Capitalization Rules and Quotation Punctuation

Vocabulary flashcards covering the essential rules for capitalization and direct-quotation punctuation presented in the lecture.

Proper Noun

A specific person, place, thing, or idea that is always capitalized; multi-word proper nouns (e.g., Central Intelligence Agency) are treated as one name.

Capitalization of Names

Personal names are always capitalized, including first, middle, and last names (e.g., Jack, Lady Isabelle Hadley Spythe).

Capitalization of Religions

Religious names and their followers are capitalized (Catholic, Protestant, Methodists).

Capitalization of Races & Ethnicities

Designations such as Caucasian, African American, Asian, Native American are capitalized.

Capitalization of Countries

Country names (Brazil, United Kingdom) are always capitalized.

States, Counties, Provinces

Political subdivisions like Nebraska, Clay County, Nova Scotia are capitalized.

Cities & Boroughs

City and borough names (New York, Brooklyn) are capitalized.

Nationalities

Words like Irish, Swiss, Australian are capitalized.

National Parks & Forests

Formal park and forest names (Yellowstone National Park) are capitalized.

Months & Days

Months (June) and days of the week (Monday) are capitalized.

Languages

Language names such as English, Mandarin, Lakota are capitalized.

Historic Documents

Titles like Declaration of Independence, Magna Carta are capitalized.

Holidays

Proper holiday names (Easter, Labor Day) are capitalized.

Organizations

Formal organization names (General Electric, Boy Scouts of America) are capitalized.

Geographical Entities

Named rivers, mountains, basins, etc. (Hudson River, Mt. Rainier) are capitalized.

Geographic Directions vs. Locations

Capitalize regions (the South, the American Northeast) but not compass directions used as instructions (go north three miles).

Streets, Buildings, Events

Capitalize only when part of the proper name (Central Park, Spanish Civil War).

Family Relationships as Titles

Capitalize kinship words when they precede names (Aunt Augusta) but not when used generically (her aunts).

Academic Subjects vs. Course Titles

Capitalize specific course codes or full titles (Astronomy 201) but not general subjects (astronomy).

Capitalizing Titles of Long Works

Capitalize first and all major words; lowercase short conjunctions/prepositions (The Catcher in the Rye).

Italics for Long Works

Italicize titles of newspapers, films, operas, websites, etc.; underlining is an alternative when italics aren’t possible.

Quotation Marks for Short Works

Enclose titles of short stories, poems, articles, or book chapters in quotation marks ("Who Am I This Time?").

Punctuation Before a Direct Quote

Introduce a direct quotation with a comma or colon.

Capitalizing Direct Quotes

Always capitalize the first word of a full quoted sentence.

Periods & Commas with Quotes

Place periods and commas inside closing quotation marks.

Exclamation & Question Marks in Quotes

Keep ? and ! inside the quotes if they belong to the quoted material.

Split Quotations—Capitalization

Do not capitalize the second part if it continues the same sentence; do capitalize if it begins a new sentence.