When Should I Use Capitalization?

Proper capitalization is important. Never overlook these basic rules of capitalization:

Capitalize:

1. The first word of a sentence
2. The pronoun “I” and all its contractions (I’m, I’ll, I’ve,I’d)
3. All proper nouns
4. The first word of a quote (“Please, give me advice.”)
5. A title or rank preceding a person’s name (Dr. Glenn Faust, Engr. Bradford)
6. A person’s title inside a quotation or dialogue. (“Have a great trip, Sir!”)
7. Compass points when referring to a specific region. (“My friend lives in the South.”)
8. All words included in titles of books, songs, movies, and other art works
9. Names of clubs and organizations
10. Historical events
11. Names of languages

Do not capitalize:

• Names of seasons (winter, spring .summer, fall)
• Directions when not referring to a specific region (The sun sets in the west.)
• Names of elements (carbon, oxygen, helium, etc.)