Note, too, the difference between South Africa the name of a particular country and southern Africa a vaguely defined region. All I can suggest here is that you read a good newspaper and keep your eyes open. Observe that certain surnames of foreign origin contain little words that are often not capitalized, such as de , du , da , von and van. On the other hand, we write Daphne Du Maurier and Dick Van Dyke , because those are the forms preferred by the owners of the names.
When in doubt, check the spelling in a good reference book. A few people eccentrically prefer to write their names with no capital letters at all, such as the poet e. These strange usages should be respected. Britain was the first country to profit from the Industrial Revolution. The Greeks were already in Greece during the Bronze Age. During Ramadan, one may not eat before sundown. The feast of Purim is an occasion for merrymaking. Our church observes the Sabbath very strictly.
The children greatly enjoy Hallowe'en. The principal religions of Japan are Shinto and Buddhism. The Lord is my shepherd. The Prophet was born in Mecca.
The Last Supper took place on the night before the Crucifixion. The Old Testament begins with Genesis. Note, however, that the word god is not capitalized when it refers to a pagan deity: Poseidon was the Greek god of the sea.
The Round Tower was written by Catherine Cookson. Bach's most famous organ piece is the Toccata and Fugue in D Minor. Important note: The policy just described is the one most widely used in the English-speaking world. There is, however, a second policy, preferred by many people. In this second policy, we capitalize only the first word of a title and any words which intrinsically require capitals for independent reasons.
Using the second policy, my examples would look like this: I was terrified by The silence of the lambs. The round tower was written by Catherine Cookson. Bach's most famous organ piece is the Toccata and fugue in D minor. I don't usually like Cher, but I do enjoy The shoop shoop song. You may use whichever policy you prefer, so long as you are consistent about it. You may find, however, that your tutor or your editor insists upon one or the other. The second policy is particularly common though not universal in academic circles, and is usual among librarians; elsewhere, the first policy is almost always preferred.
Almost everybody owns a Sony Walkman. Note: There is a problem with brand names which have become so successful that they are used in ordinary speech as generic labels for classes of products. The manufacturers of Kleenex and Sellotape are exasperated to find people using kleenex and sellotape as ordinary words for facial tissues or sticky tape of any kind, and some such manufacturers may actually take legal action against this practice.
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Breaking In. Be Inspired. Writing Prompts. The Writer's Life. Writing Quotes. Vintage WD. From the Magazine. WD Competitions. Annual Competition. Self-Published Book. Self-Published Ebook. Popular Fiction. You could possibly make a case for scarlet fever being capitalized, but Chicago says 'if in doubt, do not capitalize', so my advice is to leave it lowercased. January 7, at pm. Did I already ask you about the capitalization rules for the 'first lady'? I assume it follows the same rules as president?
The first lady was a hoot on the Jimmy Fallon show. Anna Guest. June 8, at pm. Thanks for this post; it's been really helpful! Just to clarify, would First Lady still be capitalized when using British English? Log In to Comment Reply. Submit Comment Submit Reply. Complete this form to create an account and stay up to date on all the happenings here at ESL Library. View the Terms or Privacy Policy. Log In. As a Teacher As a Student. Search for…. Rule 1 Use a capital when the title directly precedes the name.
The president of the United States The vice president of the US Note: Exceptions occur when a political office chooses to capitalize a title in all positions, most likely for emphasis in promotional products. Some more examples Abraham Lincoln was a great president. Lincoln was the president from to President Lincoln is remembered for his work to end slavery.
Source: The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th edition, section 8. Not an ESL Library member? Comments 76 Leave a Comment. Tanya Trusler Author November 1, at pm. Reply to Comment. Tara Benwell Author November 6, at am. Tanya Trusler Author November 6, at am. Hi Tara, Yep, the same rules apply. Tara Benwell Author November 28, at am. What about movements? Should the 'civil rights movement' be capitalized? Tanya Trusler Author November 28, at am.
Tara Benwell Author January 10, at pm. Tanya Trusler Author January 11, at am. Hope that helps, Tanya :. Tara Benwell Author January 11, at am. Tara Benwell Author January 25, at am. It's so handy having some of these rules right here on our blog.
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