1. the first word of a sentence
EXAMPLE
2. proper nouns
names of relatives (to indicate family relationship) when used with name
EXAMPLE
names of relatives when used as proper name
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EXAMPLE
titles
A. preceding a name
EXAMPLE
EXCEPTION - Do not capitalize titles that follow names.
EXCEPTION - Do not capitalize
titles used as general words.
B. when used in direct address
ADDITIONAL NOTES FOR TITLES
Capitalize very high ranking government officials' titles even when not followed by a name or used in direct address when a specific individual is referred to.
EXAMPLES
If no specific individual is referred to, do not capitalize titles of even very high ranking government officials.
EXAMPLE
Capitalize important words in compound titles used with names, but do not capitalize prefixes or suffixes added to the titles.
EXAMPLES
3. major words in titles of books, articles, and songs
EXAMPLE
EXCEPTION - Do not capitalize short prepositions, conjunctions, or articles unless they are the first word of the title
EXAMPLES
4. names of God, specific deities, religious figures, and holy books
EXAMPLES
EXCEPTION - Do not capitalize the non-specific use of the word "god."
5. directions that are names, such as North, South, East, and West when used as sections of the country
EXAMPLE
EXCEPTION - Do not capitalize directions when used as compass directions
6. days of the week, months of the year, and holidays
EXAMPLES
7. seasons, when used in a title
EXAMPLE
EXCEPTION - Do not capitalize the names of seasons if they are used generally.
8. countries, nationalities, and specific languages
EXAMPLES
9. periods and events
EXAMPLES
EXCEPTION - Do not capitalize century numbers
10. names of national, political, racial, social, civic,
and athletic groups
EXAMPLES
11. trademarks
EXAMPLES
12. the first word in a sentence that is a direct quote, even if the direct quote comes in the middle of a sentence
EXAMPLE
13. the first word of a sentence following a colon
EXAMPLE
EXCEPTION - Do not capitalize the first word of a list following a colon if the list is not a complete sentence.
14. The first word in each line of most poetry
EXAMPLE
15. the single-letter word, first person pronoun I.
EXAMPLE
16. salutations and closings in letters - first word only unless proper name is used
EXAMPLES
17. initials, initialisms, and acronyms
EXAMPLES
18. names of the planets
EXAMPLES
NOTE - Experts disagree about whether to capitalize earth, sun, and moon. For consistency, this author suggests capitalizing them when they are used to designate celestial bodies.