capital letters

◊ obligatory capital letter

You 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 places

Dempster 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.

It was mid-December and she was going home for Christmas.

\

• nouns referring to people of a particular nationality

The Germans and the French move more of their freight by rail, water or pipe than the British.

I had to interview two authors — one an American, one an Indian.

\

• names of people used to refer to art, music, and literature created by them

In 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.

...a cleansing powder which contains bleach (such as Vim).

\

• titles used in front of someone's name

There 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.

I thought I was alone.

\

◊ WARNING

The words `me', `my', `mine', and `myself' are not written with a capital letter, unless they come at the beginning of a sentence.

\

◊ optional capital letter

You 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 decades

Adult literacy work became in the seventies a kind of call for emergency troops.

Most of it was done in the Seventies.

\

• names of seasons

I 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 God

Some 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.

\