Study Skills > Writing Elements > Punctuation
Capital Letters
You may feel completely knowledgeable about the use of capital letters, and it is all too easy nowadays to let the computer put them in for us as we type. We all know that they are used at the start of sentences, for names of people, places and events (proper nouns), for 'I', and for titles. This is where some confusion can arise.
Which is correct out of the pairs listed below?
The word 'school' only needs a capital letter at the start when it is part of a name of a specific school. It does not need one when it appears on its own. The same is true for other places, institutions, organisations, and buildings.
Remember to put the capital letter in, when it is needed. We may have no problems in using a capital 'P' and a capital 'L' for Park Lane, but the title also includes the word 'School', so this needs a capital letter.
When using capital letters in titles (for a film, book, 'role', period or event) however, be careful only to use them for the start of the first and key words, and not for small words within the title.
Look at the titles below and decide which is correct.
The above examples throw up a few additional points to remember. People's titles should always have capital letters, for example: Prime Minister, Princess Royal.
Periods have titles, and begin with a capital letter: Gothic, the Renaissance, the Depression.
As you will know, countries begin with a capital letter, but so too do languages and nationalities, for example: English, Kurdish, Chinese, Arabic, French, Polish. Note that all words that are formed from, or are connected to, these base words also begin with capital letters, for example: Frenchman, Arabia, Chinese lantern.
Example...
Note that although capital letters are used for days of the weeks and months of the year, they are not needed for the points of the compass, or for seasons.
Summary
- Use capital letters for the start of proper nouns.
- Use capital letters at the start of only the first and important words in a title.
- Countries, languages, and nationalities always start with a capital letter.
- Do not use a capital letter at the start of seasons or points of the compass.
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