Here Are the Details

100% Punctuation There are many reasons for using capitals in your writing. The “Capitals Overview Sheet” highlights these for you. Now it is important to know what each of these types of capitalization looks like so that you can use them regularly in your writing.

Here are the details: Pronoun I Pronouns are words that take the place of a noun (person, place or thing). The pronoun “I” takes the place of a person’s name. The pronoun “I” is always capitalized! You capitalize the word “I” by itself or in a contraction because it takes the place of a person’s name. EXAMPLE: 1. Allan said, “I think Ms. Ramey is the youngest teacher ever.” 2. Erika replied, “I’d have to agree.”

First Words in Sentences Capital letters are always used at the beginning of a new sentence. They tell the reader that a new thought or idea is about to begin. EXAMPLE: 1. People say that English is one of the most exciting subjects to study at North Queens Rural High School. 2. If we don’t use capitals our writing is hard for others to understand.

Names of People, Pets and Characters When writing, always capitalize the names and initials of specific people, pets and characters. Don’t capitalize common nouns that aren’t really names, like doctor or coach, unless these nouns replace the names of specific people. EXAMPLE: 1. My doctor’s office is closed today. (No capital needed) 2. Yes, Doctor, I’ll get the blood work done. (Capital needed as the word ‘Doctor’ replaces the doctor’s name) 3. Cory, Brandon, Holly and Jenna are all names and all require capital letters.

There is no need to capitalize a preposition (a, an, the) in a name. EXAMPLE: Kermit the Frog (the ‘t’ in the does not require a capital) Titles Capitalize a person’s title if it comes before a person’s name. If the title is abbreviated, start it with a capital letter and put a period after it. Dr. June Summers Ms. Whatsawrong Mayor Leefe

Capitalize a person’s title if it is used instead of the person’s name. Thank you, Mayor Leefe can be written as Thank you, Mayor

Don’t capitalize a person’s title if it is used alone or it comes after the person’s name. 1. The doctor is sick today. 2. This is Ralph Pitts, mayor of our town.

Capitalize titles of VIP’s (very important people). These are capitalized whether they are used in front of names, alone, or after names. We capitalize these to show great respect. Many of these titles are for high-ranking officials in government. Titles of less well-known people are not capitalized. Ex: Former Prime Minister Jean Cretian, came from Ottawa to visit.

Relatives Capitalize words that name relatives whenever these words are in front of people’s names or when they replace people’s names. EXAMPLE Aunt Gertrude makes the best apple pie. Uncle Mort is a great chess player My Grandpa James is the kindest man in the county.

Brand Names Brand names are the titles of products or things you can buy, like Kleenex or Nike. Capitalize each important word in brand names, but not common nouns that follow brand names. EXAMPLE Sony Fender Adidas Honda Geographic Names Capitalize the names of specific places or geographic features. Here is a list of major types of places to capitalize: Places or Features Examples continents North America, South America, Africa, etc… countries Canada, United States, states Kentucky, Washington provinces Ontario, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick territories Nunavut, Yukon counties Lunenburg County, Queens County towns Liverpool, Bridgewater villages Caledonia, New Germany oceans Atlantic, Pacific lakes Rosignol, Mush-a-Mush rivers Medway, Mersey, LaHave ponds Hersey Chocolate Pond swamps Lochness Pit beaches Carter’s Beach, Hunt’s Beach, Risser’s Beach islands Five Islands, Loon Island peninsulas Second Peninsula mountains Rocky Mountains, Appalachian Mountains valleys Annapolis Valley deserts Mojave Desert forests Hemlock Forest canyons Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon parks Kejimikujik, Seaside Adjunct dams Hoover Dam highways Highway 103 streets Ramey Street, Young Street malls Penhorn, Halifax Shopping Center Any part of the world East Coast, Northwest, South

Historic Periods and Special Events Capitalize special events, calendar items, and historic events or periods. Don’t capitalize the names of the four seasons or names of recent or current events. Thanksgiving October Tuesday nuclear age World War II summer

Books, Movies, Songs and Shows Here are tips about which words to capitalize in the titles of books, movies, TV shows, videos and plays:  Capitalize the first and last words in a title. ( Walk the Line)  Capitalize all nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs. (A Tale of Two Cities)  Unless they are the first or last words, don’t capitalize these kinds of words in the titles of books, movies, songs or shows: o Articles (a, an, the) o Coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or, nor, for) o Prepositions with fewer than five letters (over, of, on, at, for)

Adjectives and Names Some nouns and adjectives that came from proper names are capitalized and some aren’t. The best resource to help you find out if you should capitalize one of these words is the dictionary! china dishes venetian blinds German shepherd Greek salad

Groups of People Always capitalize the names of races or ethnic groups, religions, and nationalities. French American Canadian Anglican Catholic Greek Hispanic

Capitalize the names of businesses, agencies, organizations, cultures and schools. Kodak Red Cross North Queens Rural High School

Don’t capitalize words like school, theater, temple, or church unless they’re part of a specific name. Dates and Addresses Capitalize the names of weekdays, months, streets, towns, cities, states, provinces and countries when writing the date or an address. This is always the case! EXAMPLE Tuesday, May 30, 2006 40 West Caledonia Road

First Words in Quotations Capitalize the first word in a direct quotation. EXAMPLE Ms. Ramey said, “Let’s get these capitals in the right place!”

Letter Openings and Closings Capitalize the important words in the opening of a letter (called the salutation). Also capitalize the first word in the closing of a letter. Dear Sir or Madam Dear Grampa Dear Ms. Ramey Very truly yours Your best friend Sincerely yours

Abbreviations of Names and Places Abbreviations are shortened words. Capitalize the abbreviations of names or titles of people, states, provinces, companies, schools and organizations. EXAMPLE Dr. Fixerup N.Q.R.H.S. N.F. Douglas Inc.

Special Things Capitalize the names of planes, ships, awards and statues. EXAMPLE The Titanic Academy Award Olympic Gold Medal Peace Tower

That’s the end of the notes about capitalization! Now, can you use them?