Capitalization

Capitalization means using a capital letter (for example, A instead of a). The use of capital letters helps readers read your writing without confusion.

Always capitalize the following:

The first word in a sentence.

• I grew up in India.
• She left a message on my phone.

The pronoun I.

• This country is where I dreamed of.

The first letter of a proper noun (specific name).

• Jonh wants to play soccer with us.
• This letter is from Chang.
• I graduated from the University of New York.
• I like Coca-Cola.

The first letter of months, days, and holidays (but not seasons).

• Today is June 8, 2011.
• Susie’s birthday is this Thursday.
• The shops are closed on Easter.
• This summer is going to be very hot.

The first letter of nationalities, religions, races of people, and languages.

• We often eat Italian food.
• I want to master many languages, such as Spanish, Korean, Chinese, and Russian.
• There is one Christian church in my town.

The first letter in a person’s title.

• This is Dr. Simon.
• I got it from Mr. Tom.

Geographic areas: cities, states, countries, mountains, oceans, rivers, etc.

• My destination is Paris, France.
• Hawaii is in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

Historical periods.

• The Renaissance began in the 14th century.
• The Qing Dynasty is the last dynasty in China.

The first letter of each major word in the title of a book, movie, article, etc.

• Tolstoy’s War and Peace is my favorite novel.
• I found the article “How to Write a Good Cover Letter” in this magazine.