does creative writing need a capital letter

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To Capitalise or Not To Capitalise: A Useful Guide

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• 31st July 2014

The question of when to capitalise a word can be tricky. As such, sometimes even the most exacting of grammar nerds will need to consult a guide. If you’re writing an essay and you’re unsure about a word, then, check the rules below to see whether a capital is required.

Which Words Should Be Capitalised?

The following situations always require a capital letter:

• The first word in a sentence
• The first-person pronoun ‘I’, along with the contractions ‘I’m’ and ‘I’ll’
• Countries (e.g. ‘France’)
• Settlements and landmarks (e.g. ‘Paris’, ‘the Eiffel Tower’)
• Languages (e.g. ‘French’, ‘Spanish’ or ‘German’)
• Proper nouns related to nationality, (e.g. ‘Frenchman’ or ‘Englishman’)
• Months and days of the week (e.g. ‘We met on a Thursday in June’)
• Special dates and historical periods (e.g. ‘Christmas Day’ or ‘the Iron Age’)
• Important historical events (e.g. ‘World War One’)
• The names of companies, brands and institutions (e.g. ‘Coca Cola’)
• Abbreviated titles (e.g. ‘Mr’, ‘Ms’ or ‘Dr’)
• Honorifics in salutations or before a name (e.g. ‘Dear Sir’ or ‘Dr Quinn’)
• People’s names (e.g. ‘Donald’ or ‘Hillary’)
• Special honours and awards (e.g. ‘Bachelor of Physics’)

Although this list covers the most common examples, there are also other situations where terms should be capitalised.

For example, when discussing religions, words like ‘God’ and ‘Allah’, as well as words pronouns relating to deities (e.g. ‘ H im’), are often capitalised. This is known as reverential capitalisation .

Sometimes, job titles are also capitalised, especially when used as part of an official title or alongside a name (e.g. ‘Jane Smith, Head of Recruitment, will be attending the meeting’). This isn’t necessary when the same words are used generically, though (e.g. we would write ‘She hopes to become President of the United States’ because it refers to a specific position, but no capitalisation is needed in ‘Many countries have presidents’).

Title Capitalisation

It’s also conventional to capitalise some words in titles, especially with books and films. When it comes to essay titles , many style guides require you to capitalise just the first word of titles and subtitles, plus proper nouns. This is known as ‘sentence case’. A title like this would run:

A guide to English: Perfecting grammar in an academic paper

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Alternatively, some style guide suggest that all of the main words (i.e. any that aren’t articles, conjunctions or prepositions) should be capitalised. This is known as ‘title case’. A title like this would appear as:

A Guide to English: Perfecting Grammar in an Academic Paper

Make sure to check which format your university prefers.

When NOT to Capitalise

Some situations might seem like a word should be capitalised but, in fact, do not require it. Words which don’t need to be capitalised include:

• The seasons (e.g. ‘spring’ or ‘summer’)
• The word ‘god’ when used in relation to the general idea of gods, rather than the Christian God
• Academic subjects which aren’t part of a degree or other qualification title (e.g. ‘He studied maths and science at school’)

It’s also important to be consistent with capitalisation (i.e. to use the same style of capitalisation throughout each document). And make sure to proofread carefully if you’re not sure about certain terms!

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English Capitalization Rules (When to Capitalize, When Not To + Style Guides)

At first glance, the English language capitalization rules might seem simple enough, but as you take a deeper dive into studying English grammar you will realize it gets a little more complicated. Most people know that the first word of every sentence and all proper nouns should be capitalized. However, many people don’t know that sometimes the first word of a quotation and the word after a colon also needs to be capitalized.

Then there are exceptions to every rule. People even get confused about identifying a proper noun in a sentence. The capitalization rules for the English language are particularly tricky in academic writing. This article discusses some of the basic capitalization rules that will help you be decisive and confident with English grammar every time.

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What are capitalization rules?

Capitalization is defined as writing a word with only its first letter in uppercase and the remaining letters in lowercase. As a preliminary study of English grammar, children are taught in school that the first letter of the first word of a new sentence is capitalized, and all proper nouns are also capitalized. The rules get more layered and complicated in academic writing.

Other than capitalization of the first word of a sentence and proper nouns there are many other instances that require capitalization. It depends on various English style guides and grammatical rules. Keep reading to know when the capitalization of a word is grammatically incorrect and when capitalization is essential.

When to capitalize (with examples)

The following is a list of fundamental capitalization rules of the English language, along with examples:

First letter in a sentence

Capitalization of the foremost word of a sentence is the primary rule of capitalization, that is widely followed. Always capitalize the first or initial word of any sentence whether it is a common noun , proper noun, article, very, or any other type of verb .

a.   Both the dogs competed for their master’s attention all day long.

b.   Can you please point me towards the nearest bus stop?

c.    Derek was in love with Meredith, and he announced it in front of everyone today.

d.   Even though Mahatma Gandhi got nominated several times, he never won the Nobel Peace Prize.

Proper nouns

A proper noun is the particular name of a person, object, place, place, or organization. A proper noun is used in a sentence to make the noun more specific and identifiable, for instance Paris, Monday , Marilyn, etc. All adjectives that have evolved from proper nouns should also be capitalized, even when they are in the middle of a sentence.

a.   I bought the new Apple iPhone from Amazon, last week.

b.   Julius Cesare began autocratic rule in Rome which eventually led to his downfall.

c.    They decided to name their firstborn child Elvis after the late King of Pop.

The names of towns, cities, villages, countries, religions, companies , institutions and political parties should all be capitalized as they are all proper nouns.

a.   Universal Studios Singapore simply known as Universal Studios is located on Sentosa Island in Singapore.

b.   We saw some of the most spectacular views from Harder Klum looking over the town of Interlaken in Switzerland.

c.    Oxford University has a rich history that goes back many centuries.

Common noun usually refers to a type of thing, place, or person or it represents a concept. Generally, common nouns are not capitalized in the middle of a sentence. However, when they are used to address someone, in particular, they can be capitalized—for example, grandpa, grandmother, dad, and mom.

a.   I have been calling Mom all day, and she hasn’t answered once.

Only proper adjectives follow the rule of capitalization in the English language. Proper adjectives are formed only when they are used to describe a proper noun. Some categories of proper adjectives are as follows:

• Adjectives that are derived from places like Indian, Dutch, Spanish, Maldivian, etc.
• Adjectives that are derived from names like Kafkaesque, Shakespearean, Dickensian, Orwellian, etc
• Adjectives that are derived from religions like Christian, Buddhist, Jewish, Islamic, etc.

Examples of proper adjectives capitalized in a sentence:

a.   The Buddhist practice of meditating for inner peace is getting popular worldwide.

b.   The locals always proclaim that Maldivian sharks are very friendly and never attack anyone.

c.    The atmosphere of the government office is almost Kafkaesque.

Most pronouns need to be capitalized only when they are placed at the beginning of a sentence. Only the pronoun ‘I’ needs to be in capital letters regardless of its placement within the sentence.

a.   It’s been too long since I visited my hometown.

b.   Silver and I are going to the library after my shift ends here.

c.   She said I can call her tomorrow to get the notes from her.

d.   I loved taking the Seine River cruise at midnight. 

Movies and book titles 

Most of the words in any creative title are capitalized. All the major words present in the title of films, poems, short stories, and novels are generally capitalized. The verbs, Nouns, proper nouns, and adjective starts with a capital letter. Also, as a general rule conjunctions, prepositions , and articles are not capitalized.

The rules differ according to the different style guides used to spell the particular title. Many fiction writers and poets don’t adhere to such strict rules of grammar. There are many titles of great creative works that do not follow any rule of capitalization or style guides.

For instance, APA style follows two types of capitalization rules, one is the Title case, and the other is the sentence case. In the former scenario, APA Style makes all major words capitalized and requires the minor words to be in lowercase. In the latter type of APA style, all the words are only in lowercase, and nothing is capitalized.

According to APA style guide, and word that is made up of three words or less is considered to be a minor word.

a.   Manu Star Wars fans were disappointed with Star Wars: The Last Jedi and found it to be anticlimactic.

b.   Louisa May Alcott wrote the Novel Little Women that was published in 1868.

c.    The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is a movie about a daydreamer that escapes his mundane life by living in a world of fantasy.

d.   The poem by E.E Cummings, [i carry your heart with me(I carry it in] is quoted by lovers all over the world, even today.

First word in quotations

If a complete sentence is being quoted as part of the larger sentence, then the first word of the quote should be capitalized . If the quoted part is just a phrase, then the starting word of the quote does not need to be capitalized.

Capitalized: The teacher said, “Principal will be here shortly.”

Not Capitalized: the teacher informed us the principal would ‘be here shortly.”

a.   Last time Ted called me, he said, “I will send you a Christmas gift.”

b.   None of his “childhood friends” supported him when they divorced.

c.    Oscar Wilde once said that gods only answer our prayers “when they want to punish us.”

Titles of people

All proper nouns that are names of people should always be capitalized. The first letter of the first, middle, and last names is always a capital letter. It is also a capitalization rule that the suffixes and people’s titles also need to be capitalized.

For example, Bloody Marry, Alexander the Great, Sir Isaac Newton, Ivan the Terrible, etc.

When titles like Ms, Mr, Mrs, and Dr are considered part of particular names, they are also capitalized. This capitalization rule is primarily followed when you address someone by their position as if it’s a part of their name.

Capitalized: I have worked many years under the Chief Secretary Zoey Smith

Not Capitalized: Zoey Smith was one of the best chief secretaries the company ever had.

i.             Only capitalize titles and occupations when they are used as part of names.

Capitalize: Mr. Bob Roy is the Chief Editor of Chronicles for the past four years.

Not Capitalize: The chief editor of Chronicles will soon retire.

ii.            The title is capitalized it is used non descriptively

a.   Dr. Smith, who will preside over the meeting, is running a little late.

iii.           When the article ‘the’ is placed before a position or job title do not capitalize it.

a.   Smith, the president will be here soon.

b.   The president, Dr Smith, will join us this afternoon.

c.    Archie was the editor of the magazine.

iv.          The titles in signature lines should be capitalized. Although this is not a strict rule, most style guides recommend capitalizing the title when they come after the signature line or name in the address.

a.   John Doe, General Manager

b.   Mike Smith, Chief Editor

c.    Shelly Brown, CEO

d.   Lily Singh, Creative Head

Acronyms, initialisms, and initials 

An acronym is a type of abbreviation that is made from the starting letters of other words that are pronounced together as a single word. All the letters in an acronym are capitalized.

a.   ASAP – As soon as possible

b.   FOMO- Fear of missing out

c.   PIN- Personal Identification Number

d.   SCUBA- Self-contained underwater breathing apparatus

An initialism is very similar to an acronym, but for initialism, every letter in the word is pronounced as is.

a.   RIP – Rest in peace

b.   USA- United States of America

c.    FBI- Federal Bureau of Investigation

d.   TMI- Too much information

Initials are capital letters that start each word of a given name. For instance, if someone’s name is Peter Parker, their initials will be PP. All letters of the initials are always capitalized.

a.   MJ- Michael Jackson

b.   MLK – Martin Luther King

c.    JFK- John Fitzgerald Kennedy

d.   JRR Tolkien – John Ronald Reuel Tolkien

Dates, days, months, and holidays

The name of different days, months, and holidays are different proper nouns. This is why when you look at any calendar, all these names are in capital letters.

Even when the name of days and months are abbreviated, they should always be capitalized. For instance, Mar, Feb, Aug, Sept, Dec, etc, are also capitalized.

Additionally, the most popular holidays you will find marked in a calendar are always capitalized.

a.   January

b.   May

c.    Monday

d.   Wednesday

e.   Christmas

f.     Ramadan

g.   Easter

h.   Hanukkah

i.     Navratri

j.     Fourth of July

Closing a letter

Most style guides suggest that letters addressing someone should always be close with a valediction. The exact phrase used for valediction depends on the receiver of the letter and their relationship with the sender. Valediction is an address or statement that is used as a farewell.

The first word of these complimentary closes or farewell words is always capitalized.

a.   Yours sincerely,

Anna Douglas

b.   Wishing you good health

Oliver Smith, Vice President

Capitalization rules

As is explained above, there are particular instances where the rule of capitalization is applied. The primary rule of capitalization in the English language is that the first letter of the first word of a new sentence should be in capital letters.

Also, another rudimentary rule is that all proper nouns are always capitalized. There are many other instances where letters get capitalized in the English language.

For example, the initials formed by abbreviating the name of a person is always in capital letter, the movie titles are also generally capitalized.

 Significant historical eras also need to be capitalized whenever mentioned anywhere. Even the prehistoric eras are capitalized in all history books—for instance, Bronze Age, Stone Age, Dark Ages, Middle Ages, and Renaissance.

APA rules are the official style of the American Psychological Association and are most commonly used to present sources in social sciences, education, and psychology. The APA style guide is used as a reference to write most of the academic research papers in their respective fields.

APA style guide has two basic types of capitalization of titles, sentence case and title case. In sentence case, all major words and minor words are in lowercase. While in the title case only the first letter of the major words is capitalized while the first letter of the minor word is not.

According to APA style guides, major words are generally four words or more. They consist of verbs, linking verbs , nouns, adverbs , adjectives, and pronouns. The minor words are the shorter words that are generally made of three words or less. Mostly articles, short prepositions, and conjunctions form minor words.

