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CAPITALIZATION RULES YOU CAN USERulesExamplesCapitalize names of specific persons.Miss Piggy, Wilma FlintstoneCapitalize specific geographic locations.Directions. Do NOT capitalize the words north, south, east, west, southwest, etc., when referring to directions. Do capitalize a direction if it refers to a section of the country.In a street name that contains a hyphenated number, the second number begins with a small letter.Hogwarts, Camp Half-Blood****In a small town in the South [a section of the country], surprised residents sighted giant possums north [directions] of the Roadkill Grill.****Weird Uncle Ernie sells velvet Elvis paintings on the corner of Thirty-third Street.Capitalize the names of organizations, businesses, institutions, and government bodies.Homer Simpson High School, the National Acne Prevention Society, American Red CrossCapitalize the names of historical events and periods, special events, and calendar dates. However, don’t capitalize seasons (winter, spring, summer, fall).This fall, Halloween confused little Thadeus who dressed like an Easter bunny; then, at Christmas he begged to trick-or-treat.Capitalize the names of nationalities, races, and religions.American, German, Mexican, Caucasian, BuddhistCapitalize brand names but not the product.Dell computers, Levi jeansCapitalize the names of ships, planets, monuments, awards, and any other particular places, things, or eventsPlanets, constellations, asteroids, stars, and groups of stars are capitalized; however, sun and moon are generally not capitalized, and earth is not capitalized if it is preceded by the.the Mayflower, the Enterprise, the Empire State Building, the Grammy, the Milky Way, Mars****In the fertile earth, Theodore planted mutant sunflower seeds.Only capitalize a school subject if it is a language or a course title followed by a number.Don’t capitalize freshman, sophomore, junior or senior unless the word is part of a proper noun such as the Junior Prom.speech, literacy, English, Drama 101, Spanish, Toenail Painting 101****Matilda became ill in English, and later she threw up while dissecting a toad in biology. So, she’ll miss the Sophomore Talent Show where she was to sing in Latin.MORE CAPITALIZATION RULES YOU CAN USECapitalize the title of a person when it comes before a name.Professor Dumbledore, Sergeant PepperDo not capitalize a title used alone or following a person’s name unless it refers to a high official (such as the President or Vice President of the United States) or to someone to whom you wish to show special respect.When a title is used alone in a direct address (in other words, when a person is spoken to directly), it’s usually capitalized.The President brushed and flossed before meeting with the Prime Minister of England (high title)The vice president of the liposuction support group resigned (not high title)****Are your eyebrows false, General?You really should consider a nose job before the election, Senator.Capitalize the first word and all important words in titles of books, magazines, poems, stories, movies, paintings, and other works of art. (Unimportant words in a title are a, an, the, and short prepositions that are fewer than five letters. However, the first and last words of a title are always capitalized, even if they are unimportant words.)Reader’s Digest; The Grapes of Wrath; Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban; The Little MermaidCapitalize words referring to the Deity and holy books.The word god is not capitalized when it refers to gods of ancient mythology.God and His universe, the Koran, the Bible****When he flexes his muscles, Wilbur thinks he looks like a Roman god.Capitalize a word showing family relationship when used with the person’s name (as part of the name), but not when the word showing relationship is preceded by a possessive pronoun (my, your, his, her, us, their, our).When family-relationship words like aunt and cousin are thought of as part of a name, capitalize them even after a possessive.Capitalize a word showing family relationship when used in a direct address.Aunt Erma, my aunt, Cousin Verne, your cousin, Grandfather Scabs, their grandfather, my uncle Joe****My talented Uncle Buford is a frog-calling champion in five countries.****“Gosh, Mom,” whined Lionel, “why can’t I wrestle crocodiles? Stumpy’s mom lets him!”Capitalize abbreviations for degrees that follow a person’s name.M.D., Ph.D., D.D.S.EVEN MORE CAPITALIZATION RULES YOU CAN USECapitalize the abbreviations Jr. and Sr. when they follow a person’s name.Abbreviations A.D., B.C., C.E., B.C.E. are capitalized, but am, fm (radio frequencies) and abbreviations for measurements are not (ft., sec., kg.). For the times of day, do whatever strikes your fancy! A.M. or a.m., P.M., or p.m.Capitalize the first word and each noun in the salutation (opening) of a letter; however, only the first word in the closing of a letter is capitalized.Dear Miss Dimpsy,Sincerely yours, Yours until crawdads fly, ................
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