Capitalization

Capitalization

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http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0001601.html

Capitalize the following:

• Proper nouns and adjectives derived from proper nouns:

Marie Curie	China, Chinese
Smokey Robinson	Darwin, Darwinian

But vocabulary words derived from proper nouns are generally lowercase:

china cups	plaster of paris
french fries	vienna sausage

• The names of geographic divisions, regions, and localities and topographical features such as rivers, lakes, and mountains:

North Pole	Gulf States
Middle East	Atlantic Ocean
Southern Hemisphere	Rocky Mountains
the North	Lake Tahoe
Lower East Side	Erie Canal

 Do not capitalize directions: She lives 10 miles north of Boston.

• The names of nationalities, ethnic groups, tribes, and languages:

Spanish	Bantu
Asian American	Creole

• Titles when preceding a name:

President Lincoln	Aunt Mary
Queen Victoria	Doctor Johnson
Senator Kennedy	Professor Davies

Do not capitalize such terms elsewhere: a biography of the queen; the senator's speech; my aunt, Mary Wilson; the president's fundraising efforts; the residence of the vice president.

• Epithets: Ivan the Terrible; Lincoln is known as the Great Emancipator.
• The names of political and judicial bodies, social organizations, councils, and departments:

U.S. Senate	Rotary Club
Democratic Party	United Negro College Fund
State Department	U.S. Supreme Court

• The names for periods, events, and documents of historical importance:

Middle Ages	Constitution
Renaissance	Treaty of Versailles
Battle of Waterloo	Magna Carta

• The names for streets, buildings, and monuments:

Fifth Avenue	World Trade Center
Broadway	Statue of Liberty

• The names for the supreme deity and sacred works:

God, the Father Almighty	Bible
Yahweh	Talmud
Allah	Qu'ran

• 
  

  • The names for religious denominations and their members:
  
  

  • Buddhism, Buddhists
  
  

  • Catholicism, Catholics
  
  

  • Judaism, Jews
  
  

  • Methodist Church, Methodists 
  
  

  • Society of Friends, Quakers
• The days of the week, months of the year, holidays, and holy days:

Thursday	Labor Day
December	Passover

• 
  

  • The pronoun I: 
  
  

  • I told her I didn't want to go.
• 
  

  • The first word in the salutation and complimentary close of a letter: 
  
  

  • My dear Carol…
  
  

  • Very truly yours…
• 
  

  • The first word of a sentence: 
  
  

  • Are you hungry? Lunch will be served soon.
• 
  

  • The first word of a direct quotation, except when the quotation is split: 
  
  

  • I asked, “Do you really like bats?” 
  
  

  • “Yes,” said Holly, “they're so cute.”
• 
  

  • The first word and all the key words in the title of a literary or other artistic work: 
  
  

  • The Bluest Eye (novel)
  
  

  • A Streetcar Named Desire (play)
  
  

  • “The Road Not Taken” (poem)
  
  

  • Starry Night (painting)
  
  

  • “Only the Lonely” (song)
• 
  

  • The names of ships, aircraft, and space vehicles: 
  
  

  • USS Maine
  
  

  • The Spirit of St. Louis
  
  

  • space shuttle Challenger
• The names of constellations, planets, and stars:

Milky Way	Saturn
the asteroid Juno	Little Dipper

• The names of geologic eras, periods, epochs, and names of prehistoric divisions:

Paleozoic Era	Pleistocene
Quaternary Period	Stone Age

• 
  

  • The genus but not the species name in binomial nomenclature:
  
  

  • Canis familiaris (dog) 
  
  

  • Malus pumila (apple tree)

Capitalize the following:

• Proper nouns and adjectives derived from proper nouns:

Marie Curie	China, Chinese
Smokey Robinson	Darwin, Darwinian

But vocabulary words derived from proper nouns are generally lowercase:

china cups	plaster of paris
french fries	vienna sausage

• The names of geographic divisions, regions, and localities and topographical features such as rivers, lakes, and mountains:

North Pole	Gulf States
Middle East	Atlantic Ocean
Southern Hemisphere	Rocky Mountains
the North	Lake Tahoe
Lower East Side	Erie Canal

 Do not capitalize directions: She lives 10 miles north of Boston.

• The names of nationalities, ethnic groups, tribes, and languages:

Spanish	Bantu
Asian American	Creole

• Titles when preceding a name:

President Lincoln	Aunt Mary
Queen Victoria	Doctor Johnson
Senator Kennedy	Professor Davies

Do not capitalize such terms elsewhere: a biography of the queen; the senator's speech; my aunt, Mary Wilson; the president's fundraising efforts; the residence of the vice president.

• Epithets: Ivan the Terrible; Lincoln is known as the Great Emancipator.
• The names of political and judicial bodies, social organizations, councils, and departments:

U.S. Senate	Rotary Club
Democratic Party	United Negro College Fund
State Department	U.S. Supreme Court

• The names for periods, events, and documents of historical importance:

Middle Ages	Constitution
Renaissance	Treaty of Versailles
Battle of Waterloo	Magna Carta

• The names for streets, buildings, and monuments:

Fifth Avenue	World Trade Center
Broadway	Statue of Liberty

• The names for the supreme deity and sacred works:

God, the Father Almighty	Bible
Yahweh	Talmud
Allah	Qu'ran

• The names for religious denominations and their members:
  Buddhism, Buddhists
  Catholicism, Catholics
  Judaism, Jews
  Methodist Church, Methodists 
  Society of Friends, Quakers
• The days of the week, months of the year, holidays, and holy days:

Thursday	Labor Day
December	Passover

• The pronoun I: 
  I told her I didn't want to go.
• The first word in the salutation and complimentary close of a letter: 
  My dear Carol…
  Very truly yours…
• The first word of a sentence: 
  Are you hungry? Lunch will be served soon.
• The first word of a direct quotation, except when the quotation is split: 
  I asked, “Do you really like bats?” 
  “Yes,” said Holly, “they're so cute.”
• The first word and all the key words in the title of a literary or other artistic work: 
  The Bluest Eye (novel)
  A Streetcar Named Desire (play)
  “The Road Not Taken” (poem)
  Starry Night (painting)
  “Only the Lonely” (song)
• The names of ships, aircraft, and space vehicles: 
  USS Maine
  The Spirit of St. Louis
  space shuttle Challenger
• The names of constellations, planets, and stars:

Milky Way	Saturn
the asteroid Juno	Little Dipper

• The names of geologic eras, periods, epochs, and names of prehistoric divisions:

Paleozoic Era	Pleistocene
Quaternary Period	Stone Age

• The genus but not the species name in binomial nomenclature:
  Canis familiaris (dog) 
  Malus pumila (apple tree)