Back to grammar! English capitalization rules can be tricky, especially since there are so many of them. I went over the first part a few weeks ago, and now I’m finishing them off.
In case you’re wondering why I can speak about this with authority, I majored in secondary education and English in college, which included a course on the correct grammar rules. I then taught 9th grade English last year!
1. Capitalize all names referring to a deity and the Bible, but not the words “god” and “goddess” when referring to mythology
Example: the Father, Old Testament, the Gospel, the Koran, Allah
Thor is the god of thunder.
God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are the Holy Trinity.
2. Capitalize the name of a school subject only if it is a language, proper noun, or is followed by a number
Examples: When is your English quiz?
This semester I’m taking Algebra 2, American history, biology, and Spanish.
3. Capitalize the name of a family relationship only when it is used with or as a person’s name
Example: My grandpa has two siblings, and I call them Aunt Sally and Uncle John.
4. The words “north,” “south,” “east,” and “west” are capitalized only when they indicate a particular section of the country but not when they indicate direction. (I always mess this one up!)
Example: I’m from New England, but I use to live in the South. The South is south of New England.
5. The words I and O are always capitalized.
Example: If I was Canadian, my national anthem would be O Canada.
6. Capitalize the first word of each topic and subtopic in an outline.
Example:
A. Blog posts for the week
a. Surviving the holidays with chronic pain
b. Capitalization rules
7. Capitalize abbreviations of time, titles, and organizations, as well as initials of names.
Example: When I was a teacher, I was Ms. K. Mitchell and I taught at XYZ.
8. Capitalize a title when it is used with a proper name.
Example: Admiral Smith had a long career in the Navy.
9. Never capitalize seasons of the year
It is currently on the edge of fall and winter.
Now I want to introduce you to Rebecca of Life with rMe!
Kate Mitchell is a blogger, chronic illness patient, and advocate who helps people understand chronic illness and helps chronic illness patients live their best lives.
I think everyone wants to ensure that they present their best work at all times. This is so whether someone is writing in English or another language.
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