112 Mechanics
Capital Letters
Most of the things we capitalize in English are what we call proper nouns. They are the names of specific, unique people and things. Everything else is a common noun.
The Three Big Capitalization Rules:
1. Specific names: If you are talking about one specific mountain (Mt. Fuji), state (Idaho) or street (Atlantic Ave.) or whatever, use a capital letter for every word in the name.
2. General words. When you talk about mountains, states, or streets in a general way, don’t use a capital letter.
3. Small words. Capitals are not used for articles (a, an, the) or prepositions (of, on, for, in, to, with, etc.).
The Common FAQs about Capitalization:
1. Job Titles: Capitalize only when you address a person by his or her position as though it were part of their name.
a. Correct: Abraham Lincoln was president of the US in 1864.
b. Correct: We discussed President Lincoln in history class today.
2. Regions: When you refer to New England, the Midwest, the Pacific Northwest or the South as an area name, capitalize it. If you mean it as a direction, don’t.
a. Correct: Drive south on Highway 287 for four miles.
b. Correct: I have lived in the South since 2006.
3. Titles: Titles are capitalized, but not every word—just the major ones. Small words like articles (the, a, an) and prepositions (on, under, with) generally do not get capitalized, but there are some exceptions. The first letter of a work of art is always capitalized even if it’s an article, preposition or conjunction.
a. Correct: Of Mice and Men
b. Correct: The Lion King.
- More on capitalization:
First word of a quoted sentence
He said, “Treat her as you would your own daughter.”
In letters, capitalize the word of the salutation and closing
Dear Ms. Mohamed:
My dear Mr. Sanchez,
Yours truly,
Do not capitalize:
Names of seasons (winter, fall, summer, spring)
Common nouns (cat, dog, house, city, park)
Spelling
Recommendations for better spelling: Ten Tips for Better Spelling-OER
Titles of Works
Punctuating Title Names
1) Italics: In print, titles of longer works are italicized, or printed in italics. In handwritten papers, underlining is used to set off the words in some kinds of titles. The following items are italicized.
· books, plays, book length poems
· newspapers, magazines, pamphlets
· movies and television series
· paintings, sculptures, CD titles, ballets, operas, musicals
· ships, aircraft, and space craft
2) Quotation marks: Use quotation marks to enclose the titles of shorter works. The following items get quotation marks.
· short stories
· essays
· short poems
· songs, articles
· chapters of books
· television episodes
3) Capitalization. Capitalize the letter of the first word, the last word, and all important words in a title regardless of the style used by the source.
