NUEVA VIZCAYA STATE UNIVERSITY

College of Arts and Sciences

Department of Arts and Languages

The Ins and Outs

of Capitalization
Prepared by: Nathaniel A. Aliguyon
LESSON OBJECTIVES:

a) Identify categories of words that

require capitalization.
b) Apply capitalization rules correctly in
sentences.
c) Analyze and revise sentences for clarity
and consistency in capitalization.
✓ Capital letters are used to emphasize
important words, like proper nouns and the
first word of a sentence.

✓ Care must be taken when using them, as

capitalization can change the meaning of
words.

✓ Knowing the proper use of capital letters

can help prevent confusion.
Proper vs Common Nouns
Proper nouns are names of specific people,
places, things, concepts or qualities, and are
always capitalized. Common nouns describe
general categories, and are not capitalized.

"Mathematics" is a proper noun, while "a mathematics

class" is a common noun.

Proper nouns: Nathaniel, Bayombong, Bangan Hill,

Buddhism, Honesty
Common nouns: girl, city, monument, religion, virtue
Proper vs Common Nouns

Note: It's important to note that some common

nouns can become proper nouns when they are
used as names for specific things or places. For
example, "river" is a common noun, but "Mississippi
River" is a proper noun because it refers to a specific
river. Similarly, "restaurant" is a common noun, but
"McDonald's" is a proper noun because it refers to a
specific restaurant chain.
Capitalization in Sentences
Capitalizing the first word of sentences, after
colons, and in quotations is important. The
same applies to salutations and
complimentary closes in letters. After a
colon, lowercase can be used if the thought
is closely related.
Capitalization in Sentences
Sentences: The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy
dog. After a while, the cat decides to join in the fun.

Colons: He had only one thing in mind: revenge.

Quotations: "To be or not to be, that is the question,"

Hamlet said.

Salutations and complimentary closes: “Dear Mr.

Aliguyon:”, “Sincerely, Jane Doe.”
Ethnic, Religious, and National Groups
Capitalize the names of ethnic groups,
religions, and nationalities.

Ethnic groups: Igorot, Lumad, Aeta, Maranao

Religions: Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism,

Taoism

Nationalities: Filipino, Chinese, Japanese, Korean,

American
Ethnic, Religious, and National Groups
Do not capitalize the names of social and
economic groups.

social groups: upper class, middle class, lower class,

working class

economic groups: capitalists, laborers,

entrepreneurs, consumers, investors
Geographical Names
Geographical names, political divisions, stars
and constellations, and other features of the
Earth and sky should be capitalized in
writing. This includes names of political
divisions and geographical divisions.

Geographical names: Mount Palali, Mount, Everest

Political divisions: Luzon, Metro Manila
Stars: Polaris, Betelgeuse
Constellations: Ursa Major, Cassiopeia
Rivers: Magat River, Nile River, Chico River
Geographical Names
Geographic features should only be
capitalized when they are part of a proper
name, while directions such as north, south,
east, and west should only be capitalized
when referring to sections of a country.
Geographical Names
Capitalized geographic features: Mayon Volcano,
Manila Bay, Sierra Madre Mountains, Taal Lake

Uncapitalized geographic features: volcanic

eruption, bay area, mountain range, lake district

Capitalized directions: Northern Luzon, Southern

Mindanao, Eastern Visayas, Western Visayas

Uncapitalized directions: north of Manila, south of

Cebu City, east of Iloilo, west of Davao City
Geographical Names
Names of stars, constellations, and planets
should always be capitalized, while Earth,
sun, and moon should only be capitalized
when referred to as astronomical bodies.
Geographical Names
Capitalized names of stars: Polaris, Sirius,
Betelgeuse, Vega

Uncapitalized use of "star": shooting star, starry night

Capitalized names of constellations: Orion, Ursa

Major, Cassiopeia, Andromeda

Uncapitalized use of "constellation": star chart of

constellations, constellation of myths
Geographical Names
Capitalized names of planets: Mars, Jupiter, Saturn,
Venus

Uncapitalized use of "planet": planetarium show,

planet exploration

Capitalized use of "Earth": Earth's atmosphere, Earth's

rotation

Uncapitalized use of "earth": handful of earth, earth

science
Geographical Names
Capitalized use of "Sun": Sun's rays, Sun's position

Uncapitalized use of "sun": sunflower, solar energy

Capitalized use of "Moon": Moon's surface, Moon's

orbit

Uncapitalized use of "moon": moonlit night,

moonstone
Institutions, Events, and Concepts
The Association of Civil Engineering Students
(ACES) and the Department of Housing and
Urban Development are cooperating on a
project, with the organization capitalizing
the names of its internal divisions and
departments, such as the Board of Directors.
Institutions, Events, and Concepts
Historical events, such as the Edsa
Revolution, as well as holidays and specific
periods of time, such as Labor Day and The
Enlightenment, should be capitalized.
Institutions, Events, and Concepts
Historical events: Cry of Pugad Lawin, Battle of
Mactan, Philippine-American War

