CHAPTER 11

Capitalization and Abbreviations

You should read this chapter if you need to review or learn about

➜The rules governing capitalization
➜The guidelines for using abbreviations
➜The “mechanics” of written English

Get Started

Our system of capital and lowercase letters allows writers to point out specific words within a sentence and to signal the start of a new sentence. The rules may seem arbitrary, but you’ll soon discover that they function much as traffic signals to help travelers negotiate the highways of written language.

This chapter explains the rules that govern the accepted use of capital letters and abbreviations

Avoiding Capital Offenses: The Rules of Capitalization

Basically, capitalization falls into two categories:

  • Capitalize all proper nouns. These include names, geographical places, specific historical events, eras, and documents, languages, nationalities, countries, and races.
  • Capitalize the first word at the beginning of a sentence.

In everyday writing, the rules are clear-cut. However, if you are writing within a specific organization or company, capitalization is mostly a matter of editorial style. The important goal is always the same: Use capital letters consistently within a particular document.

Quick Tip

Today, professional writers and editors tend to use fewer capital letters than was the habit in the past. In the nineteenth century and before, many more nouns were capitalized, as novels from this period reveal.

Let’s look at these rules in detail. The proper nouns are divided into separate categories for ease of reference, starting with names and titles.

Capitalize Names and Titles

  1. Capitalize each part of a person’s name.
    George W. Bush Jennifer Aniston
    Soupy Sales Hillary Clinton
    • If a name begins with d’, de, du, or von, capitalize the prefix unless it is preceded by a first name or a title.
      Without a first name Du Pont Von Karman
      With a first name E. I. du Pont Theodore von Karman
    • If a name begins with Mc, O’, or St., capitalize the next letter as well.
      McMannus O’Neill St. Claire
    • If the name begins with la or le, the capitalization varies: le Blanc and Le Blanc are both correct, for example.
    • Capitalize the names of specific animals.
      Rin Tin Tin Lassie Morris the cat
    • A personal name that is used as a common noun is no longer capitalized. These words are often used in science.
      curie watt newton kelvin
  1. Capitalize titles used before a person’s name.
    President Bush Chief Scientist Smithson
    Dr. Frankenstein Ms. Brownmiller
    Mr. Williams Professor Chin

    For a democracy, we have a surprising number of titles. Here are some of the most common ones:

    Religious titles: Bishop Reverend
    Father Sister
    Rabbi Monsigneur
    Military titles: Admiral Colonel
    Major Sergeant
    Lieutenant General
    Elected officials: Mayor Governor
    President Senator
    Congressman Congresswoman
    Secretary Ambassador
    Earned titles: Doctor Professor
    Provost Dean
    Honorary titles: Sir Lord
    Lady Madame
    • Capitalize all parts of a compound title.
      Vice President Lieutenant Governor
    • Capitalize titles to show respect.
      The Senator spoke to us at the ribbon cutting.
      A senator’s time is always in demand.
    • Capitalize titles used in direct address.
      Doctor, I have a pain in my side.
      Nurse, please bring me the bandage.
Quick Tip

Always defer to a person’s preference in the capitalization of his or her name.

  1. Capitalize titles that show family relationships when the title is used with a person’s name or in direct address.
    Grandmother Pirandello came from Italy in the 1950s.
    Grandfather, will you take us to the zoo?
  2. Capitalize titles of parents and relatives not preceded by a possessive word (such as my).
    We saw Mother kissing Santa Claus.
    I saw my mother kissing my father.
  3. Capitalize abbreviations that appear after a person’s name.
    Martin Luther King, Jr.
    Laurie Rozakis, Ph.D.
    Grace Lui, M.D.
  4. Capitalize the major words in titles of books, plays, movies, newspapers, and magazines.
    Do not capitalize the articles: a, an, the
    Do not capitalize prepositions: at, by, for, of, in, up, on, so, on, to, etc.
    Do not capitalize conjunctions: and, as, but, if, or, nor
    In effect, any word with more than four letters in a title gets capitalized.
    • Capitalize book titles.
      Grammar and Usage for the Utterly Confused
      Schaum’s Quick Guide to Writing Great Research Papers
    • Capitalize play titles.
      She Stoops to Conquer
      Cats
    • Capitalize movie titles.
      The Great Escape
      From Here to Eternity
      • Capitalize newspaper titles.
        The New York Times
        The Washington Post
      • Capitalize magazine titles.
        Sports Illustrated for Kids
        Atlantic Monthly
  1. Capitalize acronyms.

