Rule 1. Capitalize the first word of a
quoted sentence.
Examples: He said, "Treat her as you
would your own daughter."
"Look out!" she screamed.
"You almost ran into my child."
Rule 2.
Capitalize a proper noun.
Example: Golden Gate Bridge
Rule 3. Capitalize a person's title when it
precedes the name. Do not capitalize when the title is acting as a description
following the name.
Examples: Chairperson Petrov
Ms. Petrov, the chairperson of the company, will address us at
noon.
Rule 4. Capitalize the person's title when
it follows the name on the address or signature line.
Example: Sincerely,
Ms. Haines, Chairperson
Rule 5. Capitalize the titles of
high-ranking government officials when used with or before their names. Do not
capitalize the civil title if it is used instead of the name.
Examples: The president will address Congress.
All senators are expected to attend.
The governors, lieutenant governors, and attorneys general called for a
special task force.
Governor Fortinbrass, Lieutenant Governor Poppins, Attorney General
Dalloway, and Senators James and Twain will attend.
Rule 6. Capitalize any title when used as a
direct address.
Example: Will you take my temperature, Doctor?
Rule 7. Capitalize points of the compass
only when they refer to specific regions.
Examples: We have had three relatives visit from the South.
Go south three blocks and then turn left.
We live in the southeast section of town.
Southeast is just an adjective here
describing section, so it should not be capitalized.
Rule 8. Always capitalize the first and
last words of titles of publications regardless of their parts of speech.
Capitalize other words within titles, including the short verb forms Is, Are,
and Be.
Exception: Do not capitalize little words within titles such as a, an,
the, but, as, if, and, or, nor, or prepositions, regardless of their length.
Examples: The Day of the Jackal
What Color Is Your Parachute?
A
Tale of Two Cities
Rule 9. Capitalize federal or state when
used as part of an official agency name or in government documents where these
terms represent an official name. If they are being used as general terms, you
may use lowercase letters.
Examples: The state has evidence to the contrary.
That is a federal offense.
The State Board of Equalization collects sales taxes.
We will visit three states during our summer vacation.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has been subject to much scrutiny
and criticism lately.
Her business must comply with all county, state, and federal laws.
Rule 10. You may capitalize words such as
department, bureau, and office if you have prepared your text in the following
way:
Example: The Bureau of Land Management (Bureau) has some jurisdiction
over Indian lands. The Bureau is finding its administrative role to be
challenging.
Rule 11. Do not capitalize names of
seasons.
Example: I love autumn colors and spring flowers.
Rule 12. Capitalize the first word of a
salutation and the first word of a complimentary close.
Examples: Dear Ms. Mohamed:
My dear Mr. Sanchez:
Very truly yours,
Rule 13. Capitalize words derived from
proper nouns.
Example: I must take English and math.
English is capitalized because it comes
from the proper noun England,
but math does not come from mathland.
Rule 14. Capitalize the names of specific
course titles.
Example: I must take history and Algebra 2.
Rule 15. After a sentence ending with a
colon, do not capitalize the first word if it begins a list.
Example: These are my favorite foods: chocolate cake, spaghetti, and
artichokes.
Rule 16. Do not capitalize when only one
sentence follows a sentence ending with a colon.
Example: I love Jane Smiley's writing: her book, A Thousand Acres, was
beautiful.
Rule 17. Capitalize when two or more
sentences follow a sentence ending with a colon.
Example: I love Jane Smiley's writing: Her book, A Thousand Acres, was
beautiful. Also, Moo was clever.
