English Capitalization Rules and Examples

English Capitalization Rules and Example Sentences

Capitalize Cities, Countries, Nationalities, and Languages

The names of countries, cities, nationalities, and languages are proper nouns, they should be capitalized.

Example;

• My uncle is Dutch.

 

Capitalize the First Word of a Sentence

This one’s easy. Always capitalize the first word of a sentence.

Example;

• The dog is sleeping, deeply.

 

Capitalize Names and Other Proper Nouns

It should be always capitalized people’s names.

Example;

• My favourite author is Albert Camus.

 

Don’t Capitalize After a Colon (Usually)

Generally, you don’t need to capitalize after a colon.

Example;

• She has a passion: cycling.

 

Capitalize the First Word of a Quote (Sometimes)

It should be capitalized the first word of a quote when the quote is a complete sentence. Don’t capitalize the first word of partial quotes.

Example;

• My mom said she was “way too busy” to join the team.

 

Capitalize Days, Months, and Holidays, But Not Seasons

The names of days, months, and holidays are proper nouns should be capitalized.

Example;

• Our wedding anniversary is in June.

 

Capitalize Most Words in Titles

The capitalization rules for titles of books, movies, and other works vary slightly. In general, the first word, all nouns, all verbs, all adjectives, and all proper nouns should be capitalized.

Example;

• My first movie is Harry Potter.