What is capitalization in English | Rules, and examples of capitalization
written by Adeel AbbasCapitalization letters are employed to emphasize particular words, namely proper nouns and adjectives.
The difficulty in this principle lies in determining when a noun or adjective is proper, and when a noun or adjective is common.
Rules of Capitalization
It would be difficult, if not impossible, to list here an exhaustive set of rules to cover every instance. The following rules, however, will be round helpful in so far as they do apply to problems in capitalization met daily.
1: Capitalize the first word
(a) of a sentence
(b) of a direct quotation
(c) of a line of poetry
(d) of a formally introduced series of items or phrases following a colon.
- The room was uncomfortably warm.
- Turning quickly she said, “Please go now.”
- Then I felt like some watcher of the skies,
- When a new planet swims into his ken:
- Or like stout Cortez when with eagle eyes.
- He stared at the Pacific —- and all his men
- Looked at each other with wild surmises—-
- Silent, upon a peak in Darien.
- The analysis revealed the following: Carbon, six parts; hydrogen, twelve parts; oxygen, six parts.
- The first word of a fragmentary quotation is not capitalized.
- The first word following a colon is not capitalized if that which follows merely expands, qualifies, or clarifies the sense of that which precedes the colon.
- Intelligence cannot be acquired or increased: it is native.
- History shows that wars settle nothing: they merely unsettle things.
2: Capitalize the interjection O, but none of the other interjections.
- O powerful western fallen star!
- O shades of night —- O moody, tearful night!
- O great star disappeared —- O the black murk that hides the star.
- O cruel hands that hold me powerless —- O helpless soul of me!
- O harsh surrounding cloud that will not free my soul.
3: Capitalize all proper nouns.
| Pakistan | Akbar |
| China | Shahid |
| America | Adeel |
a) Words derived from proper nouns, and retaining a proper meaning are capitalized.
Pakistani (of Pakistan)
American (of America)
Norwegian (of Norway)
Egyptian (of Egypt)
Parisian (of Paris)
b) Do not capitalize words derived from proper nouns for which a common or specialized meaning has been developed.
| Wall Street | Anglicize |
| Morocco | Pasteurize |
| Venetian blinds | Philippic |
| Plaster of Paris | macadam |
c) Capitalize common nouns and adjectives that form an essential part of a proper name, such as streets, parks, specific buildings, geographical names, etc.
| Wall street | Sindh River |
| Franklin Parkway | Blair County |
| South Avenue | Mount Everest |
| Curzon Road | Gulf of Mexico |
| Attique Park | Suez Canal |
Habib plaza Building Bay of Bengal
d) Do not capitalize descriptive place reference:
The river Sutlej
The Valley of Nile
The Gorge of Colorado
e) The following are never Capitalized:
| Aqueduct | Lock |
| Breakwater | Pier |
| Buoy | Slip |
| Dike | Spillway |
| Ditch | Tunnel |
| Drydock | Watershed |
| Floodway | Weir |
| Level | wharf |
f). The following are always capitalized when they follow a proper name:
| Archipelago | Harbour |
| Bay | Highway |
| Bayou | Hill |
| Borough | Hook |
| Canal (for ships) | Inlet |
| Canyon | Island |
| Cape | Isle |
| Channel | Lake |
| Country | Mount |
| Creek | Mountain |
| Desert | Narrows |
| Falls | Peninsula |
| Forest | Plateau |
| Fork (stream) | River |
| Fort | Sea |
| Gap | Sound |
| Glacier | Spring |
| Gulch | Valley |
| Gulf | Woods |
- g) Capitalize the d; da, Della, van, and von when not preceded a title or forename.
De Maupassant, but Guy de Maupassant
Van Gogh, but Vincent van Gogh
Von Tirpitz, but Alfred von Tirpitz
Della Robbie, but Luca Della Robbie
h). In American and British names these particles are usually capitalized without regard to the above rule, but individual usage should be followed.
William De Morgan
Thomas De Quincy
Lucretia Van Zandt
Henry van Dyke (his usage)
4: Capitalize the names of organized bodies and their members to distinguish them from the common meaning.
Republican Party, a Republican; but, a republican (one who believes in a republican form of government).
Democratic Party, a Democrat; but, a Democrat (one who believes in a democracy).
An Elk; but, an elk (an animal).
5: Capitalize territory, state, nation, union, empire, etc. only when these words refer to a particular political division.
The United States: the Republic, the Nation, the Union: but a republic, a nation a noun.
The British Empire: the Empire; but an empire.
Cook County: the County; but a county.
6: Capitalize descriptive terms to designate a definite geographical region or feature.
The Middle Atlantic States
The Far East; the Near East
The Continental Divide
The Western Hemisphere
7: Capitalize the names of months and days of the year.
| January | Sunday |
| February | Monday |
| March etc. | Tuesday etc. |
| January | Sunday |
8: Capitalize names of historic events and eras, holidays, ecclesiastical feasts, and fast days.
| World war | Renaissance |
| Mexican War | Fourth of July |
| Middle ages | Gulf War |
9: Capitalize personification in figures of speech.
For nature is neither kind nor cruel, merciless nor merciful: she follows inexorably her immutable laws.
The chair introduced the guest speaker.
10: Capitalize all nouns and adjectives denoting the deity, and all pronouns refer to the same.
| The Holy Ghost | Jehovah |
| The Lord | Yahweh |
| The Almighty | Allah |
| Son of Man | The Virgin |
11: Capitalize all names for the Bible, Books of the Bible, and all other sacred books.
| Holy Writ | The Quran |
| Scriptures | The Vedas |
| Mahabharata | The Upanishads |
| Ramayana | The Talmud |
a). Do not capitalize adjectives derived from such nouns.
| Apocryphal | scriptural biblical |
b). Capitalize all titles preceding a name.
| Doctor Jamshed | King George |
| Professor Rahman | General Niazi |
| President Kennedy | Justice Arshad |
c). Capitalize a little in the second or third person.
| Your Honour | Mr. President |
| Your Grace | Mr. Chairman |
| His Holiness | His Excellency |
d). Capitalize the first word and every important word in the English title of a book, poem, play, article, essay, work of art, piece of music, report, publication, legal case, and historic document.
The Dawn of Civilization (book)
Caliban in the Coal Mines (poem)
Pillars of Society (drama)
Old Lamps for New (essay)
Dinner for Threshers (painting)
Death and Transfiguration (music)
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