CAPITAL LETTERS
CAPITAL LETTERS ARE USED WITH:
1.The first word in a sentence or direct quotation.
2.Names of persons and the word I.
3.Names of particular places.
4.Names of days of the week, months, and holidays.
5.Names of commercial products.
6.Names of organizations such as religious and political groups, associations, companies, unions and clubs.
7.Titles of books, magazines, newspapers, articles, stories, poems, films, TV shows, songs, papers that you write, and the like.
FIRST WORD IN A SENTENCE OR DIRECT QUOTATION
The secretary in the business office asked, "Have you paid your tuition?"
(Capitalize the first word in the sentence. And capitalize the first word in the direct quotation.)
"If you want a ride to Burley," said Brenda, "get ready now. Otherwise, I am going alone."
(If and Otherwise are capitalized because they are the first words of sentences within a direct quotation. But get is not capitalized because it is part of the first sentence within the quotation.)
NAMES OF PERSONS AND THE WORD I
Last night I ran into Russell Morris and Emily Wilson.
NAMES OF PARTICULAR PLACES
Wendy was graduated from Twin FallsHigh School in Idaho. She then moved with her parents to Sacramento, California, and worked for a time there at Alvin's Gift House. Eventually she married Carlos and moved back with her husband to Filer, in Twin Falls County, Idaho. She takes courses two nights a week at The College of Southern Idaho. On weekends she and her family often go for picnics at Shoshone Falls, and go boating at Magic Reservoir. She does volunteer work at the MagicValleyRegionalMedicalCenter in connection with the First Southern Baptist Church. In addition, she works during the summer as a hostess at Perkins Restaurant.
BUT: use small letters if the specific name of the place is not given.
Melody sometimes remembers her difficult days in high school and at the record shop where she worked after graduation. She did not imaging that she would one day be going to college and be working as a tutor for one of her classes.
NAMES OF DAYS OF THE WEEK, MONTHS, AND HOLIDAYS
Sue Lin was angry with herself for forgetting that Monday was Valentine's Day.
During December and January, Mike works four days a week taking every Friday off.
Jason still has a scar on his arm from his bicycle accident on Labor Day and a scar on his leg from falling down in the Little City of Rocks on Memorial Day.
BUT: Use small letters for the seasons--summer, fall, winter, spring.
NAMES OF COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS
Jeff uses Mentadent mouthwash, Tic Tac mints, and Trident gum to drive away the taste of the Marlboro cigarettes and the Swister Sweets cigars that he always smokes.
My son likes to play Chutes and Ladders; I like chess and gin rummy; my brother likes Scrabble, football and pool.
BUT: Use small letters for the type of product (mouthwash, mints, gum, cigarettes, and so on).
NAMES OF ORGANIZATIONS SUCH AS RELIGIOUS AND POLITICAL GROUPS, ASSOCIATIONS, COMPANIES, UNIONS, CLUBS
Carl Winslow was a Pentecostal for many years but now attends the UnitarianChurch. Both he and his wife, Beth are members of the Republican Party. Both belong to the American Automobile Association. Beth works part time as a computer salesperson at Best Buy. Carl is a carpenter and belongs to the Carpenter's Union.
Carl met Beth when he was a Boy Scout and she was Campfire Girl; she asked him the movies to see The Lion King.
TITLES OF BOOKS, MAGAZINES, NEWSPAPERS, ARTICLES, STORIES, POEMS, FILMS, TELEVISION SHOWS, SONGS, PAPERS THAT YOU WRITE, AND THE LIKE
On Saturday, Tina read the first chapter of To Kill a Mocking Bird. Next she looked through The Wall Street Journal that her parents had at the house. She then read an article titled “Investing in Your Future” and a poem titled “Dating in Groups” in her Seventeen magazine. At the same time, she played an old Garth Brooks CD, No Fences. In the evening, she watched The Daily Show, on television and the movie that followed, True Lies, starring Jamie Lee Curtis. Then from midnight until morning, she worked on a paper titled Uses of Leisure Time in Today’s Prisons for her Abnormal Psychology class.