1.  Capitalize the names of proper nouns.

• Old Ottawa
• Ottawa University
• the Empire State Building
• Pierre Trudeau
• Pluto
• Saint-Michel Street / 7th Avenue

2.  Capitalize the first words in lines of poetry:

 

It was many and many a year ago, In a kingdom by the sea,

 

3.   Capitalize the name of a specific building.

 

·   Hillcrest High School	VS.	My cousin goes to high school.
·   Lethbridge College	VS.	I teach at a college.

4. School subjects are not capitalized, except for the names of Language.

I am studying history, chemistry, and English.

5. Nationalities, languages, and the adjectives formed from them take capitals.

• She is a Thai girl who speaks English and Spanish.
• I bought a Turkish carpet.

 

6. The name of a particular class or course is capitalized, especially when followed by a number.

• I hated Psychology VS.  I am taking a psychology class.
• I took a new course called Native VS. My major is native studies.

7. Don’t capitalize the names of the seasons–spring, winter, etc.

 

8. Capitalize north, east, south, and west when they show locations, not directions, or when they are part of the name of a country/continent.

• • I lived in the East for ten VS. Go east for 15 kilometers.
  • I lived in South Africa for ten

 

9.     Titles of people are capitalized when they are followed by the name.

 

· Uncle Joseph	VS.	My uncle came to my house.
· Aunt Louise	VS.	My favourite aunt lives in Alberta.

 

10. When the title of a person is used in place of the name, it is capitalized. (This rule generally occurs when you speak directly to the person).

 

• Will you come with me, Mother? My mother lives in Toronto.
• Good morning, VS. I have three professors.

 

11.     Do not capitalize words of family relationship when used with a possessive pronoun.

• my cousin Jim, your aunt VS. Hi, Aunt Sally!

 

12. Always capitalize the first word and the last word of every book, movie, article/essay title. The words in between are also capitalized unless they are prepositions (of, from, to, for, etc.), short coordinate conjunctions (or, nor, but, and, etc.), the to in front of an infinitive, or articles (a, an, the, some).

 

• titles of books and movies: The Last of the Mohicans, For Whom the Bell Tolls, Gone with the Wind
  • Note: You can also italicize the names of these books and
• “The Misconceived Revolution: State and Society in China” was an interesting article that appeared in the Journal of Asia Studies/ Journal of Asia Studies.

13. Capitalize words referring to any deity.

• It took God six days to create the
• Millions of people pray to Allah.
• Thousands of years ago, the Greeks prayed to Zeus and his wife