Understand and Address Errors in Spelling, Capitalization, and Punctuation

Identify Common Errors in Standard Capitalization

• Capitalize the first word of every sentence, even a quotation within a sentence.

  Example: The president said, "I will try to gain consensus and report to you the next meeting."

• Capitalize proper nouns such as names and titles of people.

  Example: President Obama, Madonna, The Grateful Dead, George Clooney.

• Capitalize proper nouns such as regions of the country.

  Example: The South, Northeast, Western New York.

• Capitalize proper nouns such as names of places, holidays, specific dates.

  Example: Georgia, New Year's Day, Epcot Center, the Romantic Period.

• Capitalize countries, races, and languages.

  Example: Japanese, English, Caucasian, Mexico.

• Capitalize names of businesses and organizations.

  Example: Central Baptist Church, Times Square Shopping Center, Islam, Massachusetts Teachers Association.

• Capitalize names of college courses if they are specific; do not capitalize if they are general names of classes.

  Example: sociology, Sociology 2450, Biology 1130, French, physical education.

• Capitalize the first letter of each word in titles of books, poems, songs; do not capitalize an article or preposition unless it is the first word of the title.

  Example: "The Song of the South," King Lear, Fiddler on the Roof.