Implementation of title case in APA style

• Even if the first word of a heading or title is a minor word, it should be capitalized. For instance, ‘The’ in the movie The Fox and the Hound. Note when ‘the’ appears for the second time in the movie title it is a minor word that doesn’t need to be capitalized.
• Words that are four or more letters are also capitalized. E.g., From, Between, With, etc. The first word of the subtitle is also capitalized
• Some examples of minor words that are always in lowercase in a title following APA rules are as follows: for, but, so, or, and, as, a, the, an, off, of, on, to, up, via, etc.
• Title case is used in titles of books, reports, articles, and such other textual works. All headings between level one and five in any text are in bold and title case. 

The MLA style guides have specific rules for citing sources or research and formatting manuscripts. It provides writers and research scholars with a way of citing their sources through parenthetical citations in their works.

The capitalization rules from MLA style guides are used to give authors a consistent way of formatting the title while remaining true to the intrinsic style of different languages. According to the MLA rules, English language titles are in title case, while the title in any other language is mainly in lowercase. Some scholars find this strict distinction a little arbitrary but the MLA guide claims it to be in accordance with style guides of different languages. These distinctions are followed as a way of convention, respecting how different languages have evolved.

In the French language, all nouns are not capitalized, while all nouns in the German language are capitalized. The same distinction remains in the titles of French and German texts.

Chicago Style Guide rules

The Chicago Manual of Style has been in publication since 1906. The manual is commonly known as CMOS, CMS, or Chicago Style. It is a style guide primarily used for American English that is widely circulated and trusted. The capitalization rules in CMS are quite similar to the rules in MLA and APA style guides, with a few exceptions.

The Chicago style is most commonly used in conventional journalism.

The capitalization rules of the Chicago Manual of Style are as follows:

• The last and first words of the title are always capitalized.
• Some minor words are always in lowercase regardless of their length. The prepositions and coordinating conjunctions are always in lowercase in the title, even if they are more than three words. The second word in a compound modifier and the word following the hyphenated prefix are also in lowercase—for example, Anti-social, Mid-term, Super-creamy, Anti-hero, Mid-year, etc.
• Regardless of the length of major words, they are capitalized. All verbs, nouns, adverbs, adjectives, and subordinate conjunctions are capitalized. 

When not to capitalize

As there are instances where words should be capitalized, as a rule, there are also particular instances where letters should never be capitalized. Listed below are some basic rules where capitalization is not required.

Many people get confused when they are instructed not to capitalize the name of seasons but capitalize the name of days, months, and years. Unless the name of seasons is part of a tile or pronoun, they are not capitalized.

a.   When I was younger, winter was my favorite season

b.   I eagerly wait for the summer holidays to start.

c.    If you have read Ruskin Bond, you will know he was in love with the monsoon season.

However, when the exact name of seasons appears in titles or as part of the proper noun, they are capitalized.

a.   The film 500 Days of Summer (2009)

b.   Summer Smith, Chief Editor

Common nouns

A common noun refers to a non-specific or general category that names any place, object, person, or idea. As they are not naming a particular object or person, they can refer to a broader range of things. Some instances of common nouns are closet, mall, school, road, bedroom, child, ship, woman, spoon, boat, etc.

a.   The ambulance was called immediately.

b.   Haley is researching the best school to enroll her child.

c.    The bus never stops her, you need to walk this path a little further .

d.   For his seventeenth birthday, he was gifted a Honda sedan car.

The only time when a common noun is capitalized in the middle of a sentence is when it is used to address a certain individual. Mom, which is a common noun will be capitalized in a sentence, only when it is used to address a particular individual.

When directions are used to point someone in the right way then they are not capitalized. As long as you are not talking about a specific place and just helping someone locate a place, or find their way, the name of directions is not capitalized.

a.   Continue until you come across the lighthouse.

b.   The factory is a few miles east of the public library.

When direction words are used not to specify a place but only to better describe the region they are not capitalized.

a.   I loved exploring eastern Europe with my friends.

b.   It’s much hotter near the western border.

Academic subjects

The name of any academic subject like geography, chemistry, electrical engineering, maths, or any other general subject does not require to be capitalized.

a.   I loved studying biology but hated math classes.

b.   When I was younger, I was keenly interested in history.

The only exception to this rule is when the subject is the name of a specific class, like Advanced Algebra, Renaissance Literature, History 3.0, etc.

Most people mistakenly capitalize the word ‘birthday’ when they wish someone on their birthday. As long as you are not writing all letters in capitals, the first letter of special occasions doesn’t need to be capitalized. Anniversary and birthday wishes are all in lowercase.

a.   I hope all your wishes come true on this birthday.

b.   I wish you a very happy anniversary and hope you enjoy your special day with your partner.

After colons, semicolons, commas

There are many punctuation marks after which capitalizing a word would be grammatically incorrect, except for a proper noun. Generally, a colon is followed by a list. As long as the list does not consist of proper nouns or complete sentences, they need not be capitalized.

a.   Following is the list of things you see in a garden: flowers, trees, insects, etc.

The semicolon is mainly used in place of a coordinating conjunction or a comma to connect two related but independent clauses . A semicolon works best when the relationship between the two distinctive clauses in the sentence is clear.  

a.   I have early classes tomorrow; I cannot come to the party tonight.

b.   Think about it for now; you can inform me tomorrow.

Similar to the semicolon, when a comma is used, the sentence does not end there. That is why anything following the comma is not capitalized.

a.   The match was over, but the fans refused to leave.

b.   If you are late again, bring a note.

c.    No, she will not come out today.

Anyone that knows these basic rules of capitalization in the English language will confidently know what is grammatically correct and incorrect. Just a little practice revising and memorizing these clauses will make anyone a pro in the capitalization rules.

• Capitalization Rules: When do Words Need to be Capitalized? – Dictionary
• 15 Basic Capitalization Rules for English Grammar- Best Edit & Proof
• Capitalization Rules -GrammarBook
• English Capitalization Rules, With Examples – Grammarly
• Acronym Definition & Meaning- Merriam Webster
• Title Case Capitalization- APA Style
• Why does the MLA capitalize certain words in titles? – MLA Style Guides
• Making Capitalization Easy- Capitalize My Title
• Are directions capitalized? – YourDictionary
• How to use semicolons? -Grammar book

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About the author

Dalia Y.: Dalia is an English Major and linguistics expert with an additional degree in Psychology. Dalia has featured articles on Forbes, Inc, Fast Company, Grammarly, and many more. She covers English, ESL, and all things grammar on GrammarBrain.

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Capitalization rules: When to use capital letters in English

English capitalization rules involve a lot more than just capitalizing the first letter of a sentence. 

Here we will go through when to use capital letters in English , including the various ways you can capitalize titles. We’ll cover all the potentially confusing capitalization rules regarding proper nouns, colons, and quotations.

We hope this helps clear up when to capitalize a word and when to stick with lowercase.

3 English capitalization rules

In English, we capitalize a word by writing the first letter in uppercase and the remaining letters in lowercase.

The three general rules of English capitalization dictate that you should always use a capital letter for:

• The first word of a sentence
• The pronoun ‘I’
• Proper nouns

We will look at these first, and then go over some exceptions and specific questions around colons, titles, and quotations.

1. Capitalize the first word of a sentence

This is the most simple capitalization rule and you will see it in use throughout this document. Always capitalize the first letter of a sentence.

2. The pronoun ‘I’ is always capitalized

This capitalization rule is also quite straightforward: Whenever you use the first person singular pronoun ‘I’, it should be capitalized.

• I wish I could win the lottery.
• Jamie and I are going on a date tonight.
• Never have I ever been so embarrassed as when I spilled wine all over myself and the bride at a wedding.

As you can see, this rule applies regardless of whether ‘I’ appears as the first word in a sentence or part-way through it.

Unsure about when to use I, me, or myself ? We have you covered.

3. Capitalize proper nouns and adjectives derived from them

Proper nouns and common nouns are a big topic, but we will go over the basics here in relation to using capital letters in writing.

A proper noun is a type of noun that refers to a specific place, person, or thing by name. Proper nouns should always be capitalized, as should any adjectives derived from them (also called ‘proper adjectives’).

Examples of proper nouns and adjectives include:

• William Shakespeare
• Shakespearian
• the Eiffel Tower
• the River Thames
• the Olympic Games

Proper nouns are the opposite of common nouns , which refer to places, people, or things in general – not specific names. Common nouns should not start with a capital letter unless they are the first word of a new sentence or part of a title.

Examples of common nouns include:

Here’s a more detailed breakdown of proper nouns that we need to capitalize , with examples of each one:

• Names: Mr Smith; Roger Federer; Lady Gaga; Madonna; George W. Bush; Grandpa
• Continents, countries, states, cities, towns, regions: Africa; Thailand; Colorado; London; Wellington; the Midlands
• Landmarks, geographical features, structures (natural and manmade): the Nile; the Equator; the Rocky Mountains; the Burj Khalifa; the Great Barrier Reef
• Street and road names: Main Street; Cedar Drive; Notting Hill
• Nationalities, languages, races, tribes: American; British; Norwegian; Mexican; Hindi; Masai
• Days of the week, months of the year: Tuesday; Sunday; June; November
• Historical eras, named historical events, holidays: the Bronze Age; World War II; Valentine’s Day
• Special events: the Commonwealth Games; the Golden Globe Awards
• Planets: Jupiter; Venus
• Companies, organizations, institutions, brand names: Coca-Cola; Disney; the United Nations; the World Bank; Oxford University
• Religions, deities, holy books: Christianity; Islam; Vishnu; the Bible

Nouns that are notably not capitalized include academic subjects, professions, medical conditions, elements, plants, animals, and minerals.

However, we still capitalize the names and proper nouns that may appear within these, e.g. Alzheimer’s disease; German shepherd.

Also note that family names like ‘Dad’, ‘Grandma’, and ‘Uncle’ are only capitalized when addressing the person or referring to them by that name. In phrases like ‘my dad’, ‘his grandma’, and ‘their uncle’, where you are using the noun to describe the relationship rather than to name the person, the words are all lowercase.

Should you capitalize seasons?

The four seasons – spring, summer, fall/autumn, and winter – are common nouns and therefore do not need to be capitalized unless they are used at the beginning of a sentence or in a title.

Some people, mistakenly believing that the seasons are proper nouns, capitalize them mid-sentence.

Do cardinal directions need to be capitalized?

The directions found on a compass (north, south, east, and west) and their derivatives (northern, northeast, etc.) do not need to be capitalized when referring to a direction or general area. They often appear as part of a proper noun referring to a geographic region (the East Coast, South Sudan, Southeast Asia), in which case we apply the capitalization rules of proper nouns.

• Virginia is southeast of West Virginia.
• Indonesia is the southernmost country in Southeast Asia.
• The north of the city is more affluent than the south.

Check your style guide for further intricacies on this topic.

Should you capitalize the first word after a colon?

Rules for capitalization after colons vary depending on what is following the colon.

1) If the colon introduces a list or an incomplete sentence, do not capitalize the first word after the colon.

• Suzie needs some extra supplies for her art class tomorrow: origami paper, scissors, popsicle sticks, and glue.
• There is only one person in the world who could solve this problem: me.

The exception to this would be if the word is a proper noun or acronym that would usually be capitalized.

2) If the colon comes before a complete sentence, check your style guide.

APA style states that you should always capitalize the first word following the colon if it is part of a complete sentence.

• One thing is for sure: We won’t be going to the theme park if it is raining.

The Chicago Manual of Style , on the other hand, keeps the first word lowercase even if it is part of a complete sentence.

• One thing is for sure: we won’t be going to the theme park if it is raining.

However, if more than one complete sentence is introduced by the colon, we go back to using capital letters.

• Here’s the plan: If it’s sunny, we’ll go to the theme park. If it rains, we’ll hang out at the mall.

If you have a particular style guide to follow, check what it says regarding when to use capital letters after colons. If not, just pick one of these options and try to be consistent with it.

Capitalizing abbreviations (acronyms and initialisms)

Acronyms and initialisms are both types of abbreviation that shorten a phrase to a series of letters, usually representing the first letter of each word in the phrase. Common examples are NASA, WHO, FAQ, and VIP.

You can read more about abbreviations, acronyms, and initialisms here, but the main rule for writing them is this:

All letters in acronyms and initialisms should be capitalized to distinguish them from regular words.

Of course, this capitalization rule may not apply so strictly in casual settings like internet chat rooms, where that extra keystroke to create uppercase text would negate the convenience of writing things like ‘gg’, ‘brb’, and ‘ty’.

Additionally, there are some Latin abbreviations that follow different capitalization rules.

Which words are capitalized in a title?

There are different ways to approach title capitalization for articles, magazines, and blogs. The rules you follow will depend on the style guide you are using (if any), but the three main options are:

• Sentence case: Only acronyms, proper nouns, and the first word are capitalized in titles. Everything else is lowercase. Just like writing a normal sentence.
• Title case: The first and last words of a title are always capitalized, as well as any nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and pronouns. Other words are sometimes capitalized.
• Proper case: Capitalize the first letter of every word in the title, without exception.

Most style guides recommend either sentence case or title case capitalization.

However, there is some disagreement over whether certain types of words, like conjunctions and prepositions, should be capitalized in title case.

AP style capitalizes prepositions over three letters, for example, whereas Chicago style does not capitalize any prepositions in title case; even longer words like ‘underneath’.

