English Grammar Chapter 3: Capitalization

Study Notes

General Rules for Capitalization

Proper nouns, including names of people, places, and organizations, must be capitalized (e.g., Don Hudson, Eiffel Tower).
Cities, states, provinces, and countries are capitalized (e.g., Laoag City, Philippines, Vancouver).
Specific geographical features like oceans and rivers require capitalization (e.g., Pacific Ocean, Magat River).
Brand names should be capitalized (e.g., Ford, Kleenex).
Always capitalize the pronoun "I" and the names of specific days, months, and academic courses (e.g., Friday, March, Anthropology 2022).
Important words in titles (e.g., books, plays, magazines) should be capitalized.
First word of quotations and sentences begins with a capital letter (e.g., "Nobody will ever believe you.").
Nationalities, languages, and races are capitalized (e.g., Greek, Russian).
Cardinal directions (North, South, East, West) are only capitalized when referring to geographical regions, not mere directions (e.g., the Northwest).
Names of holidays should always be capitalized (e.g., Thanksgiving, Halloween).
Titles, abbreviations, and specific historical documents like The Constitution are capitalized.

General Rules Against Capitalization

Do not capitalize seasons when they are not part of a title (e.g., "I like summer best.").
General subjects of study should not be capitalized unless accompanied by a proper name (e.g., mathematics, history).

Abbreviations

Shortening words or phrases is called abbreviating.
Non-military titles abbreviated include Dr. (Doctor), Rev. (Reverend), Hon. (Honorable), Jr. (Junior), Sr. (Senior), Mr., Mrs., Ms., and Prof. (Professor).
"Ms." is used for women unless otherwise specified. "Miss" is not an abbreviation and does not incorporate a period.
Titles should not be combined (e.g., do not use Dr. and MD together).
Abbreviate professional titles only when used with full names or initials (e.g., Gen. Lewis MacKenzie but General MacKenzie).

Academic Degrees Abbreviations

Common abbreviations for degrees include:
- B.A. (Bachelor of Arts)
- M.A. (Master of Arts)
- Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy)
- M.D. (Doctor of Medicine)
Abbreviations follow the full name and are separated by a comma (e.g., Tyra E. King, M.D.).

Time and Historical Dates

A.M./a.m. indicates time before noon; P.M./p.m. indicates time after noon.
"B.C." stands for "Before Christ"; "A.D." stands for "Anno Domini," indicating years after Christ's birth.

Punctuation

Common end punctuation marks include the period (.), question mark (?), and exclamation point (!).
Use a period to conclude declarative and imperative sentences, as well as sentences that involve citations.
A question mark indicates a direct question (e.g., "Why did the chicken cross the road?").
Exclamation points express strong emotions (e.g., "I got a perfect score on the SAT!").

Combining Sentences

Compound sentences can be created using a comma and a coordinating conjunction (e.g., "I have a pet iguana, and his name is Fluffy.").
Semicolons can replace commas when separating independent clauses (e.g., "I have a pet iguana; his name is Fluffy.").

Commas and Semicolons

Commas separate logical parts of a sentence or elements in a list (e.g., "I love movies such as ...").
Place a comma before a coordinating conjunction and use a semicolon without it between independent clauses.

Colons

Colons introduce quotations, explanations, examples, or series (e.g., "She had three actions: graduate, find a job, ...").
Can connect two independent clauses where the second part explains the first (e.g., "I didn't want to go: I had other plans.").
A colon can emphasize specific parts of a sentence (e.g., "She was sure of one thing: her friends.").

Description

Test your knowledge on the general rules for capitalization with this quiz from Chapter 3 of English Grammar. Learn how to properly capitalize proper nouns, geographical names, and specific natural features. Enhance your understanding of English capitalization rules.