Capitalization and punctuation rules

 

Rules in Capitalization

1. Capitalize the first word in a sentence.

2. Capitalize the names and nicknames of people.

3. Capitalize geographic names. Indian Ocean, Hawaii, Empire State Building

4. Capitalize the pronoun I.

5. Capitalize the names of days and months. Tuesday, October

6. Capitalize the names of national, religious, and local holidays. Memorial Day, Easter, Founder’s Day, Christmas

7. Capitalize proper adjectives. French, Chinese

8. Capitalize titles used with names. General Bradshaw, Mrs. Rima

9. Capitalize the first word in the greeting or closing of a letter. Dear friends, Yours truly

10. Capitalize the first, last, and all the main words in the title of a book, movie, song, magazine, play, newspaper, or television show. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone , “The National Anthem”

11. Capitalize the names of organizations, associations, or teams and their members. American Red Cross, Parent-Teacher Association

12. Capitalize historical events, documents, and periods of time. Boston Tea Party, Declaration of Independence, Stone Age (Civil War, Middle Ages, Medal of Honor)

13. Capitalize initials or abbreviations that stand for names and also abbreviations of titles and organizations. (Dallas, Texas, Fulton County, Africa, America, AR, TX)