All style guides agree that articles (a, an, the) are lowercase unless they appear as the first word in a title, in which case they are uppercase.

Titles of books, songs, films, plays, and other compositions generally use title case.

How to use capital letters in a quotation

You should capitalize the first word in a quotation if the entire quotation is a full sentence. If the quotation is a fragment, don’t capitalize the first word (unless it is a proper noun).

• The winner proclaimed that he was “overwhelmed with joy”, although his face did not show it.
• The winner proclaimed “This is a monumental day for our team and for our sport.”

We hope this guide has helped you understand what should be capitalized in a sentence, and what should not. When it comes to capitalization rules for English writing, some are quite easy to follow and others are more complicated.

If you have a preferred writing style guide, you can refer to that to check whether capitalization is required in any given context.

You may also find it helpful to use a writing assistant like Grammarly , which checks as you write and highlights any mistakes, including any errant capital letters. The tool will help you understand which words to capitalize and which to leave as lowercase.

Why do we use capital letters?

This is a good question, because it’s one element of the English language that exists solely in writing without affecting speech. We use capital letters mainly because this is how the language has evolved, and it’s what we understand to be the correct way of writing.

There are only a few instances where capitalization makes a difference to the meaning of the word (e.g. God and god), but writing in all uppercase or all lowercase is generally harder to read.

Which words should not be capitalized?

Some words that are often capitalized but should not be include job titles, professions, academic subjects (except languages), company departments, the seasons, and compass directions. None of these words should be capitalized unless they appear as part of a formal name, making them proper nouns.

People also have a tendency to capitalize important-sounding words mid-sentence, perhaps to draw greater attention to them or to make them sound more important than they are.

For example, a resume might read: “I excel at Team-Building, Mentoring, and Personal Development.” – but none of these terms are proper nouns that deserve to be capitalized.

Do capital letters matter in emails?

When typing an email address, it does not matter if you use uppercase or lowercase letters. Email addresses are not case-sensitive, so just be sure to use the correct spelling.

When it comes to writing the email message itself, we advise referring to the rest of this guide for information about when to use a capital letter.

Is capitalization classed as grammar or punctuation?

Capitalization is technically not a part of English punctuation or grammar rules . Instead, it is part of a broader category of English writing mechanics. This also includes spelling and punctuation; all the things that govern the way we write.

What about food names?

That’s a good question! Food names are generally lowercase, but there are some exceptions. For example, brand names should be capitalized (Tabasco sauce, Cheetos) as should any proper nouns (Chilean wine, Mexican salsa).

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Grammar Rules: Capitalization

by Melissa Donovan | Mar 9, 2023 | Grammar Rules | 100 comments

Grammar rules for capitalization.

Proper capitalization is one of the cornerstones of good grammar, yet many people fling capital letters around carelessly.

Not every word deserves to be capitalized. It’s an honor that must be warranted, and in writing, capitalization is reserved only for special words.

Capitalization of Titles

There are several contexts in which we can examine capitalization. When writing a title (of a blog post, for example), almost all the words in the title are capitalized. This is called title case.

Title case is used for titles of books, articles, songs, albums, television shows, magazines, movies…you get the idea.

Capitalization isn’t normally applied to every word in a title. Smaller words, such as a, an, and the are not capitalized. Some writers only capitalize words that are longer than three letters. Others stretch it to four.

There is an exception to the rule of using lowercase for short words in a title: Words that are important should remain capitalized, even if they are shorter than three or four letters. For example, the word  run  is only three letters, but if it appeared in a title, it would be capitalized, because it would be the verb (or action) within the title: “Would You Run for Office?” Similarly, important nouns (subjects of objects of a title), such as  me , would retain capitalization:  Marley and Me .

There’s no fixed grammar rule for which words aren’t capitalized in a title, although they tend to be smaller and less significant words; you should check your style guide for specific guidelines to ensure that your capitalization in consistent.

Capitalization of Acronyms

Every letter in an acronym should be capitalized, regardless of whether the words those letters represent start with capital letters:

• The acronym for Writing Forward would be WF.
• WYSIWYG is an acronym that stands for what you see is what you get . Although the words in the original phrase aren’t capitalized, every letter in the acronym is capitalized.
• Most people use acronyms heavily in text messaging and online messaging. In common usage, these acronyms are rarely capitalized: omg, btw, nsfw . However, if you were using these acronyms in a more formal capacity, they would be entirely capitalized: OMG, BTW, NSFW.

First Word of a Sentence

As I’m sure you know, grammar rules state that the first word in a sentence is always capitalized.

Capitalization of Proper Nouns

To keep things simple here today, we’ll refer to a noun as a person, place, or thing. You need not worry about the other parts of speech because only nouns are eligible for perennial capitalization.

There are two types of nouns that matter in terms of capitalization: proper nouns and common nouns. Proper nouns are the names of specific people, places, and things. Common nouns are all the other, nonspecific people, places, and things.

When considering whether to capitalize, ask whether the noun in question is specific. This will tell you if it’s a proper noun, which should be capitalized, or a common noun, which remains in all lowercase letters.

Proper Noun Capitalization Example

The word country is not specific. It could be any country. Even if you’re talking about the country in which you live, which is a specific country, the word itself could indicate any number of nations. So keep it lowercase because it’s a common noun.

Conversely, Chile is a specific country. You can tell because Chile is the name of a particular land in which people reside. When you discuss the people of that land, you won’t capitalize the word people . However, if you’re talking about Chileans, you definitely capitalize because Chileans are a very specific people, from a very specific country, Chile.

Hopefully that makes sense. If not, keep reading because I’m about to confuse you even more.

Common Capitalization Errors

Folks often think that capitalization should be applied to any word that’s deemed important. Here’s an example:

We sent the Product to the local Market in our last shipment. Have the Sales Force check to see if our Widgets are properly packaged.

It’s not uncommon, especially in business writing, to see nouns that are crucial to a company’s enterprise capitalized. This is technically incorrect but could be considered colloquial usage of a sort. Unless it’s mandated by a company style guide, avoid it.

Here’s correct capitalization of our example:

We sent the product to the local market in our last shipment. Have the sales force check to see if our widgets are properly packaged.

Now, in a rewrite of the example, some of the words will be again capitalized, but only if they are changed to proper nouns (names or titles of things and people).

We sent the Widgetbusters (TM) to WidgetMart in our last shipment. Have Bob, Sales Manager, check to see if our widgets are properly packaged.

What about Capitalization for Job Titles?

Ah, this one’s tricky. Job titles are only capitalized when used as part of a specific person’s title:

• Have you ever met a president?
• Did you vote for president?
• Do you want to become the president?
• Nice to meet you, Mr. President.
• I read a book about President Lincoln.

Again, this has to do with specificity. “The president” or “a president” could be any president, even if in using the phrase, it’s obvious by context who you mean. However “Mr. President” or “President Lincoln” are specific individuals, and they call for capitalization.

Grammar Rules!

Do you have any questions about grammar rules regarding capitalization? Any additional tips to add? Leave a comment!

100 Comments

Hi, I’ve got a question about something I didn’t see directly addressed in your post. I guess it’s pretty much the same thing you discussed in the section on job titles, but applied to places and things.

If I mention a proper noun (e.g. Mount Sinai Hospital, or Economic Stimulus Project), and then refer to it later in the form of a common noun (the hospital, the project), should that be capitalised or not?

Thanks in advance for your guidance on this.

Hi Dan. When you refer to anything as a common noun, you will not capitalize it. This is similar to referring to “the president” versus “President Lincoln” – you only capitalize when it’s used as part of a proper noun.

I have a title Action Learning System, which obviously whenever referred to in the document is all capitalised, however when only part of it is referred to in a sentence do I still capitalise that one word? I.e. Learning or System? Thanks for your help. Jane

Jane, I think it’s okay to capitalize shortened versions of the name of your product, i.e. Learning or System. however, for the purpose of building brand-name recognition, I think it’s best to use the full name, capitalized. Also, once you name it as a system, it would be correct to refer to “the system” or “this system” using lowercase. In many cases, however, particularly in sales and marketing copy, key words are always capitalized. This is usually more a matter of style (choice) than grammar. I would either use the full name or an abbreviation (ALS).

Thanks so much for your speedy reply. It’s such a difficult one, and I don’t think I’ve come across it before, so thanks so much for your help. Definitely a website I’m adding to my Favourites (correct capital???) Jane

Looks like you’re using British spelling (favourites) rather than American (favorites). I think the same rules apply here – you can refer to “favorites” in a general sense or you can refer specifically to the “Favorites” menu on your browser. Personally, I’d go with lowercase, but it’s a style issue, so you get to choose.

Sometimes I have problems with whether to capitalize “the” when it’s ambiguous whether it’s followed by a proper noun or the beginning of a proper noun. For example, “I live in the United States of America” versus “Dwayne Johnson is known as The Rock”. In those two cases, it’s obvious to me whether I should capitalize “the” or not, but in some cases, I am not so sure. I guess it has more to do with whether “the” is included into the pronoun or not than with the actual grammar.

Kelvin, you’ve raised an excellent question, one I’ve wondered about more than once, so I checked The Chicago Manual of Style . It looks to me like you’ve got it right with “the United States of America.” I went through over fifty pages on capitalization and the is never capitalized when it precedes a name or title. For example, we would write: the Army, the Buddha, the Prince of Wales, etc. If you pick up a style guide, you’ll be able to look up specific terms when you run into this question again.

My grammar is terrible. Thank you so much for this post.

You’re welcome!

Hi Melissa,

If writing….

I would like to thank everyone once again for their time.

Should ‘Thank” be capitalized?

I see examples like this in a lot of business writing. The direct answer to your question is no.

Guilty of the first point. I always capitalize every word in a blog post title. Bad habits are easy to fall in to and I guess I should think a little more about it.

Actually, I don’t think it’s technically wrong to do that. From what I’ve read, title capitalization is a style issue, but the convention is definitely toward keeping short words lowercase. Personally, I sort of eye it and go partially on what looks aesthetically pleasing.

Thanks for the article, as I enjoy brushing up on grammar skills. I do have two questions though: Do you capitalize the first letter after a colon? Also, is the subject line of an e-mail considered a title? Thanks for your time.

Good question about the email subject line! In most cases, issues surrounding new media and modern technology haven’t been settled among grammarians. However, I definitely consider an email subject line a title, and I use title case in all subject lines. I also use title case for subheadings in my blog posts.

Here’s what Chicago says about capitalizing after a colon:

“When a colon is used within a sentence…the first word following the colon is lowercased unless it is a proper name. When a colon introduces two or more sentences…or when it introduces a speech in dialogue or an extract…the first word following it is capitalized.”

Basically, if the text that follows the colon is a complete sentence, it gets capitalized.

Hope that helps. You guys are asking some excellent questions about capitalization!

Beautiful walkthrough and examples.

I especially like how you juxtaposed common scenarios and their corresponding traps.

Thanks, J.D.

Wasn’t sure if I had a question, but turns out I do. Although I think you may have somewhat possibly answered it, but I had been curious about certain words in titles, like “the”, “of”, and, well, “and”. I thought in some occasions I saw these words capitalized in their titles (of course not when they are the beginning or end of said title). Some examples I thought would be movie titles such as “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” or “Men in Black”. I would think the “the” in “the Sundance Kid” would be capitalized… just because. And for a long time I debated with myself whether or not “in” in “Men in Black” should be capitalized, since they are also know as MIB. I think within the movie, my question is answered since Kay has business cards that clearly read “MiB” on them. (Men in Black is one of my all-time favorite movies, I know it by heart.) Anyway, I said all that to ask if titling in such a way is proper or is it more of a style?

I managed to escape this on titling my blog posts since I choose to keep the entire title in lowercase. Sometimes I do this because a post might be a line from a song or quote from a movie.

And regarding when to capitalize “president” …I’ve always been confused by that. So thanks for that, I think some of the newspapers I’ve read must have it wrong since I’ve frequently seen “the President did such and things and blah”.

What would it be like to be grammarian? What do their offices look like? How much do they get paid? I’m not really looking for answers to those questions… just some thoughts typed out loud.

For the most part, it’s a style issue (in other words, it will depend on which style guide you use). However, if you’re talking about a title, you capitalize the first word if it’s the or a . For Butch and MIB, I don’t think the and in are capitalized (even with MIB; when you write out the full title, in is lowercase:

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid Men in Black (MIB)

While IMDB is not a grammar resource, it’s a good place to go to see how the industry is treating capitalization. Or just look at the movie poster or DVD cover. I would use that as the official way to capitalize.

Back in the day, many moons ago, I was taught that all the words in a title were capitalised, and then I was taught that only the more ‘important’ ones were but I’m not going to get too hung up on that. My pet peeve is headings not titles. EVERYBODY these days seems to treat headings like titles by capitalising(?) every word, or the main words or, if in doubt, every letter of every word. The question at the end of the rant is; is this trend correct or is it another example of the ignorant perpetuating the mistakes of the ignorant? Or is it an American thing that people elsewhere have just adopted without even being aware of it, the way they do with pronunciation?

I believe this is more of a style than grammar issue. I use the Chicago Manual of Style and within it, the headings are indeed capitalized (some are in all caps). It seems to me that titles and headings are close cousins, so it makes sense to capitalize them.

“As I’m sure you know, the first word in a sentence is always capitalized.”

