Today is our topic of discussion – Other Rules
Other Rules
Other Rules
The main function of capitalization is to focus attention on particular elements within any group of people, places, or things. We can speak of a lake in the middle of the country, or we can be more specific and say Lake Michigan, which distinguishes it from every other lake on earth.
Capitalization reference list:
a. Brand names
b. Companies
c. Days of the week and months of the year
d. Governmental matters Congress (but congressional), the U.S. Constitution (but constitutional), the Electoral College, Department of Agriculture. Note: Many authorities do not capitalize federal or state unless it is part of the official title: State Water Resources Control Board, but state water board; Federal Communications Commission, but federal regulations.
e. Historical episodes and eras the Inquisition, the American Revolutionary War, the Great Depression
f. Holidays Victory Day, Independence Day.
g. Institutions Oxford College, the Juilliard School of Music
h. Manmade structures the Empire State Building, the Eiffel Tower, the Titanic
i. Manmade territories Berlin, Montana, Cook County
j. Natural and manmade landmarks Mount Everest, the Hoover Dam
k. Nicknames and epithets Andrew “Old Hickory” Jackson; Babe Ruth, the Sultan of Swat
l. Organizations American Center for Law and Justice, Norwegian Ministry of the Environment
m. Planets Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, but policies vary on capitalizing earth, and it is usually not capitalized unless it is being discussed specifically as a planet: We learned that Earth travels through space at 66,700 miles per hour.
n. Races, nationalities, and tribes Eskimo, Navajo, East Indian, Caucasian, African American (Note: white and black in reference to race are lowercase)
o. Religions and names of deities Note: Capitalize the Bible (but biblical). Do not capitalize heaven, hell, the devil, satanic.
p. Special occasions the Olympic Games, the Cannes Film Festival
q. Streets and roads Topkhana Road, Jasimuddin Road
Lowercase reference list
a. Here is a list of categories not capitalized unless an item contains a proper noun or proper adjective (or, sometimes, a trademark). In such cases, only the proper noun or adjective is capitalized.
b. Animals antelope, black bear, Bengal tiger, yellow-bellied sapsucker, German shepherd
c. Elements Always lowercase, even when the name is derived from a proper noun: einsteinium, nobelium, californium
d. Foods Lowercase except for brand names, proper nouns and adjectives, or custom-named recipes: Tabasco sauce, Russian dressing, pepper crusted bluefin tuna, Mandy’s Bluefin Surprise
e. Things in the space Never capitalize the moon or the sun
f. Medical conditions Epstein-Barr syndrome, tuberculosis, Parkinson’s disease
g. Plants, vegetables, and fruits poinsettia, Douglas fir, Jerusalem artichoke, organic celery, Golden Delicious apples