WHAT you ShOuLd cAPITALIZE

And WHY!

The RULES1) Capitalize the first word of a sentence

1) Capitalize the first word of a quoted sentence

2) Capitalize PROPER NOUNS (names)1) Names of religions

2) Names of races

3) Names of languages

4) Names of regions (Capitalize compass directions when preceded by the word “the”.)

3) Capitalize the “big” words in titles

The RULES1) Capitalize the first word of a sentence

1) Capitalize the first word of a quoted sentence

My hat fell in the toilet.

Capitalize the first word of a sentence.

Capitalize the first word in a QUOTED sentence.

The drunk said, “My hat fell in the toilet.”

The RULES1) Capitalize the first word of a sentence

1) Capitalize the first word of a quoted sentence

2) Capitalize PROPER NOUNS (names)1) Names of religions

2) Names of races

3) Names of languages

4) Names of regions (Capitalize compass directions when preceded by the word “the”.)

Mary & Terry O’Leery went out with Larry & Barry Perry.

Capitalize names (PROPER NOUNS)

Salt Lake City is the greatest city in the world for lovers of

salt.

Father Johnson is a Catholic priest.

Capitalize names of religions

Zoroastrians are the coolest! Yeah!

Father Johnson is Caucasian and Sister O’Leery is African

American.

Capitalize names of races

He is white and she is black.

but

The hatless drunk speaks English.

Capitalize names of languages

Father Johnson speaks Swahili.

The hatless drunk is from the South.

Capitalize names of regions

Father Johnson is from western Africa.

but

The RULES1) Capitalize the first word of a sentence

1) Capitalize the first word of a quoted sentence

2) Capitalize PROPER NOUNS (names)1) Names of religions

2) Names of races

3) Names of languages

4) Names of regions (Capitalize compass directions when preceded by the word “the”.)

3) Capitalize the “big” words in titles

My favorite book is The Man Who Came All the Way from the Moon Only to Realize That the Earth Is

Not Made of Cheese.

Capitalize the “big” words in titlesKeep the LITTLE words small:

a, an, the, but, as, if, and, or, nor, “prepositions”

A couple of other random points:

1) Capitalize a person’s title:I went to see Dr. Jones.

Pastor Johnson scolded Rabbi McGillicutty over the lasagna incident.

2) Some weird abbreviations:1) Ph.D.

2) U-turn

3) I-beams

These sentences need a little help!

my pet goat ate my favorite pair of gucci

boots.

My pet goat ate my favorite pair of Gucci

boots.

llamas live in the southern part of

uzbekistan.

Llamas live in the southern part of

Uzbekistan.

on tuesday I ate mexican food with my

friend wolfgang humperdink.

On Tuesday I ate Mexican food with my

friend Wolfgang Humperdink.

wolfgang is from the southern united

states

Wolfgang is from the southern United

States.

my goat, francis mcgillicutty, used to be episcopalian, but

now he’s atheist.

My goat, Francis McGillicutty, used to be Episcopalian, but

now he’s atheist.

francis lost his faith after the incident

with the lasagna and the portuguese rabbi.

Francis lost his faith after the incident with

the lasagna and the Portuguese rabbi.

the angry clock explosion guy, fred,

says, “yo, let’s read us some shakespeare!”

The angry clock explosion guy, Fred,

says, “Yo, let’s read us some Shakespeare!”

The RULES1) Capitalize the first word of a sentence

1) Capitalize the first word of a quoted sentence

2) Capitalize PROPER NOUNS (names)1) Names of religions

2) Names of races

3) Names of languages

4) Names of regions (Capitalize compass directions when preceded by the word “the”.)

3) Capitalize the “big” words in titles