Suppose some one’s username is “rickety” in lower-case, and you don’t know their real name. Do I write a sentence like this:

“Melissa Donovan is a fine writer. rickety is not so hot.”

Sounds like a silly question but I come across similar examples occasionally.

That’s a good question, Rick. I would say that if one adheres to the rules of proper grammar, a proper noun would be capitalized, whether it’s at the beginning of a sentence or not. Since the name of any person is a proper noun, it should simply be capitalized.

But that’s not much fun, is it? Creative writers have been bending the rules for many years, and that includes how capitalization and proper nouns are treated. Take e.e. cummings, for example. He often depicted his entire name in lowercase letters. I’ve seen some examples in which a publication opted to capitalize Mr. Cummings’ name and others where they leave it lowercase (I’m guessing out of respect). So, my second answer is that it’s up to the publication or editor.

I have a question. Suppose you are writing about sectors that a business is involved in. Such as xyz Investments is involved in diverse sectors such as food and beverages, leisure, transportation and tourism. Would it be capitalised, as technically this is the name of an industry?

Also say a bank provides services such as commercial and private banking, asset management, islamic finance, brokerage, financial market services, leasing and property managemenent. Would this be capitalised? I have seen it written both ways on the web. Technically these are names of services so my gut feeling is to capitalise but am just not sure!

Mel, this deals with business writing, not creative writing. Businesses should use a style guide, either an established one or one that has been created for their industry or company. Generally, the lists you’ve asked about would not be capitalized, but in business writing, the styles are slightly different.

I have the same question regarding business specific services and processes (specifically for the insurance industry). I really appreciate your information that this is a business style issue and not a grammatical one. Where would I be able to find a business style guide? When searching for this I have only come across references such as the MLA handbook.

If the company or industry in question doesn’t have its own style guide, I would suggest using the Chicago Manual of Style . Many other style guides are based on that one. Another option would be the AP style guide, which is widely used in journalism.

Additional Tip: When preceded by “my,” the words “mom” and “dad” are not capitalized. They’re usually only capitalized when used as a substitute for the person’s name; for example, “Hey, Mom.”

Yes, that’s a good point. The words mom and dad can either be used as common nouns (lowercase: my mom, my dad ) or as proper nouns and titles ( Hi Mom, Hi Dad ).

Hello, I’d also like to add that it’s not just all smaller words that aren’t capitalized. It’s the smaller prepositions, the articles (the, an, a), and the conjunctions. But “is” and “be” and “are,” which are quite small, are supposed to be capitalized (though often incorrectly left lowercase) because these words are verbs.

Sorry, I’m an editor; I’m passionate about grammar. :3

Ah, good point. Words that are considered important (like verbs) should be capitalized even if they are short. Thanks for adding that Lauren!

I may have missed it, but how about after a semicolon. Capital or not.

Excellent question, Bill. It is addressed in a post about semicolons: How to Use a Semicolon .

Great article. I”m still left with a question. Do I capitalize the name of fish? Mummichog is the one at the moment. I think not, like cat. I wouldn’t capitalize cat. So pending a different answer from you, I’m not capitalizing it!

We don’t capitalize words like cat or fish (or humans or people for that matter). However, we would capitalize their personal names (Mittens and Bubbles, for example). We don’t capitalize words like tabby or salmon (which are types of cats and fish). However, if a proper noun is included (as in Siamese cat or German shepherd dog), we keep it capitalized. I don’t think you would capitalize mummichog unless it’s also a proper noun or the personal name of a fish (like your name is Catherine).

Do you capitalize the first word after a quote i.g., “I wouldn’t like that very much.” Replied the lovely young lady. And is this the correct use of “i.g.,.

This is actually not a quote; it’s dialogue. When the dialogue tag (he said / she said) comes after the dialogue, we put a comma at the end of the dialogue (not a period) and we do not capitalize the dialogue tag: “That’s interesting,” she said. Here is how your example should look:

“I wouldn’t like that very much,” replied the lovely young lady.

There is no i.g. that I’m aware of but perhaps you mean e.g. It’s a latin abbreviation meaning “for example”.

Questions like yours are always welcome here; I’m more than happy to help if I can. But I also recommend getting a few writing resources so that you can look up questions like these when they arise. I first learned how to format dialogue by simply reading a lot of fiction. Good luck to you!

hi! I was wondering, if I were referring to a large estate that is NOT the White House, and I wanted to say ‘north wing’, would that be capatalized? For example:

While on the tour of the large estate, Gary opened the wooden door and ushered me in. “This is the north wing,” he said.

The rule to remember is that we only capitalize proper nouns, which you can also think of as official names for something. Here, “north wing” is not the official name; rather, it’s a description of a location (within a building). In this context, it would not be capitalized.

If the name of a restaurant is “melvin’s,” and it is not capitalized on it’s sign and menu, etc. Would you capitalize it when you are writing about it?

I think that’s a judgement call and you can go either way. I would probably capitalize it, depending on what I’m writing. With proper nouns like iPad, most people are familiar with the spelling and the construct makes it obvious that’s how it’s spelled. With a word like “melvin’s,” you risk your audience thinking the error is yours. You might also do some research to see if they capitalize their name on other official documents. They may have used lowercase on the sign and menu for style but they may capitalize it on letterhead, business cards, etc. Check the phone book!

That was a great read. My question is about Murphy’s Law. Since it isn’t public law, which are capitalized, should the word law in Murphy’s Law be capitalized?

It doesn’t matter how official or public a proper noun is, we would still capitalize it. If nothing else, Murphy’s Law would probably qualify as a title. Yes, it should definitely be capitalized.

How about capitlaization of coined nicknames? Now, going by your guideline, I’d say yes, because they are standing in for a SPECIFIC person’s proper name.

A husband addresses his wife, “When does the movie start, Sweetheart?”

She replies, “Nine-thirty, Honey.”

But what if it’s off-beat, or even derisive?

“Hey, Big Nose, where are you going?”

“You look wonderful tonight, Baby Lamb Cheeks.”

My wife is a technical writer and editor, and she claims she sees referrals such as “honey” and “sweetheart” BOTH WAYS (capped and not), even when directly addressing the person. I say any directly addressed coined nickname is capped.

“What do you say there, Grammar Sage?”

I have to go with your wife on this one. I have seen it done both ways, and I say it’s the author’s call. I think it depends on your personal style and what you think looks good on the page. Personally, I would use lowercase in most of these instances since they are terms of endearment. However, if one character uses a term of endearment as a nickname for another character, I would capitalize it.

Pass the carrots, honey. <-- a general term of endearment applied to many people. You just keep getting cuter and cuter, Freckles. <-- a special nickname for someone. Hope that helps.

Seems like any time you’re addressing an individual, you would capitalize it because it’s a substitute for their name. Only in instances where you don’t know their name does the more generic lowercase treatment feel appropriate (such as a waitress saying, “Here you go, hon.”) Since endearments like “love”, “honey” and “sugar” are also common words, it’s safest not to compromise clarity. (“Would you pass me that, sugar?”)

Thanks for a great site, Melissa!

Thanks, Gary!

Some really useful things in this blog. I was wondering about the use of capitals to refer to an industry. Would it be mining or Mining? Oil and Gas or oil and gas?

Also, would specific duties or actions in that industry be capitalised? Would it be Payroll or payroll? Would it be Management Accounting or management accounting? Commercial Contracts or commercial contracts? Would they have Commercial focus or commercial focus?

Likewise, if you are talking about a significant project should this be ‘multi billion dollar infrastructure project’ or ‘multi billion dollar Infrastructure Project?’

I assume titles would be in capitals: Accountant and Contracts Specialist. Is this right?

Thank you so much for your help!

The rule is that only proper nouns get capitalized. It gets tricky when we ask whether the name of an industry is considered a proper noun (it’s not). Words like mining and phrases like oil and gas are not capitalized. They are not names but words to label items, just like a desk is a four-legged table that we use as a workspace — mining is an activity wherein we dig for resources and profit.

Specific duties are also not capitalized. If we capitalized words like payroll , we’d have to capitalize every activity under the sun. For example:

My assistant is doing the Payroll. (incorrect) The kids are playing a Game. (incorrect)

However, if the word or phrase is referring to the name of a specific department within a specific company, it would be capitalized:

Send those time cards to Payroll.

Job titles are capitalized but only when used in official or specific context:

I’d like to hire an accountant. (generic) I used to be a Contracts Specialist. (official/specific)

Hope that helps.

Thank you Melissa!

I am writing a novel, and I show my characters thoughts in italics. My question is, do I capitalize the first word of the ‘thought’. For instance, if I write: Sandy thought, (in italics) Was this planned or random? MS Word corrects me if I capitalize it, but I learned somewhere that I was suppose to. Can you clear this up for me?

Yes, I would capitalize it. In fact, I would treat the thoughts just like dialogue, except there would be italics and no quotation marks. I think you’ve got it right. Pay no attention to Word’s poor editing skills.

Sandy thought, Was this planned or random?

You may find that you don’t always need the dialogue tags, however:

Was this planned or random?

That might work in context, if it’s clear which character the focus is on. Good luck with your novel!

I am trying to edit a book written by a friend. Should he use capitals when referring to specific persons by their titles in dialog? For example, “I will help you with that in a moment, Sheriff? or “Robert called you into his office, Agent.”

Are these considered job descriptions? I think they should be capitalized since they refer to a specific person.

In the example you gave, Sheriff would be capitalized. Agent sounds odd to me. Keep in mind, some titles are used when referring directly to someone: Mr. President, Commander, General (most military ranks), etc. However, most job titles are not used in this manner. For example, we wouldn’t say, “Good morning, CEO” or “Do you have that report I requested, Admin?” I believe the title Agent is usually paired with the person’s last name: “Robert called you into his office, Agent Smith.”

Having said all that, in the context you presented, yes, Agent would be capitalized because it’s used in place of the person’s name.

Thank you. The book revolves around a FBI agent, and people refer to him as such. I am glad that I am on the right track.

I am a little confused.When someone communicates casually with a friend and they begin with “i” rather than “I”, they are saying loud and clear they do not know the basics of grammar. This can become the message.

Where do we go from here is the question. The only place I know for sure we will not go is backward. Where do you think it all goes from here?

I love your questions because it sounds like you’re asking what the future will bring. It’s fun to imagine all the possibilities, but there’s no way to know for sure. Back in Shakespeare’s time, I doubt they could have imagined that in a few hundred years, kids would be running around saying “dude” and “wazzup.”

Above the word “folks” is reference, and it got me wondering: Should “folks” be capitalized when used in address form? Example: Which is correct below?

One emails one’s team, which is a specific group of people:

Okay, Folks, send me your time sheets by tomorrow, mid-day.

Okay, folks, send me your time sheets by tomorrow, mid-day.

Granted, the knowledge that I am addressing specific folks, versus folks may may stumble across my edict, may be mine alone, and/or it may also reside with the readers.

Thanks for any advice.

If you use “folks” in the salutation, it would be capitalized:

If you use it within the body, it should not be capitalized:

Okay folks, send me your sheets…

In the second example, it used the same way people or team would be used. These are not proper nouns.

Do you capitalize the word Economy?

Only if it’s a proper noun; usually, it is not. However, if it’s part of a title or name (of a business or organization, for example), then you would capitalize it.

What about club names, ie, pep club, beta club?

A club name is a name, so it is a proper noun and should be capitalized.

When a sentence begins with a word in which the first letter is not normally capitalized, do you capitalize it? I am thinking of words like mRNA, iPhone, cDNA, eBay, etc.

Hi Canton. This is a question of style, so you should check a style guide for a specific answer. One approach is to rewrite the sentence so that it doesn’t start with one of these words. Otherwise, I would say keep the first letter lowercase.

When addressing and guest on an invitation should the “G” be capiatized?

Yes, although it depends on the context. On the outside of the envelope and in the salutation, it should definitely be capitalized.

I am editing a book that discusses a system that was developed by another author. Do I capitalize the steps and the sections in the system? The author capitalized everything, so I just want to double-check.

Sarah, it depends on the style guide that’s being used. Any book that’s headed for publication should go through a professional editor, and that person should either know the proper guidelines or should have the resources at hand to find out.

Maybe I missed the answer in an above post. I am looking for a quick answer.

Why when you are writing a poem in someone’s honor, is the word “for” in lowercase?

Only titles are capitalized, so I assume that’s what you’re referring to. In “title case,” we don’t usually capitalize short, unimportant words such as a , an , the , to , and for , unless one of these words is the first word of the title. The rules are hazy, but most writers and editors have a cutoff of words of either three or four letters. Hope that helps!

What is the proper capitalization of the greeting “Dear, dear Laura”? Thanks so much.

It should be as follows:

Dear, Dear Aunt Laura,

However, it would be better written as follows:

Dear Aunt Laura,

Hope that helps!

Hi Melissa, Lovely informative post. Thanks. In my own short story of three main characters, there are no names. But the woman always refers to her husband as ‘he’ or ‘him’ in her internal dialogue. Once she refers to her unborn son as ‘him’ making a slight confusion in one single place. Is it acceptable to use capitalization for ‘Him’ and ‘He’ for the husband? A friend suggested that might intensify the emotional connection she has with her husband. Thanks.

Writers often take such liberties, but it would not be correct to capitalize he or him . Some style guides capitalize these pronouns when referring to a deity, but there is no other situation in which that would normally be done. I think if you capitalize, the reader is likely to assume it’s referring to a deity rather than the husband or son. Thanks for your question!

