Lesson 19 Mechanics: Capitals Capital letters are used, of course, at the beginning of sentences. But they are also used at the beginning of other word groups: Formal statement following colon: She has a favorite motto: Where there's a will, there's a way. Phrase used as sentence: Absolutely not! Quoted sentence embedded in another sentence: Scott said, "Nobody was here during the lunch hour except me." Set-off list of items: Three preliminary steps are involved: 1. Design review 2. Budgeting 3. Scheduling Capital letters are also used with proper nouns and proper adjectives, such as the following: Red Green

Victorian mansion

A proper noun is separated from a prefix with a hyphen: ex-Premier

anti-American

People's titles are capitalized when they are used in addressing a person, especially in a formal context. They are not usually capitalized, however, when they are used merely to identify the person. Observe the difference here: Address the letter to Chairperson Anna Palmer. I wish to thank Chairperson Anna Palmer for her assistance. Please deliver these documents to board chairperson Anna Palmer. Anna Palmer, chairperson of the board, took the podium. Titles should also be capitalized if they are used by themselves in addressing a person: Thank you, Doctor, for your donation. Titles used to identify a person of very high rank are capitalized regardless of where they fall or how much of the name is included: the Prime Minister of Canada

the Pope

In addresses, salutations, signature blocks, and some formal writing (such as acknowledgments), all titles are capitalized whether they come before or after the name. The names of organizations are capitalized, of course; so are the official names of their departments and divisions:

252

Lesson 19: Mechanics: Capitals 253 Route this memo to Personnel. Larry Tien was transferred to the Microchip Division. Will you be enrolled in the Psychology Department? However, when referring in general terms to a department or division, especially one in another organization, do not capitalize: Someone from the engineering department at EnerTech stopped by the booth. Our production department has reorganized for efficiency. Send a copy to their school of business administration. Capitalization is also unnecessary when using a word like company, corporation, or university alone: The corporation plans to issue 50,000 shares of common stock. The names of specific products should be capitalized, although the names of general product types should not be: Compaq computer

Tide laundry detergent

Many writers have trouble with the capitalization of compass directions. For instance, should you use southern Ontario or Southern Ontario, north county or North County? Capitalize when the compass direction is part of a place's name, whether in official or in common use; do not capitalize when referring to a direction or general location. Here are some examples: the West the South the Northeast

the western half of Canada southern New Brunswick northeasterners

Another problem that often arises in writing about places is the treatment of two or more proper nouns of the same type. When the common word comes before the specific names, it is capitalized; when it comes after the specific names, it is not. Observe the capitalization here: Lakes Ontario and Huron St. Lawrence and Ottawa rivers The names of languages, races, and ethnic groups are also capitalized: Japanese, Caucasian, Hispanic. In referring to the titles of books, articles, magazines, newspapers, reports, movies, and so on, you should capitalize the first and last words and all nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, and prepositions and conjunctions with five letters or more. Except for the first and last words, do not capitalize articles, and do not capitalize conjunctions and prepositions with fewer than five letters. For example: Economics During the Great War "An investigation into the Market for Long-Distance Services" "What Successes Are Made Of" When the is part of the official name of a newspaper or magazine, it should be treated this way too: The Calgary Herald. References to specific pages, paragraphs, lines, and the like are not capitalized: page 72, line 3. However, in most other numbered or lettered references, the identifying term is capitalized:

254

English Essentials

Chapter 4

Serial No. 382-2203

Item B-11

Words for specific markings or instructions on documents are also capitalized: Stamp this letter "Confidential" before it goes out. Finally, the names of academic degrees are capitalized when they follow a person's name but are not capitalized when used in a general sense: I received a bachelor of science degree. Thomas Whitelaw, Doctor of Philosophy, will attend. Similarly, general courses of study are not capitalized, but the names of specific classes are: She studied accounting as an undergraduate. She is enrolled in Accounting 201. Remember that the principles described here are well accepted but that your organization may have its own rules for capitalization. In the following exercises, capitalize wherever appropriate: 1. Yates & co. is in suite 303 of park towers. 2. The luxury of chinese silk is yours. 3. Pat swink said, "my research shows something else." 4. The president of the company has adopted this motto: look before you leap. 5. I'm taking two psychology courses. 6. Let's invite dr. lynne jamison, the director of personnel. 7. See page 143 in chapter 5. 8. We plan to establish a sales office on the west coast. 9. The personnel department has submitted its budget. 10. Do you know how to fix the xerox machine? 11. Check in the dictionary of occupational titles. 12. We're at the corner of madison and king streets. 13. Did you see the file labeled "overdue accounts"? 14. The staff at university hospital deserves praise. 15. Address it to art bowers, chief of production.