Subjects
Capitalize all important words in the names of organizations, institutions, stores, and companies.
Library of Congress
Harry’s Finer Foods
Jefferson Middle School

23. History
Capitalize the names of historical events, periods, and documents.
Civil War
Great Depression
Bill of Rights

24. Time Abbreviations
Capitalize the abbreviations B.C., A.D., A.M., and P.M.

25. Calendar Events
Capitalize the names of months, days, and holidays, but not the names of seasons (except when they are part of the names of festivals or celebrations).
Winter Formal
Fourth of July
May

26. Awards Capitalize the names of special events and awards.
Heisman Trophy
Pulitzer Prize

27. Products
Capitalize the brand name of a product but not a common noun that follows a brand name.
Spiker volleyballs
Easy Over hurdles