We then learned the six steps to improve our sentence structure.

1. Ensure the information within the sentence is clear.

2. Make sure to use transitional words.
3. Use care with subordinate clauses.
4. Use active voice.
5. Use active verbs.
6. Follow grammar rules.

When to use capital letters

When asked, most of us would likely say we've got a handle on capitalizing words in English. After all, when you
were six and you named your dog Mr. Flufflepants, there was no question in your mind as to what parts of the
name needed to be capitalized, right?
However, it's important to know that, with regard to professional or academic writing, capitalization in English
entails quite a bit more than simply knowing to begin names and titles with capital letters.

Some capitalization rules

Though there are numerous rules associated with capitalization, our editors highlight a few of the most common
ones they encounter in academic and in ESL writing.

Capitalization rule #1
Capitalize the first word in quotations, provided the quoted material is a complete sentence.
For example:
Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "The only way to have a friend is to be one."

Capitalization rule #2
Use capitals for proper nouns. In other words, capitalize the names of people, specific places, and things.
For example:
We don't capitalize the word "bridge" unless it starts a sentence, but we must capitalize Brooklyn Bridge because it
is the name of a specific bridge.
OR
The word "country" would not normally be capitalized, but we would have to write China with a capital "C"
because it is the name of a specific country.
OR
The word "state", while not normally capitalized, would be written with a capital if it is in the name of an
organization, such as The State Board of Education.

Capitalization rule #3
Capitalize titles when they are on the signature line of a letter, when the title comes immediately before a name,
or when the title replaces the use of a name (i.e., a title used as a direct address).
Here are some examples:
Sincerely,
Vicky Marquez, President
OR
Ms. Vicky Marquez
OR
Hello, Senator. It's nice to see you again.
Do not capitalize titles when they are not used as a direct address to a person. For example:
The senator will be in town today to inspect the building of the railway.
Capitalization rule #4
Capitalize directions only when they refer to specific regions.
For example:
My favorite place in the world is Northern Ontario.
Do not capitalize "north," "south," "east," and "west" when giving directions:
Drive six blocks north, and then turn right.

Capitalization rule #5
All large words in the titles of movies, books, and other publications should be capitalized, while all small words (a,
an, the, but, and, if, as, or, nor, to name a few) should not be capitalized unless they are the first or last words in
the title:
A Life Less Ordinary (The word "A" would not normally be capitalized, but because it is the first word in the title,
we must capitalize it.)
OR
War of the Worlds (The words "of" and "the" are not capitalized because they are small and are not at the
beginning or end of the title, though exceptions to the "small words" rule do exist.)

Capitalization rule #6
The first word of a salutation should be capitalized, as well as the first word of a closing. For example:
Dear Billy,
OR
Regards,
John Smith

Capitalization rule #7
Capitalize words derived from proper nouns. For example:
I like English, but math is my favorite subject. (English is capitalized because it is derived from the proper noun
England, while math is not capitalized because it is not derived from a proper noun.)
Specific course titles should, however, be capitalized. For example:
I don't know what I'm going to do. I have to take Math 101 next year and it looks hard!

Capitalization rule #8
Capitalize when two or more sentences follow a colon.
For example:
We have set this restriction: Do your chores before watching television. That includes washing the dishes.
Do not capitalize after a colon if you are writing a list, or if there is only one sentence following the colon:
There are many metals hidden away within the earth's crust: gold, zinc, and lead are just a few examples.
OR
There is a way to remember test information: study a lot the night before your big midterm!
Now you have a better idea of how to use capitals in your writing. If you still feel unsure, consider having your
writing proofread by the professionals at Scribendi.
Image source: Edu Lauton/Stocksnap.io

Some people may tell you that there are far more than 10 rules of capitalization in English, and with everything
that you have to remember, that may be true. Others say that there are just three rules, and they are also correct.
The truth is that, depending on how you organize the rules, the rules of capitalization may be many or few.
Most of the things we capitalize in English are what we call proper nouns. They are the names of specific, unique
things.
 If you are talking about one specific mountain (Mt. Fuji), state (Idaho) or street (Atlantic Ave.), use a capital
letter for every word in the name.
 However, when you are talking about a common thing of which there are many - like a mountain, a state or a
street - don't use a capital letter for those words.
Capitals are not used for articles (a, an, the) or prepositions (of, on, for, in, to, with, etc.).

