The following review summarizes the important rules of capitalization.
In Letters
Capitalize the first word and all nouns in the salutation.
Dear James, Dear Mr. Patterson:
Dear Aunt Jane, Dear Miss McCloud:
Capitalize only the first word in the complimentary close.
Your friend, Very truly yours,
Your niece, Cordially yours,
In Quotations
A direct quotation begins with a capital letter.
Edgar Allan Poe wrote, “Quoth the Raven, ‘Nevermore.’”
When a one-sentence quotation is interrupted, however, the second part does not start
with a capital.
“Does anyone,” Bethany asked, “know where my ice skates are?”
See Lesson 25, pages 209–211, for other examples of capitalizating quotations.
First Words
Capitalize the first word of a complete sentence, the comments of each new speaker in
conversation, and each line of poetry or verse.
SENTENCE
: The antelope survives on dry plains.
CONVERSATION
:“You begin to comprehend me, do you?” cried he,
turning towards her.
214 COMMON USAGE ERRORS
Lesson
26
Problems with
Capitalization
“Oh! yes—I understand you perfectly.”
“I wish I might take this for a compliment; but
to be so easily seen through I am afraid is piti-

3. he said, with a smile on his face, “look at my grades.”
C. Correctly capitalize the following conversation.
“where were you born?” asked the interviewer.
mariel said, “i was born in columbus, ohio.”
“when did you move to north carolina?”
“in 2002, when my father accepted his new job here.”
EXERCISE 2.
Copy the following, and capitalize each sentence correctly.
1. susie began her letter, “dear aunt olivia.”
2. mark twain said, “if you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.”
3. “why don’t you take art as an elective next year?” suggested mrs. esposito.
4. “you know,” said the guidance counseler, “you really should apply for early
decision.”
5. will rogers said, “don’t let yesterday use up too much of today.”
216 COMMON USAGE ERRORS
Here are some specific kinds of proper nouns, with examples, that require capital letters.
Names of particular persons, real or imaginary
Linda, Jeremy, Shania Twain, Ben Affleck, Sandra Day O’Connor, James
Bond, Frodo Baggins
Geographical names
Australia, New Jersey, Palm Beach County, Yosemite National Park, Fifth
Avenue
Titles of organizations, companies, and buildings
Kiwanis Club, National Audubon Society, Ford Motor Company, Riverside
Cathedral
Political parties, nations, government bodies
Republican, Democrat, France, Czech Republic, Zimbabwe, Senate,
Department of the Interior
Titles of persons showing office, rank, profession
President Roosevelt, General Marshall, Dr. Reed, Professor Hutchinson

Mathematics 4
Do not capitalize the names of unnumbered courses except for
languages:
I’m taking mechanical drawing, social studies, mathematics, and
German in the fall.
EXERCISE 3.
Draw a circle around each letter that should be capitalized.
1. my uncle in london 6. john jay high school
2. the republican candidate 7. lord of the rings: return of the king
3. english and history 8. grandma and aunt louise
4. the planet saturn 9. in the southwest near phoenix
5. fourth of july holiday 10. fire island national seashore
218 COMMON USAGE ERRORS
EXERCISE 4.
A. Copy these sentences, adding needed capitals.
1. mayor chang spoke at the meeting of the rotary club.
2. the blue ridge parkway winds through some of the most beautiful mountain scenery
in the east.
3. my sister has already taken spanish and french in high school.
4. a ford assembly plant is being built at the corner of spring street and linden boule-
vard.
5. the only continent my uncle hasn’t visited is antarctica.
6. the empire state building is still a major tourist attraction in new york city.
7. the department of agriculture oversees our national forests.
8. i saw venus and jupiter in the sky at twilight on labor day.
9. the first two books of the old testament are genesis and exodus.
PROBLEMS WITH CAPITALIZATION 219