Thank you for this article. I am dealing with someone who capitalises the subject of the sentence in her emails. And then she tells me that I should do the same. Ughh.

You might want to point her to a dictionary or style guide. People are certainly free to capitalize whatever they want, and we live in a world where people seem to increasingly think they can just make up their own rules for everything from grammar to word definitions. Sometimes arguing with people is a waste of time, because no amount of proof or evidence will convince them of the facts. Capitalizing the subject of a sentence is, without question, incorrect, unless the subject is also the first word of the sentence or a proper noun.

Would I capitalize nation when referring to the United States? For instance, we are the largest network of our kind in the nation? or We are the largest network of our kind in the Nation?

No, nation is not a proper noun and should not be capitalized. It would only be capitalized if it were included in an official title, like the United Nations.

Melissa, thanks for helping me win a conversation with my boss. We’re tech writers. She insists that because the letters in the acronym are capitalized, the spelled-out version must also be capitalized. I do take exception to your statement that all the letters in an acronym must be caps. Maybe this is just a tech thing, but we have a number of exceptions, such as Internet of Everything (IoE) and Collaboration as a Service (CaaS).

Hi Michael. There are always exceptions when dealing with industry-specific jargon. This would be a style issue, not a grammar matter, and companies (or industries) are free to develop their own style guidelines. Thanks!

Do the words vitamins, supplements and skincare sectors need to be capitalised in this sentence: This division focuses on cutting-edge technology and formulations to ensure optimal results across the Vitamin, Supplements and Skin Care sectors.

Hi Mo. It sounds like you’re doing commercial writing (copywriting), which isn’t the focus here at Writing Forward. You probably need to refer to a style guide, as your question doesn’t deal with the rules but rather the standards in a particular industry. Having said that, I don’t think the products in your sentence should be capitalized.

Hi dear Ms Melissa Donovan,

I am stumped with why the author didn’t capitalize both words ‘principle’ and ‘salesman’ in the following statement: “In the showroom John McCormack is the Principal salesman with three expert salespeople working under him.”

Because they are not proper nouns. Principal should not be capitalized.

Hello dear Ms. Melissa,

Firstly, while translating ‘salesman’ on Google Translation, I found this example below in which ‘Principle’ is capitalized. That is the reason I am asking you why it is so, and ‘salesman’ is not. “In the showroom John McCormack is the Principal salesman with three expert salespeople working under him.”

Secondly, IMHO, I think If someone is the main carpenter on a specific project (with other carpenters following his orders), he would be called “Head Carpenter”, “Lead Carpenter” or “Chief Carpenter”, “Principle Carpenter”, “Main Carpenter” or even “Senior Carpenter”.

So, if someone is the main salesman on a specific project(with other salespeople following his orders), he would be called “Head Salesman”, “lead Salesman”, “Chief Salesman”, “Principle Salesman”, “Main Salesman” or even “Senior Salesman”. If you were describing his job, you would say “He’s a lead carpenter/lead salesman/principle carpenter/principle salesman . . .” or just “I’m a carpenter/salesman and I’m in charge of _____ project.”

So, I think ‘Principle Salesperson’ is considered here as Job title revealing both the job level(“principle’ is a modifier as a noun, in bold) and the job responsibility. So, “Principle Salesman” should come in the job title category entitled “Job title revealing both the job level and the job responsibility” which must be capitalized. As a result, it must be capitalized as in ““In the showroom John McCormack is the Principal salesman with three expert salespeople working under him.”

Finally: IMHO, I think “Head/Chief/Lead/Principle/Main/Senior” can modify any job titles in a trade or academia. So, the following examples come in this category “Job title revealing both the job level and the job responsibility” and must be capitalized: Head(Chief/Lead/Principle/Main/Senior) Builder/ Carpenter/Goldsmith/Chef/ Salesman/Prison Officer/ Engineer/Accountant/ Electrical Superintendent,Marketing Manager a Professor a Head Professor/The Head Professor of Computer Science Department. a Assistant Professor a Teaching Assistant

Job titles are only capitalized when used as part of someone’s name. The best example of this is as follows (using “president” as an example of a job title):

Have you seen the president? I am the president. We’ve asked President Smith for advice. Are you listening, Madame President?

As you can see, it’s only capitalized when used as part of someone’s name. That’s why you would see Professor Jones capitalized but “I spoke to the professor” not capitalized.

Having said that, many industries and businesses have their own style guidelines, and it’s not uncommon to see job titles capitalized. Most people assume these words should be capitalized, and so they get capitalized.

In the general rules of grammar, we’d follow the “president” guidelines that I laid out above. The simple fact is that job titles are not proper nouns and only proper nouns get capitalized. However, anyone is free to develop their own style guidelines, and many businesses and industries have done just that. But be mindful that if you capitalize “John is the Principal Salesman,” you would also have to capitalize “Jane is the Salesperson” and “Joe is the Custodian.” If you cap one job title, then they should all be capped.

Hi dear Ms Melissa,

Do you think that “presiden”, “professor”, and “head”) shouldn’t be capitalized even in the following since they are not part of a person’s name(They are not preceding a person’s name to whom they are titled) Trump is the current President of the USA. He is the existing President of Yemen. I am the Professor of Computer Science Department. I am the Head of Computer Science Department.

If yes, they shouldn’t be capitalized, then could I conclude that job titles should only be capitalized if they come before a person’s name?

But, on the free The Free Dictionary(an American online dictionary) forum that, I was told by a native English speaker member the following: Some guidelines. A proper post title (which I would capitalise) would often (not always) be one which can be preceded by “the”. A job description would more likely have ‘a’ – but not always.

I’m a security guard. (“security guard” is just ‘what I do”) I am (the) Security Guard at the National Museum. (“Security Guard” is my post title)

Very often, it’s just that you choose. If you want to mention your post title, you say “I am the Professor of the Computer Sciences Department.” If you don’t, you might just say “I am a professor”, if you consider it to be your job. Or you might want to state your personal title – “I am a Professor” or “I am Professor Jones.”

Which means that member capitalizes the job titles if he he want to mention his post title although the job title are not part of a person’s name.

At this point, we’re going in circles. No, those words should not be capitalized. Yes, titles are only capitalized when used as proper nouns (as part of someone’s name). In some industries and companies, style guidelines are established with variants on these rules and standards. It’s not necessarily “wrong” to capitalize some of the terms you’re asking about.

“A native English speaker” is not necessarily an expert, and I would not recommend taking random grammar advice from strangers without first establishing their credibility.

I would strongly suggest picking up a book on English grammar. You should decide if you want to use American or British English, as there are some significant differences (we use American English here at Writing Forward). One of my favorite resources is Grammar Girl, which has a book, a podcast, and a website packed with good information. In fact, you can probably search there to find more answers to these questions on capitalization. She is an authority on these matters.

Also, I recommend using Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary, as it is standard among professional writers and editors. Good luck to you!

Why do we not capitalize names of gases such as hydrogen, helium, etc…? Why are they not considered proper?

Common nouns are generic labels. I am a person (generic, lowercase, common noun), and my name is Melissa (capitalized, proper noun). There’s a tendency to think of “names” as proper nouns, but even though almost everything is named–not everything is a proper noun. For more information, I’d recommend starting at the Wikipedia entry for proper noun .

So, in this sentence is it correct to capitalize all of the job titles? Director of Child Development, Coordinator of Preschool Programs, Preschool Program supervisors, and the financial Analyst.

If these are official titles, then based on the limited context, it looks almost correct, except “supervisors” and “financial” should also be capitalized.

I am a teacher in a Child Development Center. There is some debate about what is the proper way to label shelves for toys. For instance, should a shelf with puzzles be labeled with or without a capital P? Some say that only Legos or Magnatiles should be capitalized because they are brand name toys. Do labels follow the same rules of capitalization as titles?

I’m not aware of any capitalization rules for labeling, although all-lowercase on a label would strike me as odd, and I think it would *look* incorrect. I would probably go with all caps as my first choice and treating them as titles (capping the first letters) as my second choice. If you’re still not sure, check a style guide. Chicago Manual of Style might address this.

When editing a manuscript of a book, and the author capitalizes certain words relative to God, such as Love, Physical World, Absolute Reality, etc., should those always be capitalized throughout the entire manuscript as well? Logic dictates context, but this is mostly a philosophical book, so I take those referenced words to be proper nouns associated with the subject of the sentence. That said, not all references to the word “love” are capitalized. Shouldn’t they be?

It’s not correct to capitalize love , physical world , or absolute reality , as these are not proper nouns. It’s possible that the text you’re referencing used these words as names, so they were functioning as proper nouns. However, we often see capitalization handled differently in religious or spiritual texts. Ultimately, it’s a decision that authors and editors make, so it becomes a style issue rather than a grammar matter.

Thanks for this helpful post. I would like to know whether to capitalize the names of committees and policies in an official document such as an annual report. Would the specific names of the committees and policies be capitalized or not at all? The organization I work for tends to overcapitalize everything.

It’s not uncommon in a business setting for people to capitalize incorrectly or loosely. There’s a tendency to capitalize any word deemed important rather than words that are truly proper nouns. However, organizations often have their own style guidelines, which is perfectly acceptable. Whether committees and policies should be capitalized really depends on the context. For example, the word president is only capitalized when used as a title:

The president is speaking. (not capitalized because its a regular noun)

There is a recording of President Roosevelt speaking. (capitalized because it’s a title and therefore a proper noun)

I recommend finding out if your organization has a style guide and if not, consider using one.

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Capital Letters: A Usage Guide

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When and how to use capital letters can be a thorny problem. It may be acceptable to drop capital letters when writing casually to friends but if you are writing anything more formal then you need to use capital letters correctly.

This page lists the rules, and provides examples of when to use (and when not to use) capital letters in English writing.

Capital Letters Were Always The Best Way Of Dealing With Things You Didn't Have A Good Answer To

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To Start a Sentence

There are no exceptions to this rule.

This means that, after a full stop, you always use a capital letter.

If the previous sentence ends with a question mark or exclamation mark, you should also use a capital letter, ? and !, like full stops, indicate the end of a sentence. However if in the sentence you have a clause in parenthesis (brackets) or sequence separated by dashes, and if these end with a question mark or exclamation mark, you should continue with lower case after the second bracket or dash.

Is it always necessary to use capitals to start a sentence? The answer is definitely yes.

She told herself – was it acceptable to talk to oneself? – that the answer was obvious.

The use of a capital after a colon (:) varies depending on whether you are writing in British or US English, just as the spelling of 'capitalisation' and 'capitalization' are different in British and US English.

You should use a capital letter after a colon with US spelling but not with UK spelling.

In titles, capitalise only the important words, not minor words such as ‘and’ and ‘but’.

‘ Title Case ’, with all the important words capitalised, is rather out of fashion at the moment. Most academic journals and standard referencing systems, for instance, prefer what is known as ‘sentence case’, with a single initial capital.

However, it’s good to understand the rules, in case you are required to use title case at any point.

Using the title of this article as an example:

Sentence case: “When to use capital letters”

Title case: “When to Use Capital Letters”

In title case, in this example, ‘Use’, although small, is an important word in the title, and should therefore be capitalised. ‘To’, however, is not important and therefore not capitalised.

For Proper Nouns

Proper nouns name something specific, for example, Jane, John, Oxford University, Denver, Qantas, Microsoft, Everest, Sahara. See our pages on Grammar for more information.

Proper nouns (nearly) always start with a capital letter. There are exceptions to this rule and in marketing sometimes lower-case characters are purposefully used for some proper nouns. Examples include iPhone, eBay and oneworld Alliance. However, in most cases, proper nouns start with a capital letter.

Caution is needed however, even when you are referring to a specific place or thing. If you use the more general noun rather than the proper noun, this should not be capitalised.

Further examples:

“I went to the University of Oxford today.”

“I went to Oxford today and had a look at the university.”

Capitalising is correct in both sentences. In the first the proper noun 'University of Oxford' is used.

In the second sentence, the more general noun ‘university’ is used and so it is not capitalised.

The word 'I' is not a proper noun , it's a pronoun. In English 'I' is always capitalised. In many other languages the equivalent word is not capitalised.

Acronyms generally work like title case: you capitalise the important words, and not ‘and’, ‘of’, ‘for’ and so on.

The easiest way to work this out is to write out the full title, and then you can see which words don’t need to be capitalised.

To make this clear, here are some examples:

Contractions

For contractions, capitalise the initial letters of words, but not subsequent letters within the same word.

Contractions are like acronyms, but also include one or more letters from within the same word. Examples of this include HiFi, which is short for ‘High Fidelity’, and SciFi, short for science fiction.

The way to deal with these is to write out the phrase and have a look. Although the words that are abbreviated may not be capitalised, as in ‘science fiction’, the abbreviation always contains capitals for the start of each new word to make the word boundaries and pronunciation clear. We frequently use SkillsYouNeed, contracting the spaces but making the phrase easier to read.

Many people wrongly assume that Wi-Fi is a contraction of Wireless Fidelity. In fact the word Wi-Fi is an entirely made up word - a marketing invention and does not stand for anything. It is, however, officially written as Wi-Fi.

Overusing Capitals is Rude

WRITING ENTIRELY IN BLOCK CAPITALS IS SHOUTING, and it’s rude.

