Capitalization Yippee!

Quotations Capitalize the first word in a quote if the quote is complete: She said, “The children are thirsty.” Capitalization is required on only one part of the quote if it is divided: “The children are thirsty,” she said, “because they have been playing outside.” If the quote is fragmented do NOT capitalize: June told us that the band performed “better than I expected.”

Proper Nouns: What Counts? Names of specific: People, places, streets, towns, cities, countries, states, provinces, nations, continents, valleys, deserts, mountains, sections of the country, islands, bodies of water, monuments, memorials, buildings, schools, historical events/periods, documents, days, months, holidays, religious days, special events, clubs, organizations, institutions, businesses, government bodies, political parties, races, nationalities, languages, religious references, awards, trademarks, titles of people, titles of literature, courses, salutations, closings, films

A Word About Titles Capitalize the first word and all other key words in the titles of films, artwork, songs, and literature Never capitalize insignificant words like a, an, and, the---unless it is the first word in that title.

A Word About Courses Capitalize specific courses / classes French I History 102 NOT science class, history class (these are not specific classes)

NEVER Capitalize Nonspecific nouns The four seasons Directions, unless referring to a geographic location