- capital letters
- ◊ obligatory capital letterYou must use a capital letter for the first word of a sentence or a piece of direct speech. See entry at ↑ Punctuation.\You must also start the following words and word groups with a capital letter:\• names of people, organizations, books, films, and plays (except for short, common words like `of', `the', and `and')
...Miss Helen Perkins, head of management development at Price Waterhouse.
...their new film, `Three Men and a Little Lady'.
\Troilus and Coriolanus are the greatest political plays that Shakespeare wrote.
Note that you spell even short, common words with a capital letter when they come at the beginning of the title of a book, film, or play.\...his new book, `A Future for Socialism'.
• names of placesDempster was born in India in 1941.
\The strongest gust was recorded at Berry Head, Brixham, Devon.
• names of days, months, and festivals\The trial continues on Monday.
• nouns referring to people of a particular nationality\• names of people used to refer to art, music, and literature created by themIn those days you could buy a Picasso for £300.
I listened to Mozart.
\I stayed in the dressing-room until lunchtime, reading my latest Jeffrey Archer.
• nouns referring to products produced by a particular company\I bought a second-hand Volkswagen.
• titles used in front of someone's nameThere has been no statement so far from President Bush.
\The tower was built by King Henry II in the 12th century.
• adjectives indicating nationality or place...a French poet.
\...the Californian earthquake.
• adjectives indicating that something is associated with or resembles a particular person...his favourite Shakespearean sonnet.
...in Victorian times.
\He loved being the centre of attention and dropped easily into Tarzanesque poses.
◊ 'I'The personal pronoun `I' is always written as a capital letter.\◊ WARNINGThe words `me', `my', `mine', and `myself' are not written with a capital letter, unless they come at the beginning of a sentence.\◊ optional capital letterYou can use either a small letter or a capital letter at the beginning of\• words referring to directions such as `North' and `South'We shall be safe in the north.
\The home-ownership rate in the South East of England is higher than in the North.
• words referring to decadesAdult literacy work became in the seventies a kind of call for emergency troops.
\Most of it was done in the Seventies.
• names of seasonsI planted it last autumn.
\In the Autumn of 1948 Caroline returned to the United States.
• titles of people (especially when used to refer to a type of person)...the great prime ministers of the past.
...one of the greatest Prime Ministers who ever held office.
...portraits of the president.
\...the brother of the President.
◊ referring to GodSome people write `he', `him', and `his' with a capital letter when they are referring to God or Jesus.\Some said they saw the Son of God; others did not see Him.
Useful english dictionary. 2012.