Capitalization Part 3

CAPITALIZATION
RULES PART 3

the city of New York (vs.) New York City
the county of Marin (vs.) Marin County

Examples:

Rule:Do not capitalize

city, town, county, etc., if it

comes before the proper

name.

Example: Bill said, "That job we started last April is done."

Rule: Always capitalize the first word in a
complete quotation, even midsentence.

One of her cardinal rules was, Never
betray a friend.

It made me wonder, What is mankind's
destiny?

Examples:

Rule: For emphasis,

sometimes capitalize a

midsentence

independent clause or

question.

I must take history and Algebra 101.
He has a double major in European
economics and philosophy.

Examples:

Rule: Capitalize specific
course titles, not general

academic subjects.

Rule: Capitalize art movements.

Example:
I like Surrealism, but I never understood Abstract
Expressionism.

Example: Bring the following: paper, a pencil, and a snack.

Rule: Do not capitalize the first item in a
list that follows a colon.

Rule: Do not capitalize "the

national anthem."

Rule: Capitalization in composition titles varies, but some
universal rules include capitalizing the title's first and last
word, verbs, all pronouns, and "not." Avoid capitalizing "a,"
"an," "the," "and," "or," "nor," and "to" unless they're the first

or last word.

Note: Prepositions' capitalization varies. Some capitalize if

they have more than three letters, others if more than
five, and some not at all. Hyphenated words also vary.

Example: The King's English: A Guide to Modern Usage

Rule: For subtitles, use a colon after the
main title and follow composition
capitalization rules.

Note: Capitalizing composition

titles has gray areas. It's essential

to pick a policy and stay consistent.

Multiple Choice

1. According to the geographic terms rule, which of the following is correct?

• 1. The city of Los Angeles

• 1. Los Angeles city

• 1. The county of Orange