15 CAPITALIZATION
In English, capital letters are signposts for readers. Capitalization calls attention to certain special
words and letters, telling the reader that these words and letters are different and need special
attention. While capitalization can vary based on usage, the standard guidelines remain the same. For
specific problems, consult a dictionary; words that are regularly capitalized will be capitalized in the
dictionary entry. According to the basic conventions, capi talize the following:
Capitalize:
Example
The first letter of the first word in every sentence.
A good man is hard to find.
The first word in each heading of an outline
I. My childhood
A. The early years
B. School days
The first word in a line of quoted poetry.
It was many and many a year ago
In a kingdom by the sea
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
By the name of Annabel Lee
All of the words in the greeting and the first word in
the closing of a letter.
Dear Friends,
To Whom It May Concern:
Sincerely yours,
The pronoun I and the interjection O.
How am I supposed to live without you?
Help us, O Lord.
Proper nouns and adjectives.
Anwen recently moved to Italy.
Her husband is an Italian banker.
Italians are also members of the European Union.
The names (including nicknames) of individual people
or animals
DO NOT CAPITALIZE family relationships unless they
substitute for proper names or are used with proper
names. Never capitalize a family relationship
proceeded by an adjective (my, a, an, our)
My favorite writer is Stephen King.
The Lone Ranger rode his horse, Silver, through
the desert.
My mom works for a bank.
What are you getting Mom for Christmas?
I saw Uncle George at the family reunion
Compass directions when they are used as the names
of definite sections of a country or of the world.
DO NOT CAPITALIZE them when they merely indicate
direction
There are many museums located on New York’s
Upper East Side.
You will need to turn east on Tennessee Street.
A common noun or adjective when it is part of a
name.
One of my favorite places in the world is St. George
Island.