We’ve all done it: left the Caps Lock on while typing. But in email etiquette , online chats and/or forum posts, writing in capitals is the online equivalent of shouting. It’s rude, so best not to do it unless you really do want to shout at someone. Even then, consider whether you’d really do it if that person was in front of you, and also whether it will get you anywhere.

Although it’s usually best to avoid writing in capitals, it can be useful to write odd words in capitals to give them emphasis. HELP! You're going to LOVE the surprise.

It’s also much harder to read block capitals as all the letters are the same height, so you will make your point much more easily if you use lower case.

Sometimes, especially when completing a handwritten form, BLOCK CAPITALS are preferred since this can make data entry or automatic computer recognition of handwriting easier and more accurate.

Some Computer Specifics

Email addresses ([email protected]) and domain names (skillsyouneed.com) never include capital letters. Most computer applications will correct capital letters in email address or domain names to lower-case.

Web addresses, URLs, can however be case sensitive - although usual convention is to use only lower case letters.

It is usually a good idea to use both upper and lower case characters in computer passwords as this makes them more secure. Passwords are usually case sensitive so they need to be exactly right, hence paSSword is different to pAsswoRd. It is a good idea to use numbers and special characters in passwords to make them even more secure, for example - p@55w0r|].

One Final Word of Advice

Following these rules will generally help you to work out when to use capital letters.

If, however, you are still in doubt, Google the exact phrase, including capitals, and see what comes up. Although some of what you find may be wrong, you can see the general consensus and that will probably be acceptable.

Continue to: Common Mistakes in Writing Grammar

See also: Writing a CV or Resume Formal and Informal Writing How to Write a Letter

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• Writing Tips

What Should I Capitalise? A Guide for the Confused

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• 17th November 2012

At Proofed , a common problem we see in writing is incorrect or inconsistent capitalisation. As such, to help you avoid errors, we have put together this quick guide to when (and when not) to capitalise words in your writing.

What to Capitalise

As well as the first letter of the first word in a sentence, make sure to capitalise proper nouns in your work. These words name a unique person or thing. As such, words you will typically need to capitalise in your writing include:

• People’s names (e.g. Florence, David, Musa, Fatima)
• Roles or titles used alongside a name (e.g. ‘Queen Elizabeth II’ or ‘Professor Davies’, since these are specific people, but ‘a queen of England’ and ‘a professor of neuroscience’)
• Names of places, cities, towns, locations, and the people/languages from them (e.g. America, Chicago, Italy, Italian)
• Organisations, companies, institutions, etc. (e.g. Catholicism)
• Products and brand names (e.g. Colgate, but not ‘toothpaste’)
• Special dates and periods (e.g. Christmas Eve, the Bronze Age)
• Key historical events (e.g. World War II, the Boston Tea Party)
• Names of laws and official documents (e.g. the Bill of Rights)
• Certain religious terms (e.g. the Lord, Allah, the Holy Trinity, God)
• Names of ships or aircraft (e.g. the Enola Gay , HMS Ark Royal)

In addition, it is common to capitalise certain words in titles and subtitles. This will depend on the style of title used, but you should always capitalise the first letters of titles, subtitles, and proper nouns. Many style guides also recommend citing ‘major words’ (e.g. nouns, verbs, pronouns) and using lower case for other terms (e.g. prepositions and articles). For more on capitalising titles, see our post on the topic .

When No Capitalisation Is Required

As a rule, with common nouns (i.e. all nouns other than proper nouns), you won’t need to capitalise a word unless it appears at the start of a sentence.

Common errors in this respect include capitalising:

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• Names of seasons (e.g. spring, summer, autumn, winter)
• Academic subject names (e.g. chemistry, maths)
• Job roles when not used in a title (e.g. chief executive)

These are all common nouns, so do not usually start with a capital letter.

You should also take care when using more than one proper noun in a sentence. In these cases, you may need to drop a capital letter from a shared term. For example, you would say ‘Lake Tahoe and Lake Huron’. But this would change to ‘lakes Tahoe and Huron’ if you grouped them together because ‘lakes’ becomes generic.

You can capitalise other terms and phrases in some cases, but you must apply your judgement to determine whether or not this is necessary.  Regardless, the style adopted must be applied consistently throughout your work.

If you are worried about any aspect of your essay  or dissertation , including the referencing, grammar, or how to present it on the page, why not send it to the experts ? We will even proofread a 500-word sample for free, so you can see what a big difference our service can make to your academic writing!

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Guidelines for Using Capital Letters

Rules for Capitalization in English

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• Writing Essays
• Writing Research Papers
• English Grammar
• Ph.D., Rhetoric and English, University of Georgia
• M.A., Modern English and American Literature, University of Leicester
• B.A., English, State University of New York

The basic guidelines for using capital letters in English appear simple enough:

• Capitalize the first word in a sentence .
• Capitalize the pronoun .
• Capitalize proper nouns and most adjectives formed from proper nouns.

But things become tricky once we get down to the details. That's when even the most exhaustive style guides (such as the AP Stylebook and The Chicago Manual of Style ) occasionally disagree.

In addition, there may be regional disagreements. As Pam Peters has observed, "British writers and editors are more inclined to use capital letters where Americans would dispense with them" ( The Cambridge Guide to English Usage ).

So don't regard these "rules" as the final word. If your organization has a house-style guide, stay in house. And if you run across a word or phrase not covered by these guidelines, consult a dictionary.

One final note: in these guidelines capitalize means to use upper case for the first letter of a word.

The First Word in a Sentence

Capitalize the first word in a sentence.

• Y our mother is in here with us, Karras. W ould you like to leave a message?  (Linda Blair as Regan in  The Exorcist , 1973)
• Likewise, capitalize the first word of a quotation if it's a complete sentence: Jorge said, " T he game is over." But don't capitalize the first word if the quotation is not a complete sentence: Jorge said that the game was "all but over" by the seventh inning.

Pronouns and Names of People or Characters

Capitalize the pronoun I .

• I 'm sorry, but I don't want to be an emperor.  (Charlie Chaplin in  The Great Dictator , 1940)

Capitalize the names and nicknames of particular persons and characters.

• E lvis, G inny W easley, my sister V icki, F lorence N ightingale, B arack O bama, the S impson family, the P ritchetts, S tefani J oanne A ngelina G ermanotta
• As a general rule, also capitalize the names of cultural movements, schools, and styles if those names are derived from proper nouns: A ristotelian, R eaganomics .

Titles (of People)

Capitalize titles that come before the names of particular persons and characters.

• M ayor Augustus Maywho, D octor Sanjay Gupta, P rofessor Minerva McGonagall, L ady Bracknell, Q ueen Elizabeth II, P resident Obama, C aptain Jack Sparrow, A unt Bee
• Although the titles of business executives aren't usually capitalized ( the chairman of BP ), in-house publications may choose to use capitals. In most cases, don't capitalize a title that appears after a name ( Bill de Blasio, mayor of New York City ) or that stands alone ( a doctor, the mayor ).

Specific Place Names

Capitalize the names of specific places (planets, countries, counties, cities, seas, streets, and so on), both real and fictional.

• M ars, C anberra, L ondon, M onroe C ounty, Y orkshire, the M idwest, C anada, the O hio R iver, N arnia, R osecrans A venue, K nighton R oad, the village of L ittle W hinging, C hicago's S outh S ide, the E nglish M idlands, the T win C ities (for M inneapolis– S aint P aul)
• Capitalize common nouns — such as road, river, and republic — only when they're part of the full name of a place. Don't capitalize these common nouns when they stand alone in follow-up references. Also, when two or more geographical names are linked in a single expression, the usual practice is to put the generic part of the names in lower case : the Atlantic and Pacific oceans . As a general rule, capitalize regions ( the E astern S hore, the L eft B ank, the W est E nd ), but don't capitalize compass points ( north, southeast ) if they simply indicate direction or location. Don't capitalize sun and moon .

Nationalities, Languages, Ethnic Groups, and Religions

Capitalize the names of particular nationalities, languages, ethnic groups, and religions.

• F ilipino people, A frican- A merican, a native N ewfoundlander, the W elsh language, N a'vi, J udaism, B uddhism, Q uantum P resbyterians
• Don't capitalize the names of academic subjects ( algebra, art, history ) unless they are languages ( E nglish, S panish, F rench ) or part of a department name ( D epartment of L anguages and L iterature ). As a general rule, don't capitalize the names of religious services and rites ( baptism, bar mitzvah ).

Deities and Holy Books

Capitalize the names of deities and holy books.

• G od, K rishna, A llah, J ehovah, the Q ur'an, the B ible
• Also capitalize the names of books of the Bible: G enesis, P salms .

Businesses, Schools, Organizations

Capitalize the names of particular businesses, buildings, schools, and organizations. G oogle, G eneral M otors, W estminster A bbey, T rump W orld T ower, B eauxbatons A cademy of M agic, the S alvation A rmy, O xfam I nternational, the G irl S couts, the L eague of W omen V oters Likewise, capitalize the official names of rooms and offices: the O val O ffice, the S ituation R oom .

Government Agencies

Capitalize the formal names of government units, agencies, and divisions .

• W hite H ouse, H ouse of R epresentatives, H ouse of C ommons, S upreme C ourt, D epartment of E ducation, G eorgia D epartment of N atural R esources

Acts, Treaties, and Government Programs

Capitalize the formal names of acts, treaties, and government programs.

• D eclaration of I ndependence, the A ct of U nion, the M arshall P lan, the T reaty of V ersailles

Military and Police Units

Capitalize the official titles of armies, navies, and other military and police units.

• A rmy N ational G uard, the R oyal A ustralian A ir F orce, the A rmed F orces of the P hilippines, the R oyal C anadian M ounted P olice

Wars and Battles

Capitalize the names of wars and major battles.

• S econd W orld W ar, S panish C ivil W ar, the N orman C onquest, the G ulf W ar

Historical Periods and Events

Capitalize the names of particular historical periods, events, and documents.

• VE D ay, the G reat ​ D epression, the T roubles (Northern Ireland), the M iddle A ges, M agna C arta, the T reaty of V ersailles
• However, names of events that occurred at different times in different places are generally not capitalized: the recession, gold rush, secession movements .

Brand Names

Capitalize legally protected brand names and trademarks.

• X box 360, K it K at, C oca C ola, A didas, R ange R over, K leenex, C adbury F ingers
• The obvious exceptions are trademarks that begin with a lowercase letter: eBay, iPhone, iPad . Also, don't capitalize a brand name that has been transformed into a common noun through popular usage: aspirin, thermos, escalator . (For further guidance on this last point, see generification and genericide .)

Months, Days, Holidays

Capitalize the names of days, months, holidays, and special days of observation.

• W ednesday, J une, C hristmas, V eterans D ay (U.S.), A nzac​ D ay (Australia and New Zealand), M other's D ay , B oxing D ay (Britain and Canada)
• But don't capitalize the seasons: winter, spring, summer, fall ( autumn ).

Book and Movie Titles

Capitalize the principal words in the titles and subtitles of books, movies, plays, magazines, journals, TV shows, video games, musical compositions, and pieces of art.

• W ar and P eace, T he S ixty- S econd M otivator, A vatar, A M idsummer N ight's D ream, E ntertainment W eekly, J ournal of O rganic C hemistry, A rrested D evelopment, G rand T heft A uto IV, R hapsody in B lue, T he S tarry N ight
• If a title contains words joined by a hyphen , both words are usually capitalized. Articles , conjunctions , and short prepositions are usually not capitalized unless they begin the title. For more specific guidelines (with examples of both sentence case and title case ), see Which Words in a Title Should Be Capitalized?

Capitalize the names of awards, prizes, and scholarships.

• R otary Y outh L eadership A wards, the N obel P rizes, the A cademy A ward (and the O scar), N ational M erit S cholarship

Capitalize each letter in an acronym or initialism.

• NATO , CNN , BBC , NAACP , TV , LA (or L . A . ), FEMA , DVD , AWOL

For exceptions, check your favorite style guide or dictionary.

Test Your Knowledge

• Practice in Using Capital Letters: An Editing Exercise
• All About Capitalization
• Free Printables Offer Students Practice With Capital Letters
• 36 Common Prefixes in English
• Using Sentence Case for Titles, Headings, and Headlines
• A Short Guide to Capitalization
• When to Use Uppercase or Capital Letters
• What Are Common Nouns?
• Italian Capitalization Rules
• Unraveling the Mystery of Capitalizing French Titles
• 10 Tips for Using Abbreviations Correctly
• Capitalization in German
• German Verbs with Prepositions 1 - German Lesson
• Capitalization Rules
• Which Words in a Title Should Be Capitalized?
• Lowercase Letters Explained
• Understanding the Types of Nouns in English Grammar

• NAU Editorial Style Guide
• Abbreviations and acronyms

Capitalization

• Diversity Writing Style Guide
• Inclusive writing
• Numbers and Dates
• Punctuation
• Writing tips
• Writing about Flagstaff and Northern Arizona University
• Treatment of titles
• Non Discrimination Statement
• Contact Information

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General rules, academic and administrative titles, academic degrees, academic departments, building and room names, course titles, government references, regional references, semesters and sessions, scholarships and fellowships, sentence vs. title case for titles and headings, student classification.

