Capitalization rules

USE OF CAPITAL LETTERS WITH NOUNS

Capital letters are used with:

Capitalize the First Word of a Sentence

This one’s easy. Always capitalize the first word of a sentence.

  • The cat is sleeping.
  • Where did I put that book?
  • Hey! It’s great to see you! How have you been?

Capitalize the First Word of a Quote (Sometimes)

Capitalize the first word of a quote when the quote is a complete sentence.

  • Mario asked, “What is everyone doing this weekend?”
  • Stacy answered, “My sister and I are going to the water park.”

Don’t capitalize the first word of partial quotes.

  • Gretchen said she was “way too busy” to join the gym.
  • Mr. Thompson described the rules as “extremely difficult to understand if you don’t have a law degree.”

Capitalize Names and Other Proper Nouns

  • Winston Churchill
  • Marilyn Monroe
  • the Queen of England
  • the President of the United States
  • the Headmaster of Eton
  • Doctor Mathews
  • Professor Samuels.

Note: The personal pronoun 'I' is always written with a capital letter.

Titles of works, books etc.

  • War and Peace
  • The Merchant of Venice
  • Crime and Punishment
  • Tristan and Isolde

Months of the year, days of the week, holidays, BUT NOT seasons

January

July

February

August

March

September

April

October

May

November

June

December
  • Tom’s birthday is in June.

Days of the week

Monday

Friday

Tuesday

Saturday

Wednesday

Sunday

Thursday
  • I hate Mondays!

Holidays

Christmas

Easter

New Year's Day

Boxing Day

May Day

Thanksgiving Day
  • Oh no! I forgot about Valentine’s Day!

Don't capitalize Seasons

The names of seasons, however, are not proper nouns, so there’s no need to capitalize them.
Seasons
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter
 
  • I hate winter!
  • Having a summer birthday is the best.

Geographical names...
Names of countries and continents

America

England

Scotland

China

Peru

Albania

Africa

Europe

Asia

Names of regions, states, districts etc.

Sussex

California

Queensland

Provence

Tuscany

Vaud

Florida

Costa Brava

Tyrol

Names of rivers, oceans, seas, lakes etc.

the Atlantic

the Dead Sea

the Pacific

Lake Leman

Lake Victoria

Lake Michigan

the Rhine

the Thames

the Nile

Names of geographical formations

the Himalayas

the Alps

the Sahara

Adjectives relating to nationality nouns

France - French music

Australia - Australian animals

Germany - German literature

Arabia - Arabic writing

Indonesia - Indonesian poetry

China - Chinese food

Names of streets, buildings, parks, cities, towns, villages etc.

London

Cape Town

Rome

Florence

Bath

Wagga Wagga

Vancouver

Wellington

Peking

Park Lane

Central Avenue

Pall Mall

George Street

Sydney Opera House

Central Park

Hyde Park

the Empire State Building

Wall Street

Capitalize Time Periods and Events (Sometimes)

Specific periods, eras, and historical events that have proper names should be capitalized.
  • Most of the World War I veterans are now deceased.
  • In the Middle Ages, poor hygiene was partly responsible for the spreading of bubonic plague.
  • Middle school students often enjoy studying the social changes that took place during the Roaring Twenties.
However, centuries—and the numbers before them—are not capitalized.
  • In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, England blossomed into an empire.