CAPITAL LETTERS

Guidelines for Using Capital Letters in English

The First Word in a Sentence

• capitalize the first word in a sentence:

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• capitalize the first word of a quotation if it is a complete sentence: 

Jorge said, "The game is over." 

Don’t capitalize the first word if the quotation is not a complete sentence: 
Jorge said that the game was "all but over" by the seventh inning.
Pronouns and Names of People or
Characters
• capitalize the pronoun I

• capitalize the names and nicknames of particular persons and characters

Barack Obama, the Simpson family, the Pritchetts

• also capitalize the names of cultural movements, schools, and styles if those
names are derived from proper nouns 
Aristotelian, Reaganomics
Titles of People
• capitalize titles that come before the names of particular persons and characters
Mayor Augustus Maywho, Doctor Sanjay Gupta, Professor Minerva
McGonagall, Lady Bracknell, Queen Elizabeth II, President Obama, Captain Jack
Sparrow, Aunt Bee

• don't capitalize a title that appears after a name

Bill de Blasio, mayor of New York City or that stands alone (a doctor, the mayor)
Specific Place Names
• capitalize the names of specific places (planets, countries, counties, cities, seas,
streets, and so on), both real and fictional

Mars, Canberra, London, Monroe County, Yorkshire, the Midwest, Canada,
the Ohio River, Narnia, Rosecrans Avenue, Knighton Road, the village
of Little Whinging, Chicago's South Side, the English Midlands
Common nouns — such as road, river, and republic — are capitalized only when
they're part of the full name of a place.
When two or more geographical names are linked in a single expression, the usual
practice is to put the generic part of the names in lower case: the Atlantic and Pacific
oceans.
As a general rule, capitalize regions (the Eastern Shore, the Left Bank, the West End),
but don't capitalize compass points (north, southeast) if they simply indicate
direction or location.
Don't capitalize sun and moon.
Nationalities, Languages, Ethnic Groups,
and Religions
• capitalize the names of particular nationalities, languages, ethnic groups, and
religions
Filipino people, African-American, a native Newfoundlander, the Welsh
language, Na'vi, Judaism, Buddhism

Don't capitalize the names of academic subjects (algebra, art, history) unless they
are languages (English, Spanish, French) or part of a department name (Department
of Languages and Literature).
As a general rule, don't capitalize the names of religious services and rites (baptism,
bar mitzvah).
Deities and Holy Books
• capitalize the names of deities and holy books
God, Krishna, Allah, Jehovah, the Qur'an, the Bible

Also capitalize the names of books of the Bible:

Genesis, Psalms
Businesses, Schools, Organizations
• capitalize the names of particular businesses, buildings, schools, and organizations
Google, General Motors, Westminster Abbey, Trump World Tower, Academy
of Magic, the Salvation Army, Oxfam International, the Girl Scouts

• capitalize the official names of rooms and offices

the Oval Office, the Situation Room.
Government Agencies
• capitalize the formal names of government units, agencies, and divisions

White House, House of Representatives, House of Commons,

Supreme Court, Department of Education, Georgia Department
of Natural Resources
Acts, Treaties, and Government Programs
• capitalize the formal names of acts, treaties, and government programs

Declaration of Independence, the Act of Union, the Marshall Plan,

the Treaty of Versailles
Military and Police Unites
• capitalize the official titles of armies, navies, and other military and police units

Army National Guard, the Royal Australian Air Force, the Armed Forces of

the Philippines, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Wars and Battles
• capitalize the names of wars and major battles

Second World War, Spanish Civil War, the Norman Conquest, the Gulf War

Historical Periods and Events
• capitalize the names of particular historical periods, events, and documents

the Great ​Depression, the Troubles (Northern Ireland), 

the Middle Ages, Magna Carta, the Treaty of Versailles
Months, Days, Holidays
• capitalize the names of days, months, holidays, and special days of observation

Wednesday, June, Christmas, Veterans Day (U.S.), Mother's Day, Boxing Day 
(Britain and Canada)

Don't capitalize the seasons: winter, spring, summer, fall (autumn).

Book and Movie Titles
• capitalize the principal words in the titles and subtitles of books, movies, plays,
magazines, journals, TV shows, video games, musical compositions, and pieces of
art

War and Peace, The Sixty Second Motivator, Avatar, Entertainment 

Weekly, Journal of Organic Chemistry, Arrested Development, 
Grand Theft Auto IV, Rhapsody in Blue, The Starry Night,
A Midsummer Night's Dream

 
Awards
• capitalize the names of awards, prizes, and scholarships

Rotary Youth Leadership Awards, the Nobel Prizes, the Academy Award (and

the Oscar), National Merit Scholarship
Brand Names
• capitalize legally protected brand names and trademarks
Xbox 360, Kit Kat, Coca Cola, Adidas, Range Rover, Kleenex, Cadbury Fingers

Don't capitalize a brand name that has been transformed into a common noun
through popular usage: 
aspirin, thermos, escalator
Acronyms
• capitalize each letter in an acronym or initialism

NATO, CNN, BBC, NAACP, TV, LA (or L.A.), FEMA, DVD, AWOL
References
• Nordquist, Richard. "Guidelines for Using Capital Letters." ThoughtCo, Aug. 22,
2019, thoughtco.com/guidelines-for-using-capital-letters-1691724.
https://www.thoughtco.com/guidelines-for-using-capital-letters-1691724,
accessed 3 Nov. 2019

See also:
• https://www.rochester.edu/news/styleguide/capitals.html