How to Write a Good Story

When Should We CaPiTaLizE?

Having trouble capitalizing? It's something that most of us started to learn when we  were very young, but it can be tricky to master. Is it a Professor or a professor? Facebook or facebook?

You have probably encountered people Who Feel The Need To Capitalize Every Word Of A Sentence Like This. That's not quite right.  Read on for a simple guide into the ins and outs of capitalizing like a  pro.

(Capitalise" is the British/Australian spelling, in North America, it is "capitalize)

      1. Capitalize the first word in a sentence.

One of the most basic rules of grammar: no matter what type of word the first word in the  is, it is usually capitalized. After you write a full stop (also known as a period in American English) at the end of one sentence, make a note in your mind to capitalize the first word of the next.  The first word of sentence written in brackets "( )" in the middle of another sentence does not need to  be capitalized; for example, in this sentence "also" is not capitalized.

However, a sentence written in brackets which is not  embedded in another sentence will need to start with a , for example: I didn't really understand what was going on. (I don't often, to be honest!) Oh well.

If a complete sentence follows a colon (:), then the first word can be capitalized, although this is optional. However, note that capitalization in this case is considered standard in many North American English grammar books. Capitalise the first word in a quotation, unless the quotation is syntactically joined to the sentence. A  describing what someone said is usually capitalized as it is apart from the sentence.

Quoting a short word or  is not usually capitalized, as it does form part of the sentence, for example: What is he doing with that "thing"?. You can also have longer quotes that are syntactically joined to sentences, for example: She was sent here to "observe and discreetly ascertain what the hell we were up to". Although many spell-checking services may correct this, the first letter of the first word after an ellipsis (...) does not need to be capitalized if it is in the same sentence.

They  will recognize the full stops (periods  in American English) and try to capitalize the subsequent word,  although this is wrong unless it is in a quote. When using an ellipsis  in a quote, the next word is allowed to be capitalized at the writer's  discretion, as the ellipsis signifies that the writer is still quoting  from the same source, but has skipped a part. Capitalize if it makes  sense in context.        

2. Capitalize all proper nouns.

This is perhaps the hardest thing to grasp when capitalizing, as you need to be able to identify the difference between   which must be capitalized, and common nouns which, in English, do not  require capitalizing. Proper nouns are nouns which refer to one  specific, unique thing, such as people, places and objects, as opposed  to a common noun which could refer to more than one entities which are  not unique.

For example, a boy and the boys are left uncapitalized as common nouns, as they could refer to any boy. However, Bob refers to one specific boy, and thus is a capitalised proper noun. Likewise, the village could refer to any village, whereas Hethersett refers to one village in particular.

Proper nouns can often be distinguished by the fact that you can't  usually put a "the" in front of them, for example, you can say the city, but it doesn't really sound right to say the London. Similarly, you can say the program, but you wouldn't say the .  Proper nouns also include things like organisations, religions,  particular ideas and unique things. The following are some groups of  proper nouns that must be capitalised that you should watch out for:   Personal names of people or animals.