Key Rules
1. Names or titles of people
This one may seem obvious, but there's also a catch. Of course, you capitalize the first letters of a person's first,
middle and last names (John Quincy Adams), but you also capitalize suffixes (Jr., the Great, Princess of Power, etc.)
and titles.
Titles can be as simple as Mr., Mrs. or Dr., but they also apply to situations wherein you address a person by his or
her position as though it were part of their name. For example, when we talk about President Lincoln, we are using
his role as though it were a title not a job description. However, we wouldn't capitalize the word president if it
wasn't being used as a title. For example: "During the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln was the president of the United
States."
When capitalizing general job titles look at the position of the job title in the sentence in reference to the person's
name. This will help you know if it should be capitalized or not.

 As we've seen above you should capitalize the title when it come immediately before someone's name.
 You don't capitalize the job title if it is separated from the name, such as by a comma or the word "the."
For example: "Dr. Rogers was the cardiac surgeon on call." "While I was an intern I got to shadow Senior Marketing
Director Sam Jones for a day."
2. Names of mountains, mountain ranges, hills and volcanoes
Again, we're talking about specific places. The word 'hill' is not a proper noun, but Gellert Hill is because it's the
name of one specific hill. Use a capital letter to begin each word in the name of a mountain (Mt. Olympus),
mountain range (the Appalachians), hill (San Juan Hill) or volcano (Mt. Vesuvius).
3. Names of bodies of water (rivers, lakes, oceans, seas, streams and creeks)
From here, it gets pretty easy. The same rules that apply to mountain names also apply to water names. A river is
just a river, but the Mississippi River is a proper noun and must be capitalized, just like Lake Erie, the Indian Ocean
and the Dead Sea.
4. Names of buildings, monuments, bridges and tunnels
Man-made structures also often have names. The White House, the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty, the Golden
Gate Bridge and the Lincoln Tunnel are a few good examples.
5. Street names
Capitalize both the actual name part of the name (Capital) and the road part of the name (Boulevard); both are
necessary for forming the entire name of the street (Capital Boulevard).
6. Schools, colleges and universities
All of the words in the name of the educational institution should be capitalized. For example, Harvard University,
Wilkesboro Elementary School, Cape Fear Community College.
7. Political divisions (continents, regions, countries, states, counties, cities and towns)
As is the case with regions of a country, the divisions may not always be political, but you get the idea. When you
refer to New England, the Midwest, the Pacific Northwest or the South as a region (as opposed to a compass
direction), you capitalize it. Also, continents (South America), countries (Belgium), states (Wisconsin), counties
(Prince William County), cities (London) and towns (Lizard Lick) get capitalized.
8. Titles of books, movies, magazines, newspapers, articles, songs, plays and works of art
This one's a little confusing. Articles, prepositions, and conjunctions are not generally capitalized in title case, only
principal words are. However, the first letter of a work of art is always capitalized even if it's an article, preposition
or conjunction. For example: The Glass Menagerie, A Few Good Men, Of Mice and Men. The last word of these
titles always receives a capital too (Fools Rush In).
9. The first letter in a sentence
The last two rules are easy. Always capitalize the first letter of a sentence. If the sentence is a quotation within a
larger sentence, capitalize it, but only if it's a complete sentence. If it's merely a phrase that fits neatly into the
larger sentence, it does not require capitalization. Study the following two examples for clarification:

 The waiter said, "My manager will be here shortly," but he never came.
 The waiter told us that his manager would "be here shortly," but he never came.
10. The pronoun I
It's only necessary to capitalize other pronouns when they begin a sentence, but "I" is always capitalized.

Remembering the Rules

How can you possibly remember all these rules? Well, first of all, you should ask yourself three questions:

 Is this the first letter in a sentence? If the answer is yes, capitalize.

 Is this the pronoun I? If yes, capitalize.
 Am I using a name that someone gave to this thing or person? If yes, capitalize.
And if you want to remember all the specific categories, try memorizing one of the following sentences.

 "For Bob Barker, the price is sometimes wrong," Mom says.

 Susan Sarandon bought my wife fancy toilet paper in Boston.
The first letter of each word stands for a category:

 F - First letter in a sentence

 B - Buildings (and other man-made structures)
 B - Borders (of regions, states, countries, etc.)
 T - Titles
 P - People
 I-I
 S - Schools
 W - Water
 M - Mountains
 S - Streets
And there you have it. Whether you think of English as having 10 rules of capitalization, 30, or just three, you
should now be able to remember them all.