    An acronym is an abbreviation formed from the first letter of each word in the title. A few words have entered English that were first acronyms but are now formed with lowercase letters, such as laser and radar. However, most acronyms are formed with capital letters.

    Note: Since acronyms are used as words, they never take periods.
    NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)
    NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration)

Capitalize Names of Places and Events

  1. Capitalize names of geographical places and sections of the country.
    Europe Asia United States of America
    Lake Superior Venus Yellowstone National Park
  2. Capitalize a compass point when it identifies a specific area of the country.
    We live in the South.
    The West is still wild and untamed.
    1. Don’t capitalize a compass point when it refers to direction.
      The storm is coming from the south.
      Drive west 4 miles and turn left at the shopping center.
    2. Capitalize the names of specific historical events, eras, and documents.
      the Revolutionary War Reconstruction
      the Declaration of Independence the Gettysburg Address

Capitalize Names of Languages and Religions

  1. Capitalize the names of languages, nationalities, countries, and ethnic and racial identifications.
    Language Nationalities Countries Ethnicities
    French Japanese Pakistan African-American
    German Australian India Native American
    Italian Iranian Bosnia South African
Quick Tip

Should you always capitalize the names of countries and languages? Should it be french fries or French Fries? spanish omelet or Spanish omelet? No one’s in agreement, so pick one style and stick with it.

  1. Capitalize religions and references to the Supreme Being, including the pronouns referring to the Supreme Being.
    Christianity, Hindu, Catholicism, Judaism
    the Creator, Him, He, Heaven, His name
    Don’t capitalize the words god or goddess when they refer to ancient mythology.
    the goddess Athena
    the god Hermes

Capitalize Proper Adjectives and Product Names

  1. Capitalize proper adjectives formed from proper nouns.
    Proper Nouns Proper Adjectives
    Italy Italian
    Rome Roman
    Alps Alpine
    Newton Newtonian
    • In a hyphenated proper adjective, capitalize only the adjective.

      Spanish-speaking residents.

    • Don’t capitalize the prefix attached to a proper adjective unless the prefix refers to a nationality.
      all-American Old English
  1. Capitalize brand names and trademarks.
    Jell-O pudding Kleenex tissues
    Freon Band-Aid
    Fresca Xerox

Capitalize Names of Organizations, Institutions, Courses, and Famous Buildings

Since names of organizations, institutions, courses, and famous buildings are all proper nouns, they get capitalized.

Do not capitalize the articles: a, an, the.
Do not capitalize prepositions: at, by, for, of, in, up, on, so, on, to, etc.
Do not capitalize conjunctions: and, as, but, if, or, nor.
  1. Capitalize the names of organizations.
    The Boy Scouts of America Rotary International
    The Red Cross General Motors
  2. Capitalize the names of institutions.
    Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
    The United Nations
  3. Capitalize the names of courses.
    Introduction to Biology (but not biology)
    Mathematics 203 (but not mathematics)
  4. Capitalize the names of buildings.

    The Empire State Building the Sears Tower

Capitalize Names of Days, Months, and Holidays

Again, these are all proper nouns, so they are all capitalized.

  1. Capitalize names of days.
    Monday Tuesday
    Wednesday Sunday
  2. Capitalize names of months.
    February March
    April July
  3. Capitalize names of holidays.
    Thanksgiving Kwanzaa
    Passover Ramadan

Capitalize Time and Other Proper Nouns

  1. Capitalize abbreviations for time.
    6:00 A.M. 7:00 P.M.
  2. Capitalize names of celestial bodies, except the moon and the sun.
    the Milky Way the Big Dipper
    Capitalize the earth only when it is used as a planet.
    The Earth is not flat.
  3. Capitalize names of awards.
    the Nobel Peace Prize the Caldecott Medal
  4. Capitalize the words I and O.
    Quickly, I turned around.
    O! Did you see that?