• Capitalize only when necessary. The more words you capitalize, the more you complicate your text.
• College of Arts and Letters
• Comptroller’s Office
• Office of the President
• The W. A. Franke School of Business (always include The and W. A. has a space between letters)
• Northern Arizona University offers courses in a variety of disciplines through the Grand Canyon Semester.
• The university partners with Grand Canyon National Park to offer courses in the field.
• financial aid office
• the college
• liberal arts
• San Francisco and Beaver streets
• Gabaldon and Raymond halls
• lakes Powell and Mead
• Headings should always be in sentence case with limited exceptions where approved by University Marketing.
• official : NAU Homecoming
• unofficial : homecoming
• official : Dean’s Office
• unofficial : the office
• official : Native American Cultural Center
• unofficial : the center

See our word list for institutional standards, dictionary exceptions, and guidance on specific words not listed here.

• Professor Ana Yazzie
• Ana Yazzie, professor of communication
• a diligent professor, Ana Yazzie
• Northern Arizona University President José Luis Cruz Rivera
• José Luis Cruz Rivera, president of Northern Arizona University
• José Luis Cruz Rivera became president in 2021
• Exception: Capitalize titles that follow names in formal contexts, such as lists in the front areas of reports and books (see rule 6).
• Capitalize named chairs or professorships that include the academic title and titles such as Distinguished Professor .
• Use lowercase for terms denoting roles, such as nurse, coach, citizen, or historian, when they precede a name.
• Veronica Begay, Master of Arts
• Tara Jackson, Bachelor of Science
• Martin Rodriguez, BA
• Silke Solies, MS
• William Wallace Covington, PhD, Regents’ Professor
• Charles C. Avery, Professor Emeritus
• Dewey Cheatham, Esq.

Note : Never use the plural or plural possessive—bachelors’, masters’—in reference to degree names.

NAU degrees

Always capitalize when writing about NAU degrees, even if it’s not the entire formal title. Search for the formal degree name in the catalog and capitalize accordingly. For alumni, just capitalize their degree as told.

Formal : she graduated with a BS in Forestry Informal : BA in Literature

Other institutions

This rule does NOT apply when writing informally about academic degrees from other institutions:

bachelor of science Jeff earned a bachelor of science degree.

bachelor’s degree Julie earned a bachelor’s degree in communications.

master’s degree The university offers a master’s degree in biology.

doctoral degree Sandra has a doctoral degree in chemistry.

• Capitalize full, formal department names: Department of Geology, School of Forestry, Politics and International Affairs, History Department.
• Arizona Board of Regents
• the board, the regents
• Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra
• the symphony, the orchestra
• Center for Environmental Sciences and Education
• Gabaldon Hall (Building 58)
• research center
• Grand Canyon Room
• The meeting will be held in Performing and Fine Arts, room 210.
• Cline Library, Room 304

Official names of academic courses are capitalized. Search the catalog for the correct course title.

• Adrian is enrolled in Mass Communication and Human Behavior.

Do not capitalize federal, state, or city unless part of an official name:

• city of Flagstaff
• state of Arizona
• federal government
• Federal Communications Commission

Use the capital letters. Add s to indicate plurals. To avoid confusion with the word as , use the apostrophe to designate the plural of the letter grade A:

A’s, Bs, Cs, etc.

Capitalize recognized geographical regions of the country but not general directions:

Ellen, who grew up in the East, moved west after she visited Arizona. The West Coast is beautiful. Our campus is in northern Arizona.

Use lowercase for seasons and derivatives unless they begin a sentence or are part of a formal name:

spring, summer, autumn, winter wintertime, springtime 2006 Winter Olympics

• Cowden Microbiology Scholarship
• Arizona Broadcasters Association Scholarship
• broadcasters scholarship
• Cowden grant

Do not capitalize the common names of semesters, terms, or academic sessions:

fall semester summer session registration orientation

Use sentence case for all marketing materials, including headings and email subject lines. Sentence case capitalizes the first letter of the first word and proper nouns in a title—just like in a regular sentence.

Title case uses capital letters for the principal words. Articles, conjunctions, and prepositions do not get capital letters unless they start the title. Use title case for reports and documents only—not in marketing materials or email subject lines.

<!–

UPDATE: Previous best practice required title case in email subject lines. This practice has been amended for consistency and in accordance with updated spam filtering information.

Sentence case examples

NAU: The world looks different from here Earn an NAU degree right where you are

Title case examples

NAU: The World Looks Different From Here Earn an NAU Degree Right Where You Are

Do not capitalize:

freshman sophomore junior senior

Note: “undergrad” and “grad” can be used only in web menus and other cases of extreme space limitations. In all other cases, it should be spelled out as “undergraduate” and “graduate.”

Menus: sentence case Headers: sentence case Buttons: sentence case Menus: Main menu headings should be capitalized following sentence case rules. Menu subheads should be capitalized following sentence case rules unless the subhead is a continuation of the above heading.

The Editor’s Manual

Free learning resource on English grammar, punctuation, usage, and style.

• Capitalization

Are Royal Titles Capitalized?

Capitalize words like king , queen , prince , duke , and duchess when used before a name or as part of a title.

• King Charles III is the son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip , Duke of Edinburgh .
• How do you address the Duchess of Sussex ?

Capitalize such words even when they appear after a name if used as part of a title rather than descriptively.

• Prince George is the eldest child of William, Prince of Wales, and Catherine, Princess of Wales.
• Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, is Prince William’s brother.

Don’t capitalize them when they stand alone or are used as common nouns.

• He was a king among men.
• Is he a royal duke ?

References to a specific person may also be capitalized. Specifically, in British usage, titles of royalty (but not necessarily nobility) are always capitalized.

• The Duke has refused to comment.

Capitalize forms of address like your majesty , but lowercase sir , ma’am , my lord , etc.

• Would you like some tea, Your Majesty ?
• Yes, my lord .

Royal and noble titles

Royal titles are those held by royalty, or the families of sovereigns. Nobility are the aristocratic class. In Britain, the royal family includes the family of the sovereign. Dukes, marquesses (or marquises), earls, viscounts, and barons comprise the nobility, and life peers are those whose titles are not inherited nor passed down after their lifetimes.

• The longest reigning monarch in British history is Queen Elizabeth II .
• Her son is King Charles III .
• Her husband was the Duke of Edinburgh .
• This castle belonged to the Earl of Northampton .

British nobles are often referred to by the appellations Lord and Lady (but note that complex traditions exist around who can be referred to by which title and how royals and nobles are addressed).

• This castle belonged to Lord Northampton .
• We met Lady Susan at the fundraiser.

When to capitalize

Capitalize words like queen , prince , duke , duchess , and earl when they form part of a name or title or are used before a name.

• The only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip is Princess Anne .
• Their youngest son is Prince Edward , Earl of Wessex .
• Prince Charles first met Lady Diana in 1977.
• After her marriage, Lady Diana became the Princess of Wales .
• King Charles III was the longest-serving heir apparent in British history.
• Prince William is now the Prince of Wales and also the Duke of Cambridge .
• In 1936, King Edward VIII abdicated the throne to marry the woman he loved.
• My friend’s father is the Marquess of Hertford .
• The last viceroy of India was Lord Mountbatten .
• The first female prime minister of the United Kingdom was Baroness Margaret Thatcher .
• This school was established in 1909 by the Maharaja of Sundarpur .
• Maya is reading a book on Raja Vikramaditya .
• The assassination of Archduke Ferdinand in 1914 is thought to be the immediate cause of World War I.
• The last emperor of Russia was Tsar Nicholas II .

Omit the article the if a title follows a name.

• Prince William, the Prince of Wales , is first in line to the British throne.
• Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex , is an American member of the British royal family.

But if a title is used standalone, not as part of a name, use the as appropriate.

• The Prince of Wales is first in line to the British throne.
• She became the Duchess of Sussex when she married Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex .

Sometimes, a title may also be capitalized to refer to a specific person.

• No, I’ve never met the King . a specific king—the King of England, for example

In formal writing , however, lowercasing is preferred when titles are used as common nouns instead of as names.

• Both the duke and the duchess sat through the entire performance. but The Duke and Duchess of Sussex sat through the entire performance.

When not to capitalize

In general, don’t capitalize titles of royalty and nobility when they stand alone and are not part of a title or name.

• Meghan Markle became a duchess when she married the Duke of Sussex. In this sentence, lowercase the word duchess , used as a common noun, but capitalize duke , which is part of a name.
• He was born a prince and later became a gardener.
• She is the daughter of an earl .
• As an accountant, he might be rich, but as a duke , he is poor.
• He was made baron in 1923 and died the same year.
• The maharajas of the two kingdoms have signed a treaty.
• The tsars of Russia had absolute authority.

Note that in British usage, titles of royalty (but not necessarily nobility) are capitalized even when not used as part of a name.

• The Duke has crashed his car. a royal duke
• The duke has bought a yacht. a regular duke, not a royal one

Royal family : Is it capitalized?

Avoid capitalizing common nouns like family even when referring to a specific family—for example, the British royal family. Here are some examples from published content that show the term “royal family” lowercased.

• It’s worth noting that the royal family is entitled to income from the duchies, but not the underlying capital. — “Dissecting the royal family’s wealth,” New York Times (September 12, 2022)
• Tensions persist inside the royal family , underscored by the decision of Harry and his wife, Meghan, to step away from their royal duties. — “After a lifetime of preparation, Charles takes the throne,” AP News (September 9, 2022)
• The royal family , including King Charles III, will attend a service at the cathedral. — “Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral procession arrives in Edinburgh,” ABC News (September 12, 2022)
• Not until 1967 were they invited to participate in an official public ceremony with other members of the royal family . — “Britannica’s coverage of past British royal weddings,” Encyclopedia Britannica (Accessed September 13, 2022)

In British usage, the term “royal family” is capitalized in some styles when referring to the British royal family. The BBC , for instance, capitalizes the term (thus treating it as a proper noun), but the Guardian and Economist lowercase it, in line with other publications around the world.

• It was the first time the members of the Royal Family had been seen together in public since the Queen’s death on Thursday. — “ Royal Family meet well-wishers at Balmoral,” BBC News (September 11, 2022)
• Members of the royal family were given spontaneous applause at the gate to Balmoral Castle after stopping to talk to well-wishers and inspect the deep mound of flowers lying at the wall. — “Members of the royal family inspect floral tributes at Balmoral,” Guardian (September 10, 2022)
• The royal family’s wealth comes from a complex variety of sources: taxpayers, estates (known as duchies) and other privately held assets. — “What King Charles could mean for royal finances,” Economist (September 10, 2022)

Forms of address: Your majesty , your lordship , my lord

Capitalize forms of address and honorifics, such as your majesty , your highness , and your lordship , used to address royals and nobles.

• More tea, Your Majesty ?
• Of course, Your Royal Highness .
• Thank you, Your Grace .
• Here are the stamps, Your Lordship .

Such forms of respectful address are capitalized even when used to refer to someone in the third person .

• I’m making tea biscuits for Her Majesty .
• Will His Grace the Duke of Norfolk be making an appearance?
• They say that Her Royal Highness was greatly affected by the children’s plight.
• Has Her Ladyship arrived?

Royals and nobles are also addressed respectfully as sir , ma’am , miss , my lord , and my lady . Such forms of address are generally lowercased. This is a matter of style rather than grammar: it is not wrong to capitalize, but lowercasing is more common.

• Would that be all, sir ?
• Would you like a biscuit, ma’am ?
• Thank you, my lord .
• Of course, my lady .

But always capitalize forms of address like my lord in salutations —for example, at the start of an email.

• Dear Madam ,

Capitalizing the in royal titles

In general, don’t capitalize the article the when it precedes a royal or noble title in running text, but capitalize it when addressing a person (e.g., on an envelope).

• How many tiaras does the Queen have?
• She is the daughter of the Prince of Wales .
• When did you interview the Duchess of Sussex ?
• HM The King on an envelope
• His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales in an address
• HRH The Prince of Wales

The word the is generally not capitalized in titles. But note that capitalization is a matter of style and can differ across publications. For example, on the official website of the British royal family, many words and phrases, like royal family , palace , and the word the before a title, are capitalized. In formal writing, such words are generally lowercased. In news copy, they may be capitalized or lowercased, depending on the publication’s house style . As an editor , respect the writer’s preference.

Other titles

Other official and social titles, including civil , military , religious , and professional , are also generally capitalized only when used before a name or to address a person, but lowercased otherwise.

• Anita has published a paper on the rise of President Trump .
• Our squad was led by Captain Cook .
• We met Bishop Campbell in church on Sunday.
• Poco was hired by Director Patel .
• Joe Biden became president in 2021.
• My sister is a captain in the Army .
• Both bishops attended the ceremony.
• The CEOs and directors are all here for the conference.

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Capitalize titles that appear before a name.

Capitalize words like king and prince when they form part of a title.

Lowercase words like king , queen , and duke when used as common nouns.

In formal writing, royal and other official titles are generally lowercased when used standalone (and not before a name or as part of a title).

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All About Cursive Lettering And How It Can Help Your Writing Skills

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Do you use cursive lettering in your daily life or creative projects? Or do you want to learn how? This once-common form of writing lost popularity, but it’s gaining attraction again, thanks to the explosion of script-style digital fonts. Here’s everything you need to know about cursive letters and a few of my top picks for digital cursive lettering styles. 

If you are interested in hand lettering or calligraphy , cursive lettering probably looks familiar to you. 

