1. Start of Sentences

Rule: Always capitalize the first word of every sentence.

Example:

• Correct: “English is a fascinating language.”
• Incorrect: “english is a fascinating language.”

Tip: Double-check that the first letter is capitalized after punctuation marks like a period, exclamation mark, or question mark.

2. Proper Nouns

Rule: Capitalize proper nouns—names of specific people, places, companies, and brand names.

Examples:

• “Paris is known as the city of lights.”
• “Microsoft was founded by Bill Gates.”

Common Mistake: Capitalizing general terms that aren’t specific, like “city” or “company” when they aren’t referring to a particular one.

Correct: “She works at a big company.” Incorrect: “She works at a Big Company.”

3. Titles and Headings

Rule: In titles, capitalize the first and last words, along with any important words in between. Short words (like “and,” “of,” “in”) are usually lowercase unless they are the first or last word.

Examples:

• Correct: “The Great Gatsby”
• Incorrect: “the Great Gatsby”

Tip: Try using the “title case” rule for headings, which capitalizes all significant words.

4. Pronoun “I”

Rule: Always capitalize “I” when referring to yourself, even in the middle of a sentence.

Example:

• Correct: “She and I went to the market.”
• Incorrect: “She and i went to the market.”

Tip: Remember, “I” is unique because it’s the only pronoun in English that is always capitalized.

5. Days, Months, and Holidays

Rule: Capitalize days of the week, months, and holidays. However, seasons like “spring” or “summer” are not capitalized unless part of a title.

Examples:

• Correct: “We met in July and planned to meet again in December.”
• Incorrect: “We met in july and planned to meet again in december.”

6. Job Titles (Sometimes)

Rule: Capitalize job titles when they appear directly before a person’s name, as part of a formal title. But don’t capitalize them when they’re used generally.

Examples:

• Correct: “President Lincoln gave an important speech.”
• Incorrect: “The company’s president will speak at the event.”

Tip: If in doubt, consider if the title is used like a name. If not, it likely doesn’t need to be capitalized.

7. Academic Subjects (Sometimes)

Rule: Capitalize academic subjects only if they are the name of a language or part of a course title.

Examples:

• Correct: “She is studying English and history.”
• Incorrect: “She is studying english and History.”

Practice Makes Perfect!

Try filling in the blanks to practice your capitalization:

1. The ____ (President/president) of the United States visited France.
2. I’ll see you on ____ (monday/Monday).
3. She and ____ (i/I) are friends.
4. We’re going to read about ____ (history/History) in my “History of Art” class.

Answers:

1. President
2. Monday
3. I
4. history (general subject), History (course title)