Proper Nouns, Trade Names, I, and O

Some words are capitalized whenever they are used. Proper nouns, trade names, the pronoun “I,” and “O” when used as an interjection make up this category of words.

Proper nounsA word that names a specific, not a general, person, place, or thing (e.g., Clyde Smith, Eisenhower Middle School, Wednesday). include names of specific persons, places, or things. Words that are typically common nounsA word that names a general, not a specific, person, place, or thing (e.g., queen, house, plate). can become proper nouns when they are used as part of a name.

First Word in a Sentence

Capitalizing the first word in a sentence appears fairly straightforward at first glance. But there are actually some variations you should keep in mind.

Key Words in Titles and Subtitles

In titles and subtitles, capitalize key words, including first words, last words, nouns, verbs, pronouns, adverbs, and adjectives. Do not capitalize articles, conjunctions, or prepositions unless they are in the initial position (either at the beginning of the entire title or at the beginning of the phrase after a colon if there is one). Look at the Figure 19.1 and consider why each word is capitalized or not.

Figure 19.1

Abbreviations

Capitalize abbreviations of proper nouns, such as the following:

• Schools: UNL, ISU, U of I
• Government agencies: USDA, CIA, FBI
• Countries and states: USA, NY, TX
• Organizations: BSA, AFS
• Corporations: IBM, AT&T
• Television and radio stations: NBC, CBS, WLS

Bulleted Items

If the items in a bulleted list are sentences, capitalize the first word of each item, as follows:

If the items are not sentences and are not continuations of a sentence stem, capitalize the first word of each item, as follows:

If the items are continuations of a sentence stem, do not capitalize the first word unless it happens to be a proper noun.

Common Misuse of Capital Letters

Avoid the unnecessary use of capital letters. As a rule, you can avoid capitalization errors by adhering to the rules for capitalization. But the following “don’t capitalize” suggestions can help you to avoid making some common mistakes.

• Capitalize names of holidays and months but not seasons:

  winter, spring, summer, fall

• Do not capitalize words such as “mom” and “dad” when they are used to talk about someone as opposed to when used as a name:

  Capitalize: “What did you say, Mom?”

  Don’t capitalize: “My mom and dad came with me.”

• Do not capitalize words that are often used as part of a name when they are used in other ways:

  “My family tree includes a general, a US president, and a princess.”

• Only capitalize direction words that designate a specific location:

  Capitalize: “I live out West.”

  Don’t capitalize: “I live west of Nebraska.”

• You can choose to capitalize a word for emphasis, but avoid overusing this technique since it will lessen the effect.
• Entire words and sentences written in capital letters are hard to read. Also, in online situations, this type of typing is referred to as shouting. So except in very rare situations, avoid typing in all capitals.