Improper Capitalization

America has a problem. improper Capitalization. Having the Right words capitalized makes a big difference in how a text is read and understood. The most common error is failure to capitalize the i when talking about yourself.

Do you see how annoying that was? Your eye just gets drawn to the mistakes and you can’t stop looking at it. Capitalization is really one of the easiest grammar concepts to understand.

Sure, there are a few confusing issues now due to new words, but they still fit into the rules. So here are the standard rules* with explanations by me.

*Note: This is going to refer to standard academic writing. Creative writing and poetry is a whole different animal that we are not doing today. Although as a side note to this note, unless you are e.e. cummings, you should still capitalize properly in poetry.

1. Capitalize the first word of every sentence – Pretty straight forward. If you are beginning a sentence, even a quoted sentence, capitalize the first word of the sentence.

Example:

Improper capitalization is a pet peeve of mine.
The critic wrote, “You mustn’t miss this film.”

2. Capitalize the first word of a line of poetry – Unless the poet has used lowercase letters. Refer to rule #1; if you are quoting something, it gets capitalized.

3. Capitalize words and phrases used as sentences – In this case, the word or phrase is acting like a sentence or there is an implied sentence with the word. Therefore, it falls under rule #1 and so it is still very simple.

Example:

When?

No, not you.

4. Capitalize the first word of a formal question or statement following a colon – If following the colon is an ordinary statement, then lowercase should be used.

Example:

Hemingway said it best: Courage is grace under pressure.
There was a reason for his behavior: he was in love.

5. Capitalize most words in a title – For most words in a title of a book, article, etc., they should be capitalized. The first and last word should always be capitalized. Also, everything except articles, prepositions and coordinating conjunctions should be capitalized. If in doubt, look at how the author capitalized it.

6. Capitalize the pronoun I and the interjection O – Do not capitalize oh. When talking about yourself "I" is always capitalized. ALWAYS. I do not care if you are on AIM with your friends or writing on your best friend's wall on Facebook, capitalize "I."

Example:

To thee, O Lord, I pray.

7. Capitalize proper nouns – Proper nouns are a category of nouns that refers to a specific person, place or thing. Here is a brief list of proper nouns that should be capitalized with an example.

a. Specific Persons, Ethnic Groups, Tribes, Nationalities, Religions, and Languages

Hispanic

Navajo

Paula Patch

German

b. Specific Places

Yankee Stadium

Elon University

Atlantic Ocean

c. Specific Organizations, Companies, and Brand Names

the Yankees

Red Cross

Deer Park water (product is lowercase)

d. Days of the Week, Months, Holidays, and Holy Days

Christmas

Wednesday

March

Forth of July

e. Flags, Awards and School Colors

the Stars and Stripes

the Pulitzer Prize

the Maroon and Gold

f. Personifications

Mother Nature

g. Titles Preceding Names

Professor Paula Patch

So here you go America, a short list of common capitalization errors that should never be seen again.

* These rules come from English Simplified.