Some people may associate cursive letters with writing from the 19th and early 20th centuries when that was a common form of communication (think: actual letters in the mail!). Or you might remember your mom’s (or grandmother’s!) beautiful cursive writing. 

Maybe you were even lucky enough to learn it in school (before around 2010) when teaching letters in cursive was still part of the curriculum. Or perhaps you are simply familiar with cursive because you gravitate toward beautiful script fonts .

No matter how cursive fits into your life (or how you want to pull it into your life), it’s important to note that many people mistakenly use the terms cursive, script, calligraphy, and hand lettering interchangeably.

Calligraphy, hand lettering , and cursive have many similarities, but they are all distinct lettering forms (or writing). If you love beautiful lettering, it’s essential to know the differences between these three forms. 

Cursive vs. Other Forms Of Lettering

Before we dive into cursive lettering and its many uses and benefits, let’s first take a moment to eliminate any confusion by clarifying the distinctions between the different forms of lettering.

What is cursive? Are cursive and calligraphy the same thing? These are common questions that people ask because there’s some confusion around the similarities and differences of cursive vs. calligraphy and other lettering forms.

Are they simply different terms to mean the same thing? Not at all. The most important difference involves the process used to produce the lettering and basically comes down to writing vs. drawing. 

Here’s a quick breakdown of each style:

Cursive is a form of writing because you use a single stroke to create each letter (except for crossing letters like “t”). In other words, all you need is one fluid motion to form each letterform.

What’s more, cursive lettering styles involve connecting letters to one another to form a group or a word.

Calligraphy

Calligraphy is another form of writing because you form each letter with one stroke. However, calligraphy necessitates using special pens or brushes to achieve variation in stroke thickness that isn’t a part of cursive lettering. 

In calligraphy, you may connect letters in a word with each other (called script calligraphy). Or you can keep them separated, depending on the style of calligraphy you wish to use.

Hand Lettering

Hand lettering , on the other hand, involves drawing each letter with the use of several strokes rather than writing one fluid stroke. With hand lettering, you start with a basic letterform and build it up with additional strokes to create letters that may look similar to calligraphy. 

The letterforms can also connect to create a script style (see why these terms get confusing?), but the method for forming each letter is different.

The term ‘script’ typically applies to anything that looks handwritten in a similar style to cursive or script calligraphy. 

There are three main families of letter styles: serif, sans serif, and script. So script refers to the overall writing family, and cursive is a member of the script family.

Although the word can refer to handwritten styles, people also use the term for handwritten-looking digital fonts.

What is cursive lettering?

Now that we got those letterform distinctions out of the way, let’s explore cursive a little deeper. Since cursive isn’t taught in schools anymore, I want to break down further how cursive differs from other forms of writing or lettering.

Qualities of writing letters in cursive include:

• Writing letters that connect to form words.
• Using a monoline tool: pencil or pen (instead of a brush pen).
• Applying equal pressure to each stroke (downstrokes aren’t necessarily thicker than upstrokes).
• Faster letter formation for quicker writing.
• Legibility – the purpose of cursive is efficiency rather than art.

A Quick Cursive Lettering History Lesson

No, we’re not going all the way back to caves or stone tablets. 😉

We’ll pick up this history lesson at the time when scribes used ink and quills because that’s when writing began to make some significant changes.

As scribes were translating texts and recording history and other essential items, they found it faster and easier to join the letters together. Plus, it was less tiring due to lifting the pen less frequently, which also helped reduce splattering ink and damaged quills.

Over time, there have been several dominant (or preferred) cursive lettering styles, and today many people classify cursive into two basic techniques:

• Casual cursive – this style highlights joined letters and pen lifts to create a combination writing style. Some letters are connected in a word, while others aren’t.
• Formal cursive – this style uses one flowing stroke to join words together with pen lifts occurring only between words.

Lettering Cursive Benefits

For centuries, people have believed in and experienced the benefits of letters in cursive. Even schools taught young students how to write cursive letters.

Sadly, since around 2010, most elementary schools don’t teach children those skills anymore. Kids loved learning to decipher all the loops in order to figure out what was written on the page!  

There are many benefits to learning cursive lettering. For example, cursive:

• Provides terrific pencil control practice.
• Helps you improve your handwriting .
• Makes writing quicker, so you can get your thoughts on paper faster.
• Speeds up the flow of ideas.
• Results in fewer mistakes on the paper.

Cursive Lettering: Tools Needed

As with lettering (and different from calligraphy), you don’t need any expensive or fancy tools to get started. All you need to get started are a pen that feels comfy in your hand and some paper. 

Depending on your comfort level, you may prefer using plain copy paper or lined paper (like you find in notebooks or journals). Either works very well!

As far as pens and pencils go, I recommend finding one that feels good in your hand. When you’re comfortable, your cursive will look amazing.

Lettering Guidelines

For the most part, cursive lettering is pretty basic to allow for quick and legible thought flow. However, everyone should know a few terms to understand the guidelines for creating cursive letterforms.

• X-height – this is the height that most lowercase letters reach (ex: x, c, a, s, etc.)
• Baseline – this is the lower line where all letters “rest.”
• Ascender – this refers to the top line where tall lowercase letters that rise above the x-height touch. An example would be the upper stem in the letter “d” extending higher than most lowercase letters.
• Descender – this refers to the line below the baseline where the tails of some lowercase letters touch. An example would be the tail of “y.”

Whew! Now we can cover some guidelines for writing letters in cursive. Most styles of cursive lettering use these guidelines, but some capital letters may vary slightly.

• All letters rest on the baseline.
• All similar letters should be the same height.
• Letters slant slightly toward the right side of the paper.
• Letter body shapes form an oval instead of a circle.
• Capital letters shouldn’t be higher than the ascenders of lowercase letters.
• Letters form a pattern of ovals and parallel downstrokes.

How To Practice Cursive Lettering

Like most things, it’s easier to learn how to write letters in cursive as a child than as an adult. However, if you didn’t learn cursive lettering in school, don’t worry. Developing skills for lettering cursive isn’t a “can’t teach old dogs new tricks” situation! 

You can learn cursive lettering, but it’ll just take a little more practice! These suggestions may help make the process easier.

Hold The Pencil Correctly

This part might seem the hardest and take the longest to master. However, it will also make the most significant difference in your letterforms.

Grip the pencil (or pen) in your hand between your thumb and index finger so that it rests on your middle finger. As you write, your grip should be loose to avoid hand muscle fatigue and stiff lettering.

Position The Paper Properly

Many people tend to hold their paper straight or lean it in the opposite direction than they want it to. Correct paper positioning makes writing more manageable and ensures legible letters.

Right-handed writers should tilt their paper slightly to the left so that the top right corner lines up above the bottom left corner. Both of those corners, in turn, line up with the writer’s nose.

Left-handed writers should simply flip these instructions by tilting their papers to their right so that the corners line up to their noses.

Do Exercises

Because cursive lettering uses continuous, steady strokes, writers will benefit from practicing movement exercises such as connecting ovals or curves. This will help build the muscle control necessary to form steady and beautiful lettering.

Practice Letterforms

The only way to get better is to practice! Once you feel comfortable with the movement exercises, begin learning how to form letters. Then work on how to connect them.

Expect progress to be slow-going right at first. But once you get a little experience under your belt, you’ll quickly make new advances in form and speed!

Tips To Help Improve Cursive Lettering

Here are a couple of helpful tips to make the learning process easier.

1. Start By Learning The Lowercase Letters

In general, lowercase letters are easier to form. They also tend to be more uniform across lettering styles, so I recommend learning them first.

Begin by learning the letters that have only one simple stroke (“c” and “o”) before moving on to letters that have more complex strokes (like “h”).

2. Move On To Learning Capital Letters

Once you’ve gotten comfortable with the lowercase letters, begin learning the uppercase forms. Start by learning “C,” “E,” “L,” and “O” before proceeding on to other letters.

3. Don’t Be Afraid To Trace Letters

If you need a little extra help at first, that’s okay! Feel free to trace letters in cursive until you feel comfortable enough to try them independently. 

You can find some great free cursive worksheets at Surya’s Cursive . Not only do the sheets have the letterforms, but they also have arrows directing you in the direction to move your pen.

Handwritten Cursive Lettering Styles

There have been many different cursive writing styles over the past 300-400 years! However, here are the types that you’d most likely be familiar with (since they’ve been used in the last 100 years and taught in school). 

Palmer Method Of Cursive Lettering

Austin Palmer developed a simplified version of the previously popular ornate Spencerian Script. The Palmer style of cursive experienced a boom in popularity from the late nineteenth century to the early twentieth century as a script used in business. 

You can still find it being taught today for various business writing needs.

Zaner-Bloser Cursive Writing

This style (another simplified Spencerian Script) became popular starting in the late nineteenth century after the Palmer Method’s popularity began to wane. It features letters that slant to the right and have distinctive tails and hooks. 

Thanks to its popularity, it was a mandatory part of classroom curriculums for many years and was commonly used in business communications. 

There is a manuscript form in the Zaner-Bloser style, but it differs significantly from the cursive styling.

D’Nealian Cursive Lettering

Derived from the Palmer Method, D’Nealian handwriting was developed in the 1970s as a way to teach children just learning to write a style of printing (manuscript) that would more easily transition to learning cursive. 

The manuscript style matches the cursive letterforms more closely than the Zaner-Bloser cursive matches the Zaner-Bloser manuscript style.

New American Cursive

This simple, uncluttered-looking style lacks many loops and flourishes that you’ll find in other styles of cursive lettering. It was designed (in the last couple of decades) to be easy enough for young children to learn lettering cursive first instead of learning manuscript printing first.

The letters slant a little to the right to make it less tiring for beginners and easier for left-handed writers.

Digital Cursive Lettering Fonts

Now with the dawn of the age of digital learning, the focus has shifted away somewhat from developing new handwritten cursive lettering styles to developing digital scripts.

Here are a few lovely styles that you can use in all your digital projects:

1. Allura  

This font is both casual and beautiful. Its stylized letterforms are easily readable and have connecting letterforms for a highly versatile font that’s perfect for any and all projects.

2. Hummingbird  

Many fonts that use swooshes and loops can be challenging to decipher. Here’s a digital cursive lettering font that uses swooshes and loops in its letterforms, but it’s still easy to read. It has a vintage vibe that feels like a throwback to old-fashioned cursive writing.

3.  Smoothy Script

Smoothy is a 2 font family with a mono weight cursive script and a complementary subtly rounded sans-serif. Based on my most popular hand lettered style, give your work that stylish hand rendered look, with no effort. Works great applied to logos, prints, quotes, magazine headers, clothing… actually most applications!

4. Lavender Script

This style takes full advantage of flourishes and swooshes! It’s a versatile font that can be used in a relaxed setting just as well as it can appear on invitations and other formal uses. The letterforms are nicely spaced and have a slight tilt to the right.

5. Style Script

This font manages to transform a retro-looking script from the mid-twentieth century into a modern and stylish cursive font. Its upright letterforms give it a look that makes it stand out against many other script font offerings.

Final Thoughts About Cursive Lettering

I hope this post has been able to shed some light on lettering cursive as well as the differences between cursive and other lettering styles for you! If you never learned cursive in school, I highly recommend giving it a try. It’s a skill that has benefits that will help you improve your other lettering skills.

Whether you are writing cursive letters by hand or using script fonts, cursive lettering will add style and character to your projects. Happy lettering!

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Cursive Letters

Learning all of the letters of the alphabet in cursive

Home » Cursive A

Lowercase Letters

Capital letters.

• Uppercase A
• Lowercase a

Welcome! You’re likely at this webpage because you’re curious as to how to write a cursive capital A. If that is the case, you’re in luck because that’s exactly why we created this page. It’s important to note that there are many different forms of cursive that range from basic to ornate. That’s one of the beautiful aspects of cursive writing and cursive letters. They can be written quite expressively so that once you master the basics of cursive, you can make it your own. While there are many different types of cursive fonts, on this page we’ll be concentrating on D’Nealian cursive which is often taught in elementary schools.

How to Write a Cursive Capital “A”

The good news is that the cursive capital A is one of the easier capital letters to write in cursive. While there are still a few things you need to look out for when writing a capital A in cursive and mistakes to avoid, you should get the hang of writing this cursive letter with just a bit of practice. It should be especially easy to learn if you already know how to write a lower case cursive “a” since they are quite similar.

Now that you have seen the proper way to write a cursive capital A, you can spend a little time practicing. There are two ways you can go about doing this. The first is to watch the video above again and write the capital cursive A along with the video. The second option is to print out the cursive capital A worksheet below and practice your cursive letter writing with that.

We’re quite happy that you have taken an interest in learning how to write in cursive and how to master the capital letter A. We hope that you have found both the video and the worksheet helpful in your quest to master this cursive letter. We’re always looking for opportunities to better teach how to write cursive, so if you have any ideas or suggestions on how we could make this process easier, we’d love to hear from you. Feel free to contact us with any thoughts on how we can improve this page and make it better for all.

Frequently Asked Questions

The best way to learn to write cursive letters is to watch a video and then use a worksheet to follow along until you master the letter being taught. A video showing how to write a cursive capital A and a downloadable worksheet to practice are both available on this page.

No, there are actually many different ways to write a cursive capital A with none being more correct than the other.

For the purpose of teaching how to write cursive letters on this page, we use D’Nealian cursive which is a common cursive taught in elementary schools in the US when kids are first learning to write cursive letters.

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