Uncapitalized use of "revolution": agrarian

revolution, digital revolution

Holidays: Labor Day, Independence Day, All Saints'

Day, Christmas Day
Institutions, Events, and Concepts
Uncapitalized use of "day": ordinary day, workday

Specific periods of time: The Enlightenment, the

Renaissance, the Industrial Revolution, the Age of
Exploration

Uncapitalized use of "period": medieval period,

modern period
Institutions, Events, and Concepts
Seasons of the year and species names should
not be capitalized, although scientific names of
classes, families, and orders should be.
Institutions, Events, and Concepts
Kingdom: Animalia (animals), Plantae (plants), Fungi
(fungi)

Phylum (or Division for plants): Chordata (vertebrates),

Arthropoda (insects, spiders, crustaceans),
Magnoliophyta (flowering plants)

Class: Mammalia (mammals), Aves (birds), Insecta

(insects)

Order: Carnivora (cats, dogs, bears), Primates

(monkeys, apes, humans), Coleoptera (beetles)
Institutions, Events, and Concepts
Family: Felidae (cats), Canidae (dogs), Hominidae
(humans and their extinct relatives)

Genus: Panthera (lions, tigers, leopards), Canis (wolves,

coyotes, dogs), Homo (humans)

Species: Panthera leo (lion), Canis lupus (gray wolf),

Homo sapiens (modern humans)
Titles of Works
The initial letters and major words of titles of
books, articles, plays, and films should be
capitalized, excluding articles, coordinating
conjunctions, and short prepositions unless
they begin or end the title.
Titles of Works
Capitalized title of a book: The Great Gatsby, Harry
Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Uncapitalized article in a title: The Catcher in the

Rye, The Lord of the Rings

Capitalized coordinating conjunction in a title: The

Sound and the Fury, Gone with the Wind

Uncapitalized short preposition in a title: Of Mice

and Men, In Cold Blood
Titles of Works
Capitalized title of an article: The Art of War, The
Theory of Relativity

Capitalized title of a play: Romeo and Juliet, A

Streetcar Named Desire

Capitalized title of a film: The Godfather, Titanic,

Jurassic Park
Titles and Job Descriptions
When used with personal names, titles such
as Ms., Professor, and job titles are
capitalized. However, when used as
appositives, they are usually not capitalized,
with the exception of President, which is
always capitalized.
Titles and Job Descriptions
Capitalized title before a name: Professor Aliguyon,
Ms. Santos, Dr. Reyes

Uncapitalized title in apposition: Maria Dimagiba,

professor of economics, gave a lecture yesterday.

Capitalized title as part of a name: President

Rodrigo Duterte, Senator Grace Poe
Titles and Job Descriptions
Epithets such as "the Great" or "the Wise" are
also capitalized when referring to a person.
Family relationships are only capitalized
when they are used before or instead of a
name.
Titles and Job Descriptions
Capitalized epithet: Alexander the Great, Gandalf
the Grey, Saruman the White

Capitalized family relationship before a name: Aunt

Maria, Uncle Bob, Grandfather Smith

Uncapitalized family relationship after a name:

Maria, my aunt, came to visit us.

Uncapitalized family relationship used in apposition:

My uncle, a lawyer, gave me some advice.
Abbreviations and Letters
Abbreviations that stand for words that
would be capitalized should be capitalized.
This includes letters that serve as names or
indicate shapes, such as X-ray, vitamin B, T-
square, U-turn, and I-beam.
Abbreviations and Letters
Capitalized abbreviations for words that would be
capitalized: NASA (National Aeronautics and Space
Administration)

Capitalized abbreviations that serve as names or

indicate shapes: X-ray, T-square, U-turn, I-beam, V-
neck
Abbreviations and Letters
The first word of a complete sentence
enclosed in dashes, brackets, or parenthesis
is not capitalized when it appears as part of
another sentence.

I always remember the phrase "a stitch in time saves

nine" (my grandmother's favorite saying) because it
reminds me to take care of small problems before
they become bigger ones.
Abbreviations and Letters
Certain units, such as parts and chapters of
books, and rooms in buildings, when
specifically identified by number, should be
capitalized. Minor divisions within such units
are not capitalized unless they begin a
sentence.

In Chapter 3 of the novel, the protagonist finally

confronts her nemesis in Room 101, which is said to
contain the worst thing in the world.
NUEVA VIZCAYA STATE UNIVERSITY
College of Arts and Sciences
Department of Arts and Languages