1. Chapter 10: Capitalization
8th grade english

2. 10.1 People and Cultures Names and Initials
Capitalize people’s names and initials.
Cleopatra
Maria Theresa
J.R.R. Tolkien
Yasunari Kawabata

3. 10.1 People and Cultures Personal Titles and Abbreviations
Capitalize titles and abbreviations of titles that are used before names and in direct address.
Professor Anita Jones
Dr. Celia Brammer
Capitalize abbreviations of some titles when they follow names.
Ted Stein, Jr.
Mary Witt, Ph. D.

4. 10.1 People and Cultures
Capitalize titles of heads of state, royalty, or nobility only when they are used before the persons’ names or in place of the persons’ names.
Queen Marie Antoinette
Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist
Do not capitalize titles when they are used without proper names.
The king will be remembered for his contributions to great architecture.

5. 10.1 People and Cultures Family Relationships
Capitalize words indicating family relationships only when they are used as names or before names.
Aunt Paula
Grandpa Smith
In general, do not capitalize a word indicating a family relationship when it follows the person’s name or is used without a proper name.
Maria Tellez, my cousin, saw the Great Pyramid.

6. 10.1 People and Cultures The Pronoun I
Always capitalize the pronoun I.
Grandpa and I read all about Stonehenge.

7. 10.1 People and Cultures Religious Terms
Capitalize the names of religions, sacred days, sacred writings, and deities.
Religions: Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism
Sacred Days: Ramadan, Good Friday, Purim
Sacred Writings: Bible, Koran, Torah
Deities: God, Yahweh, Allah
Do not capitalize the words god and goddess when they refer to the gods of ancient mythology.
The statue of Zeus at Olympia honored the Greek god Zeus.

8. 10.1 People and Cultures Nationalities, Languages, and Races
Capitalize the names of nationalities, languages, races, and most ethnic groups, as well as the adjectives formed from these names.
Romans
Greek
African-American

9. 10.2 First Words and Titles Sentences and Poetry
Capitalize the first word of every sentence
The “seven wonders of the medieval world” date back to the Middle Ages.
In traditional poetry, capitalize the first word of every line.
The willow is like an etching,
Fine-lined against the sky.
The ginkgo is like a crude sketch,
Hardly worthy to be signed. Eve Merriman

10. 10.2 First Words and Titles Quotations
Capitalize the first word of a direct quotation if it begins a complete sentence.
My teacher asked, “Has anyone read about the Colosseum?”
In a divided quotation, do not capitalize the first word in the second part of the quote unless it starts a new sentence.
“I hear you’re going to Italy,” Theresa said. “Make sure you see the Leaning Tower of Pisa.”
“Did you know,” asked Theresa, “that the Leaning Tower of Pisa has been tilting for 800 years?”

11. 10.2 First Words and TItles Outlines
Capitalize the first word of each entry in an outline and the letters that introduce major subsections.
Famous buildings of the Middle Ages
A. The Leaning Tower of Pisa
1. Construction of the Bell Tower
2. Repairs to the tower foundation

12. 10.2 First Words and Titles Parts of a Letter
Capitalize the first word in the greeting and in the closing of a letter.
Dear Mrs. Song:
Yours truly,

13. 10.2 First Words and TItles Titles
Capitalize the first word, the last word, and all other important words in a title.
Don’t capitalize articles, coordinating conjunctions, or prepositions of fewer than five letters.
The House of Dies Drear
The Wizard of Oz
Venus de Mio

14. 10.3 Places and Transportation
Geographical Names
In geographical names, capitalize each word except articles and prepositions
Tropic of Cancer
Mediterranean Sea
North Street
Prairie Road

15. 10.3 Places and Transportation
Bodies of the Universe
Capitalize the names of planets and other specific objects in the universe.
Big Dipper
Pluto
North Star
Do not capitalize sun and moon. Do not capitalize earth when it is preceded by the and when it does not refer to the planet Earth.
Ants and earwigs tunneled through the earth under the porch.

16. 10.3 Places and Transportation
Regions and Sections
Capitalize the words, north, south, east, and west when they name particular REGIONS of the United States or the world or when they are proper names.
The Grand Canyon is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the West.
Do not capitalize these words when they indicate general directions or locations.
The Statue of Liberty is south of the Empire State Building in New York City.

17. 10.3 Places and Transportation
Buildings, Bridges, and Other Landmarks
Capitalize the names of specific buildings, bridges, monuments, and other landmarks.
Sears Tower
Great Wall of China

18. 10.3 Places and Transportation
Planes, Trains, and Other Vehicles
Capitalize the names of specific airplanes, trains, ships, cars, and spacecraft.
Air Force One
Orient Express
Mustang
Sputnik

19. 10.4 Organizations and Other Subjects
Organizations and Institutions
Capitalize all important words in the names of organizations, institutions, stores, and companies.
Muir Middle School
Dave’s Hardware
Do not capitalize words such as hospital, school, company, church, and college when they are not used as parts of names.
The renovations in our church are now complete.

20. 10.4 Organizations and Other Subjects
Organizations and Business Abbreviations
Capitalize abbreviations of names of organizations, businesses, and institutions.
Notice that these abbreviations are formed from the initial letters of the complete names and that the letters are usually not followed by periods.
NFL (National Football League)
MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving)

21. 10.4 Organizations and Other Subjects
Historical Events, Periods, and Documents
Capitalize the names of historical events, periods, and documents.
Events: Revolutionary War
Periods: Great Awakening, Roaring Twenties
Documents: Treaty of Versailles, Declaration of Independence

22. 10.4 Organizations and Other Subjects
Time Abbreviations and Calendar Items
Capitalize the abbreviations B.C., A.D., A.M., and P.M.
Capitalize the names of months, days, and holidays but not the names of seasons.
April
Saturday
spring
When a season is used in the title of a festival or celebration, (Grove Fall Festival), capitalize all important words, including the season.

23. 10.4 Organizations and Other Subjects
School Subjects
Capitalize the names of school subjects only when they are names of languages, when they are followed by course numbers, or when they contain proper adjectives.
algebra
Spanish
Biology II

24. 10.4 Organizations and Other Subjects
Class Names
Capitalize the words freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior only when they are used as parts of titles.
The freshmen will attend Freshman Orientation Week during the last week in August.

25. 10.4 Organizations and Other Subjects
Special Events, Awards, and Brand Names
Capitalize the names of special events and awards.
Academy Awards
World Cup
Capitalize the brand names of products but not the common nouns that follow brand names.
Fiji compasses
Staton tents