Capitalization Help: A Tutorial & Learning Guide
Deciding which letters to capitalize in a sentence can be a pain. However, here is a list to help out.
The first word in a sentenceexample:
- The camel crossed the road. - (The is capitalized. If 'the' was in the middle of the sentence, it would be in lowercase.)
examples:
- ATM
- IBM
example:
- Nevertheless, I enjoyed the movie.
(People, places, organizations and sometimes things)
examples:
- Monarch Industries
- Wichita, Kansas
- Indian Ocean
- Aunt Mary - (Hint: Titles preceding names are capitalized, but titles following names or without names aren't.)
(Seasons are generally not capitalized, however if it is used in a title, such as 'The Spring 2006 semester' it is.)
examples:
- Tuesday
- April
- Independence Day
examples:
- Her house was in the South during WWII.
- She lived just ten miles north of Atlanta, Georgia.
example:
- Gary said, "She worked all night long at the cafe."
(But not short prepositions or 'the', 'a' or 'an' unless used as the first or last word.)
example:
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
examples:
- United States of America
- German
- Indian
examples:
- Kansas City Cheifs
- Chinese-Americans
- Democrats