Capitalization

Capitalization means using a capital letter (for example, A instead of a) . The use of capital letters helps readers read your writing without confusion.

Always capitalize the following:

The first word in a sentence.

• I grew up in India.
• She left a message on my phone.

The pronoun I.

• This country is where I dreamed of.

The first letter of a proper noun (specific name).

• David wants to play soccer with us.
• This letter is from Chang.
• I graduated from the University of New York.
• I like Coca-Cola.
• She likes Godiva chocolates.

The first letter of months, days, and holidays (but not seasons).

• Today is June 8, 2011.
• Susie's birthday is this Thursday.
• The shops are closed on Easter.
• This summer is going to be very hot.

The first letter of nationalities, religions, races of people, and languages.

• We often eat Italian food.
• I want to master many languages, such as Spanish, Korean, Chinese, and Russian.
• There is one Christian church in my town.

The first letter in a person's title.

• This is Dr. Simon.
• I got it from Mr. Tom.

Geographic areas: cities, states, countries, mountains, oceans, rivers, etc.

• My destination is Paris, France.
• Hawaii is in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

Historical periods.

• The Renaissance began in the 14th century.
• The Qing Dynasty is the last dynasty in China.

The first letter of each major word in the title of a book, movie, article, etc.

• Tolstoy's War and Peace is my favorite novel.
• I found the article "How to Write a Good Cover Letter" in this magazine.

 

Possessive Nouns

Possessive nouns are used to indicate ownership.

Possessive nouns usually are formed by adding an apostrophe (') and s.

• John's book
• Kerry's car
• Grandma's mirror

When a noun is plural and ends in s, just add an apostrophe (').

• The kids' toys
• My parents' house
• The teachers' lounge

If two people own one thing, add the apostrophe and s to the second person only.

• John and Mary's new house
• David and Sue's wedding
• Tom and Doug's car

If two people own separate things, add the apostrophe and s for each person.

• Susan's and Beth's books
• Jean's and Dan's pants
• Ben's and Jim's offices

 

Adjectives

Adjectives describe or modify nouns.

I like fairy tales. A fairy tale is an imaginary story that has unrealistic characters in a fantastic background. It makes me forget about the real world and refreshes my tired mind.

Adjectives generally appear immediately before the noun.

• A pretty girl
• Red flowers
• A long stick
• Heavy boxes
• Warm weather

Commonly, adjectives of opposite meaning are formed by adding a prefix such as un, in, or dis.

• clear - unclear, important - unimportant, predictable - unpredictable, believable - unbelievable, common - uncommon, aware - unaware, ambiguous - unambiguous, conventional - unconventional, certain - uncertain
• definite - indefinite, correct - incorrect, comparable - incomparable, complete - incomplete, editable - inevitable, expensive - inexpensive
• able - disable, assemble - disassemble, content - discontent, similar - dissimilar

When using a string of adjectives, they should appear in a set order: size/shape + age + color + origin + material.

• A big brown house
• A small old English desk
• A beautiful black Italian leather purse
• Delicious Chinese food

The + adjective describes a class or group of people and acts as a noun.

• the old, the young, the poor, the rich, the oppressed, the homeless, etc.
• This popular TV show is loved by the old.