Read these 13 Capitalization Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Writing tips and hundreds of other topics.
If it's a part of the world in which people live, capitalize it. (e.g., Have you ever visited the Far East?) If it's compass direction, keep it in lower case. (e.g., How far east do I have to travel in order to reach Syracuse?)
Capitalize north, south, east, west, and derivative words when they designate definite regions or are part of a proper noun.
in the North
down South
back East
out West
the Middle West
the North Pole
the West Coast
Capitalize a noun followed by a number or a letter that indicates sequence.
Exceptions: Do not capitalize: line, note, page, paragraph, size, step, or verse.
Examples:
Account 1210
Act 2
Appendix B
Book IV
Chapter VI
page 7
line 2
Room 100
verse 3
Do not capitalize compass points when they merely indicate direction or general location.
Many people have relocated from the West to the Middle West. (regions)
Go south on Route 66 and then west at the stop sign. (direction)
The west coast of the United States borders on the Pacific. (shoreline, not the region)
John lives on the West Coast. (region.)
Some expressions that originally contained proper nouns are now common nouns and are not capitalized.
charley horse
plaster of paris
manila envelope
bone china
napoleon (the dessert)
boycott
diesel
macadam
ampere
watt
joule
kelvin
texas leaguer
arabic numbers
roman numbers (but: Roman laws)
Capitalize each item in a list or an outline.
Here are the items I need:
* Long-handled screwdriver.
* Ball-ping hammer.
* Drill press.
Capitalize each line in a poem. However, if you're quoting a poem, then follow its style.
From wrong to wrong the exasperated spirit
Proceeds, unless restored by that refining fire
Where you must move in measure, like a dancer.
--T. S. Eliot
Do not capitalize family titles when they are preceded by a possessive.
Let me ask my mother and dad if I can go to the movies.
I'm on the phone with my aunt.
Capitalize nicknames that designate specific persons, places, or things.
the Founding Fathers
the First Lady
the White House
the Oval Office
the Stars and Stripes
the Gopher State (Minnesota)
Mother Nature
a Good Samaritan
Fannie Mae (from the initials FNMA, the Federal National Mortgage Association)
Bubba
the Gray Panthers
Whoopi Goldberg
Big Mac
the Establishment
Down Under (Australia)
a Green Beret
the Little Dipper
the Top 40
Bloody Mary
the Third World
Capitalize an independent question within a sentence.
The question is, How much are you willing to spend?
Capitalize words like "mother" and "father" when they stand alone or are followed by a personal name.
I'll ask Mother and Dad if I can go to the movies.
I'm on the phone with Aunt Mary.
Guru Spotlight |
Byron White |