Capitalization rules
Test your knowledgeCapital letters are used with particular types of nouns, in certain positions in sentences, and with some adjectives. You must always use capital letters for:
The beginning of a sentence
Examples
- Dogs are noisy.
- Children are noisy too.
The first person personal pronoun, I
Examples
- Yesterday, I went to the park.
- He isn't like I am.
Names and titles of people
Examples
- Winston Churchill
- Marilyn Monroe
- the Queen of England
- the President of the United States
- the Headmaster of Eton
- Doctor Mathews
- Professor Samuels
Titles of works, books, movies
Examples
- War and Peace
- The Merchant of Venice
- Crime and Punishment
- Spider Man II
Months of the year
Examples
- January
- July
- February
- August
Days of the week
Examples
- Monday
- Friday
- Tuesday
- Saturday
Holidays
Examples
- Christmas
- Easter
- New Year's Day
- Thanksgiving Day
Names of countries and continents
Examples
- America
- England
- Scotland
- China
Names of regions, states, districts
Examples
- Sussex
- California
- Provence
- Tuscany
Names of cities, towns, villages
Examples
- London
- Cape Town
- Florence
- Vancouver
Names of rivers, oceans, seas, lakes
Examples
- the Atlantic
- the Pacific
- Lake Victoria
- the Rhine
- the Thames
Names of geographical formations
Examples
- the Himalayas
- the Alps
- the Sahara
Adjectives relating to nationality
Examples
- French music
- Australian animals
- German literature
- Arabic writing
Collective nouns for nationalities
Examples
- the French
- the Germans
- the Americans
- the Chinese
Language names
Examples
- I speak Chinese.
- He understands English.
Names of streets, buildings, parks
Examples
- Park Lane
- Sydney Opera House
- Central Park
- the Empire State Building
- Wall Street