Capitalization 

Overview

Capitalization means using uppercase (big) letters in the right places to show importance, mark beginnings, and identify specific names or titles. Using capitals correctly helps your writing look polished and professional.

Beginning of sentences

Always capitalize the first word of every sentence.

• Example: The concert starts at 8 p.m.

The pronoun “I”

No matter where it appears, the pronoun “I” is always capitalized.

Example: My friends and I love to play basketball.

Proper nouns

Capitalize names of specific people, places, organizations, and brands.

• Example: Emma is traveling to Paris to visit the Eiffel Tower.

Days, months, and holidays

Capitalize days of the week, months of the year, and holidays, but not seasons unless part of a title.

• Example: Thanksgiving is in November, but winter break starts in December.

Titles of people

Capitalize titles when they come before a person’s name, but not when used generally.

Example: We listened to Governor Brown speak.

Example: Brown is the governor of California.

Titles of works

Capitalize the first word, the last word, and all major words in book, movie, or article titles. Small words (like a, an, the, of, in) stay lowercase unless they begin or end the title.

• Example: My favorite book is The Great Gatsby.

The first word in quotations

Capitalize the first word in a direct quotation if it’s a complete sentence.

• Example: She said, “Let’s go to the park after school.”

Acronyms and initials

Capitalize all the letters in acronyms and the initials of names.

• Example: NASA scientists worked with the U.S. Army.

Summary

Use capitalization for sentence beginnings, the pronoun “I,” proper nouns, days, months, holidays, and titles of works and people. Remember to also capitalize acronyms, initials, and the first word in quotations when they form complete sentences. Correct capitalization makes writing clearer, more professional, and easier to read.