1. Using Capital Letters
 Les Hanson 2002

2. Overview
This presentation reviews the rules you (should) already know as well as some of the tricky aspects of capitalization
It deals with the following topics:
Sentences
Lists
Titles
Names
In general, specific names require capitals
Lake Superior, Fred, Great Depression
General names do not require capitals
the prairies, my uncle, a recession

3. Sentences Capitalize the first word of a sentence
And the first word of a quoted sentence
She said, “You are stupid.”
Don’t capitalize the second part of a fragmented quotation
“You are stupid,” she said, “and your mother dresses you funny.”
Don’t capitalize partial quotes
He talked of the “plausible deniability” of the scheme.

4. Lists Capitalize sentences that follow a colon
Remember this: Grammar is boring.
Capitalize the first word of each item in a vertical list
These punctuation marks are confusing:
Colons
Semicolons
Dashes
Don’t capitalize words in horizontal lists
Language is made up of numerous parts of speech: nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc.

5. Titles of books, articles, and songs
Capitalize the first, last, and all important words in a title
Don’t capitalize short articles, prepositions, and conjunctions
As You Like It
The Merry Wives of Windsor
Love’s Labours Lost
Taming of the Shrew
The Merchant of Venice

6. Names and Titles
Capitalize the specific names of people, places, and institutions
Stockwell Day, Alberta, Canadian Alliance
But not general references
party leader, communist, fascist, right wing
Capitalize titles that precede names
Prime Minister Chretien, Aunt Polly
But not when used alone, or after names
The minister was demoted to the back benches
Bill, my uncle, sat beside Gary Doer, premier of Manitoba

7. Names of Groups Capitalize races, religions, and languages
Bosnian, Buddhism, French, Cree
Do not capitalize general references
aboriginal, white, black, fundamentalist
Some words vary according to usage
A native speaker of English
A Native from the Yukon (used as a substitute for “Indian”
Australian Aborigines have certain aboriginal rights

8. Product Names Capitalize brand names and trademarks
Coke, Kleenix, Roller Blades, Popsicle
Do not capitalize generic product names
cola, tissues, inline skates, flavoured ice
Capitalize words derived from proper nouns
Freudian slip, Swiss cheese, English muffin
Eventually such words lose their capitals
pasteurize, french fry, panama hat, scotch

9. Dates and Directions Capitalize days of the week, months, holidays
Monday, June, Thanksgiving
But not seasons
summer, fall, winter
Don’t capitalize directions
I drove north for two blocks
Unless it refers to a specific location
Fighting broke out in the Middle East
Winter roads are common in the North

10. Course Names Capitalize specific names of courses
History 101, Intermediate Basket-weaving, a Bachelor of Arts degree
But not general references to courses
geography, communication, accounting
He is studying engineering

11. Interactive Exercise
Click on the buttons below or key in the links to do interactive exercises on capitalization (and to receive a dose of Winnipeg trivia)
Capitalization 1
Capitalization 2