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English Capitalization Rules Guide

· 5 min read

Whether in daily writing, creating Pull Requests, or submitting Issues to open source projects, we often need to use English titles. Knowing which parts require capitalization can be quite troublesome. Below are detailed English capitalization rules from Scribendi, a team with over 20 years of experience in editing and proofreading English works and documents. Their capitalization rules incorporate standards from Chicago, MLA, and APA style guides, making them extremely valuable for reference.

@[toc]

1. Names, Places, Objects 📍​

Names of people, places, and specific objects and events should be capitalized:

Example:

  • The Burj Khalifa is the tallest tower in the world.
  • In China, the Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated in late June.

2. Seasons, Months, Directions 🍃​

Seasons used alone do not need capitalization, but when combined with specific names or events, they should be capitalized.

  • My favorite season is autumn. // No capitalization needed
  • I love the Summer Olympic Games. // Capitalization needed

Months should be capitalized:

  • I'm going on vacation in April.
  • The conference is scheduled for September.

Directions follow the same rule as seasons:

  • The café is five minutes south of the station.
  • The landscape in Northern Ontario is stunning.

3. Job Titles 🧑‍💼​

Job titles should be capitalized:

  1. When used as part of a person's name or when associated with a specific person.

    • Hi, Professor Clarke. How are you?
    • This is Quality Assurance Manager John Smith.

  2. In cover letters

    • I am writing to apply for the Content Marketing position.

  3. In signature lines of letters:

Example
Sincerely,
Anna Garcia, Human Resources Manager
...

In other cases, no capitalization is needed:

  • My professor drinks a concerning amount of coffee.
  • The man at the desk is John Smith, our quality assurance manager.

4. Letters and Emails: Greetings and Closings ✉️​

The first word and major words in greetings and closings of letters and emails should be capitalized:

Example
Dear Hiring Manager,
I am writing to apply for the Research Assistant position.
...
Best regards,
Jessica Turner
...

5. Academic Subjects and Course Names 🧑‍🏫​

For academic subjects, only capitalize proper nouns such as languages, countries, or cultures:

  • I like my Spanish literature class, but biology is where I truly shine.
  • This semester, I'm studying sociology, psychology, English, and French.

For specific course names, capitalize major words but not minor words:

  • Let's grab some coffee together after our East Asian Studies lecture.
  • Next semester, I really want to take the Introduction to Scandinavian Languages course.

General fields of study do not require capitalization.

6. Work Titles 📚​

For English works such as books, articles, and movies, first capitalize the first word, then capitalize major words, but not minor words unless they are the first or last word:

  • I'm reading The Old Man and the Sea.
  • My presentation on Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee is due tomorrow!

6.1 Titles with Hyphenated Compound Words 🧲​

For titles with hyphens (-), first capitalize the first word, then capitalize major words:

  • I preordered Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
  • Can I borrow your copy of The Encyclopedia of Over-the-Counter Medicines?

6.2 Titles with Spelled-out Numbers and Fractions 📟​

Spelled-out numbers and fractions in titles should all be capitalized:

  • Where's my copy of Twenty-First-Century Design Trends?
  • I'm writing my next book, Only Three-Quarters Left: A History of Office Lunch Thieves.

6.3 Titles with Scientific Species Names 🐷​

When titles contain scientific species names, only capitalize the first word:

  • My assigned reading today is Antilocapra americana: Its Habitat and Lifestyle.
  • I've added "Meep Meep": The Habits of Geococcyx californianus to my reading list.

7. Capitalization After Colons 🚧​

If there are two or more complete sentences after a colon (:), the first word of the sentence must be capitalized. If there is one sentence and the first word is a proper noun, it should be capitalized.

  • Garlic is my roommate's favorite ingredient: She uses it in almost everything. I think she uses it a bit too much.

Two other cases do not require capitalization:

  1. When what follows the colon is not a complete sentence, no capitalization is needed, even for proper nouns:
    • I add a secret ingredient to my meatballs: cinnamon.
  2. When what follows the colon is a series of terms, no capitalization is needed unless they are proper nouns:
    • First aid kits should always contain a few basics: bandages, disinfectant, and sterile gloves.

8. Capitalization After Semicolons 🚛​

Only capitalize after a semicolon (;) when the following word is a proper noun:

  • I love the rain; my cat clearly hates it.
  • Jeff starts every morning with a cup of coffee; Colombian brews are his favorite.

9. Quotations 🪗​

If a quotation ("") contains a complete sentence that is an independent clause, the first word should be capitalized:

  • Einstein said, "Love is a better teacher than duty."
  • As my Great-Aunt Ethel used to say, "You should always pack an extra pair of socks."

If not, no capitalization is needed:

  • The BBC article reported that Queen Elizabeth "adores her pet corgis."
  • Multiple students complained about the new chairs, calling them "an affront to humanity."

Appendix​

  • Complete Sentence: A complete sentence contains at least a subject and a predicate.
  • Major Words: Refers to nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs.
  • Minor Words: Refers to articles, conjunctions, and prepositions.

Conclusion​

GitHub repository Capitalization Rules contains the Scribendi rules PDF. Those who need it can help themselves 🤓.