Capitalize the First Word of . . .

  1. A sentence
    The shortest presidential inaugural address was George Washington’s, at 135 words.
    The longest was by William Henry Harrison, at 8,445 words.
  2. A complete sentence after a colon
    Only two U.S. presidents and their wives are buried at Arlington National Cemetery:
    John F. Kennedy and his wife Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and William Taft and his wife
    Helen Heron Taft are buried there.
  3. A quotation, if it is a complete sentence.

    The teacher said, “Abraham Lincoln lost eight elections for various offices before winning the election in 1860.”

    but
    “Abraham Lincoln lost eight elections for various offices,” the teacher said, “before winning the election in 1860.”
  4. A line of poetry
    Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
    Thou art more lovely and more temperate.
    Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
    And summer’s lease hath all too short a date.
    Sometimes too hot the eye of heaven shines,
    And often is his gold complexion dimm’d;
    And every fair from fair sometimes declines,
    By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm’d;
    But thy eternal summer shall not fade
    Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st;
    Nor shall Death brag thou wander’st in his shade,
    When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st:
    So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
    So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
Quick Tip

In poetry and old-fashioned novels, words are sometimes capitalized for emphasis. In this Shakespearean sonnet, for example, “Death” is capitalized to personify it: to make it seem like a living being. Today, however, words are capitalized for emphasis only in e-mail.

  1. The greeting of a letter
    Dear Mr. Plotnick:
    To Whom It May Concern:
    Dear Mom,
  2. The complimentary close of a letter. Notice that only the first word is capitalized, not subsequent words in a phrase.

    Yours very truly, Sincerely yours,

  3. Each item in an outline

    I. Greek architecture

    A. Greek temples

    B. Greek theaters and amphitheaters

    C. Greek colonnades

  4. Each item in a list
    1. Evaluate the performance of our new meters This report is designed to:
    2. Expand the data base
    3. Evaluate data
    4. Make recommendations

Good Things Come in Small Packages: The Rules of Abbreviations

An abbreviation is a shortened form of a word or phrase. Abbreviations start with a capital letter and end with a period. They are a handy way to save time and space when you’re writing, but only if you use commonly accepted abbreviations. Otherwise, you’ll just confuse your readers. Here is how to use abbreviations correctly.

  1. Abbreviate social titles and titles of rank, both before and after a person’s name.
    Mr. Mrs. Ms. Dr.
Quick Tip

Miss is a title that comes before a person’s name, but since it isn’t an abbreviation, it doesn’t have a period at the end. A usage note: Many women now prefer the title “Ms.,” but some still prefer “Miss.” When in doubt, ask the woman what title she prefers.

  1. Abbreviate names of academic degrees.
    Jonathan Hernandez, B.A. (Bachelor of Arts)
    Hi-Jing Yu, M.F.A. (Master of Fine Arts)

    Because of their Latin roots, abbreviations for many degrees can be written in either direction: M.A. or A.M. for Masters of Arts, for instance. The following chart shows some of the most commonly abbreviated degrees:

    Degree Abbreviation
    Bachelor of Science B.A.
    Bachelor of Business Administration B.B.A.
    Masters of Arts M.A. or A.M.
    Masters of Science M.S. or S.M.
    Masters of Business Administration M.B.A.
    Medical Doctor M.D.
    Doctor of Philosophy Ph.D.
    Doctor of Divinity D.D.
    Doctor of Dental Surgery D.D.S.
    Registered Nurse R.N.
  2. Abbreviate time.
    A.M. (before noon; ante meridian)
    P.M. (afternoon; post meridian)
  3. Abbreviate some historical periods. In most—but not all—cases, the abbreviation is placed after the date.
    Ancient times (2,000 years in the past)
    B.C. (before the birth of Christ)
    B.C.E. (before the common era)
    Modern times (within the last 2,000 years)
    C.E. (common era)
    A.D. (Anno Domini , “in the year of the Lord,” an abbreviation that comes before the date)
    Here’s how these abbreviations are used:
    Emperor Augustus lived from 63 B.C. (or B.C.E.) to A.D. 14 (or C.E.).
  4. Abbreviate geographical terms.
    Sammi lives on Woodlawn Dr.
    The following chart lists the most common abbreviations for geographical terms.
    Place Abbreviation
    Avenue Ave.
    Boulevard Blvd.
    Drive Dr.
    Fort Ft.
    Mountain Mt.
    Point Pt.
    Road Rd.
    Route Rte.
    Square Sq.
    Street St.
  5. Abbreviate names of states.

