When you look at a calendar, almost every word is capitalized. Additionally, holidays are also capitalized whenever you write them.
When we sign off on letters, we generally close with a valediction like "Sincerely" or "Yours truly. For example:. The signature is only one important component in a letter. For the full picture, here's how to write a letter. There are a few specific instances that tend to confuse people when it comes to capitalization. Take a look at these general rules for when you should skip that capital letter. Colons are often used before the introduction of a list.
Similarly, you generally don't capitalize after a semicolon. And because a comma doesn't end the sentence, you don't need to capitalize the word after it, either. There's a difference between Washington Middle School and middle school — one is a proper noun, one is a common noun.
Words like middle school or elementary school are common if you're not talking about a specific school, so they are not capitalized. This rule also applies to nouns that follow proper adjectives , such as "Apple computer" and "Honda sedan.
Even though we capitalize days, months and holidays, not every word related to a calendar falls under this capitalization rule. We don't capitalize the four seasons of winter , spring , summer , or fall or autumn unless it's part of a title or proper noun. If you're telling someone to go in a certain direction, you don't need to capitalize that direction. There are specific direction capitalization rules about when you should capitalize east , west , north , and south , but if you're describing the direction, you won't capitalize it.
Whether you're majoring in political science or mechanical engineering, you don't need to capitalize the first letter of your academic focus. The same goes for a subject that you're studying, such as math or language arts. The only exception for capitalizing subjects is if the subject is the name of a class, such as British Literature or Algebra II.
Your birthday, anniversary and other special occasions are momentous days, but that doesn't mean they should be capitalized. If you're wishing someone a "Happy birthday," you don't need to capitalize "birthday. No matter what you write, there will be moments when you'll have to decide whether or not to capitalize a word. It only takes a little bit of practice and, the more you read and write, the more these rules will stick. Once you feel like a capitalization pro, check out these special cases for capitalization.
Ever heard of capitonyms? They're the snowflakes of the English language that change meaning when you capitalize them. Have fun out there! All rights reserved. However, capitalization is required for these words when they are part of a proper name or when they refer to a distinct region.
Scribbr Plagiarism Checker. In academic writing, some types of nouns are often incorrectly capitalized. The table below shows academic terms that should not be capitalized. Note, though, that proper nouns within these terms are still capitalized as usual. However, note that the names of existing tests, inventories and questionnaires should be capitalized. When the quote forms a complete sentence, capitalize the first word. When the quote is a fragment incorporated into your own sentence, the first word is not capitalized.
When a colon introduces a list or any phrase that is not a complete sentence, do not capitalize the first word unless it is a proper noun. She filled the picnic basket with a variety of snacks: cookies, bread, dips, and fruits.
When a colon introduces a complete sentence, capitalization rules vary between style guides. According to APA style , the first word after the colon should be capitalized. She had been up all night studying: She was determined to get the top grade in the class.
But according to Chicago style , the first word following the colon should be capitalized only if there is more than one complete explanatory sentence following the colon. She had been up all night studying: she was determined to get the top grade in the class. It would guarantee her the prestigious scholarship.
The capitalization rules for the titles of books, articles, movies, art, and other works vary slightly between style guides. When writing a paper or thesis, you have two options for capitalizing the headings of chapters and sections.
You can use title case for all headings, as in the examples above. Alternatively, you can choose to use sentence case, which means you only capitalize the first word and proper nouns, as in a normal sentence. Some style guides have specific requirements for capitalizing headings see, for example, how to format APA headings and subheadings.
Whichever approach you choose, make sure to be consistent: all headings at the same level should take the same capitalization style. Laura Hale Brockway is an Austin-based writer and editor. Read more of her work at impertinentremarks. November 10, Capitalize the first word in a sentence. This is the most basic rule of capitalization. Capitalize family relationships when used as proper nouns. Capitalize titles that appear before names, but not after names.
0コメント