Capitalization is fundamental to proper writing and is thus tested on the PERT. A solid understanding of the grammatical standards regarding initial capitalization (that is, capitalizing the first letter of a word) is important to your success on the writing section of the test.
Rules of Capitalization
The following are the correct situations in which to use initial capitalization:
Proper Nouns
- Proper nouns refer to specific people, places, and things, like “John,” “France,” or “Google.” You must be able to recognize when to capitalize names, cities, organizations, and other proper nouns.
Titles
- Capitalize the first and last words in the title of a work, as well as all major words in between (e.g. “The Catcher in the Rye”). Words like conjunctions and prepositions are not capitalized if they are not the first or last word. Be prepared to correct sentences that fail to follow this rule.
- The title of a person also requires capitalization when used in conjunction with their name, such as “President George Washington.” However, the title does not need to be capitalized when used in a general sense; in the sentence “The president is the head of the executive branch,” “president” is not referring to a specific person, so it is lowercase.
Beginnings of Sentences
- Every sentence must start with a capital letter. You’ll be expected to correct lowercase beginnings of sentences or incorrect capitalization in the middle of a sentence, even after a dash or a semicolon.
Deep Dive: Capitalizing with Confidence
Capitalization is more than just starting sentences with uppercase letters. Proper nouns, titles, and certain words in formal situations also need to be capitalized. Let’s dive deeper into some key capitalization rules:
First Word in a Sentence
- There are no exceptions to this rule. Always capitalize the first word in every sentence.
- Example: “The cat is sleeping.”
Proper Nouns
- Names of people, places, specific institutions, and certain events are capitalized.
- Examples: “John Smith,” “Paris,” “Harvard University,” “Super Bowl.”
Titles Before Names
- Capitalize titles when they appear before someone’s name.
- Examples: “Justice Warren,” “Doctor Smith.”
Family Relationships When Used as Titles
- Capitalize family relationship terms when used as titles before names or when substituting for a name.
- Examples: “I went to see Aunt Sarah.” “I’ll ask Mom for help.”
Government Officials
- Capitalize titles of high-ranking government officials when used with a specific name, but not when used generically.
- Examples: “Governor Brown attended the meeting.” “The governor attended the meeting.”
Days, Months, and Holidays
- Always capitalize the names of days, months, and holidays.
- Examples: “Monday,” “January,” “Christmas.”
Important Words in Titles
- Capitalize the first and last words of a title, as well as all major words (nouns, verbs, adjectives).
- Example: “The Great Gatsby.”
Key Tip: When in doubt, think about whether the word refers to a specific person, place, or thing. Proper nouns are always capitalized, while general terms are not.
Key Tip: Practice distinguishing between proper nouns and common nouns. Proper nouns (specific names, places, or titles) should always be capitalized, while common nouns are not. The pronoun “I” should always be capitalized.