    Use the official U.S. Post Office zip code abbreviations, which are not followed by periods.

    There’s a list of all 50 abbreviations in your telephone book.

    FL (Florida) PA (Pennsylvania)

  6. Abbreviate some Latin expressions.
    e.g. (for example) et al. (and others)
  7. Abbreviate measurements.
    inches is abbreviated in. feet is abbreviated ft.

    Here are some of the most common abbreviations for measurements. Note that metric abbreviations are not followed by a period.

    Item Abbreviation
    yards yd.
    miles mi.
    teaspoon tsp.
    tablespoon tbs.
    ounce oz.
    pound lb.
    pint pt.
    quart qt.
    Fahrenheit F.
    Celsius C
    grams g
    kilograms kg
    millimeters mm
    liters L
    centimeters cm
    meters m
    kilometers km
  8. Abbreviate the titles of some organizations and things.
    These abbreviations are not followed by a period.
    UN (United Nations)
    FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation)
    TV (television)
✔ Capital letters are important because they help determine meaning in written language.
✔ Capitalize all proper nouns and proper adjectives.
✔ Capitalize the first word at the beginning of a sentence.
✔ Most abbreviations start with a capital letter and end with a period. Use only commonly accepted abbreviations.
Capitalize all proper nouns.
  1. TRUE
  2. FALSE
Capitalize proper names and names of geographical places, specific historical events, eras, documents, languages, nationalities, countries, and races.
  1. TRUE
  2. FALSE
Capitalize the first word at the beginning of a sentence.
  1. TRUE
  2. FALSE
It’s not important to use capital letters consistently within a particular document.
  1. TRUE
  2. FALSE
Capitalize only the last part of a person’s name.
  1. TRUE
  2. FALSE
If a name begins with d’, de, or du, do not capitalize the prefix unless it is preceded by a first name or a title.
  1. TRUE
  2. FALSE
A person can always decide how to capitalize the words in his or her name.
  1. TRUE
  2. FALSE
Do not capitalize the names of any animals.
  1. TRUE
  2. FALSE
A personal name that is used as a common noun is capitalized, as in “Watt” and “Kelvin.”
  1. TRUE
  2. FALSE
Capitalize titles used before a person’s name.
  1. TRUE
  2. FALSE
Capitalize only the first part of a compound title, as in “Vice president.”
  1. TRUE
  2. FALSE
Capitalize titles that show family relationships when the title is used with a person’s name or in direct address.
  1. TRUE
  2. FALSE
Capitalize titles of parents and relatives not preceded by a possessive word (such as my).
  1. TRUE
  2. FALSE
Capitalize the major words in titles of books, plays, movies, newspapers, and magazines.
  1. TRUE
  2. FALSE
Do not capitalize acronyms, abbreviations formed from the first letter of each word in a phrase.
  1. TRUE
  2. FALSE
Capitalize a compass point when it identifies a specific area of the country or refers to direction.
  1. TRUE
  2. FALSE
Capitalize religions and references to the Supreme Being, including the pronouns referring to the Supreme Being.
  1. TRUE
  2. FALSE
Capitalize proper adjectives formed from proper nouns. Always capitalize the prefix attached to a proper adjective.
  1. TRUE
  2. FALSE
An abbreviation is a shortened form of a word or phrase. Abbreviations start with a capital letter and end with a period.
  1. TRUE
  2. FALSE
Abbreviate social titles and titles of rank, academic degrees, and some historical periods.
  1. TRUE
  2. FALSE