Page 160 - DENG102_COMMUNICATION_SKILLS_II

Unit 11: Use of Capitals and Basic Punctuations

The basic rules are: notes
1. Always capitalize the first word in a sentence, the first word in any quotation included
within a sentence, and the first word of any phrase that is used as a sentence.

Example: The office building is fully air-conditioned. (Sentence)

She answered the telephone and said, “Good morning! May I help you? (Sentence,
quotation, and phrase used as a sentence- ‘‘Good morning!”)
Many newspapers gave news of India’s N-test on the front page. (Sentence)
2. Capitalize the names of people; specific geographical locations; calendar indications such
as the days of the week, the months of the year, and holidays; organizations, including
governmental bodies; and historical events and documents.

When capitalizing the names of people, you will sometimes encounter parts of names that
are not capitalized, such as Emil van Hoffman, Leonardo da Vinci, and Simone de Beauvoir.
Generally, all parts of a person’s name are capitalized, including any initials used. If titles
are used with the name, these titles are also capitalized.

Example: Ram Chandra, Mrs. Deepti Chaturvedi, John S Morgan, Mr. H. E. Khan, Rev.
Samuel Wilkins, Senator William Kaufmann, Ms. T. Sheila Kaul, etc.
In written English, only proper nouns are capitalized. It is incorrect to capitalize such
words woman, man, boy, or girl. Unless a specific person is named, capitalization is not
used. The same is done for geographical designations. A specific location, site, or area
must be mentioned. Remember the word specific. When a word such as street, building, park,
mountain, river is included in the name of a particular place, the word becomes specific
because it names a distinctive thing or place rather than a general locale. When the location
is mentioned in specific terms, capitalize, but when it is given in general terms, do not
capitalize.

Example: 1. The Times Building was built in 1936. (Specific)
2. The building that houses our office has been sold. (General)

3. The southeastern section of the United States is known for its cotton
production. (General)
4. The Southeast has a temperate climate. (Specific)
5. The river was muddy after several days of rain. (General)

6. The Ganges gives up its eastern boundary. (Specific)
Capitalize all calendar designations and names of holidays, but do not capitalize the names
of seasons

Example: July, Monday, Christmas, March, Friday, Teachers day, winter, summer,
Diwali, etc.

Capitalize the names of organizations, companies, and governmental bodies, but do not
capitalize the word ‘the’ when it precedes the name unless it is a part of the official name.

Example: The United Nations, The Bank of Korea, The Rialto Theater, The University of
Delhi, The Advertising Council, Inc., The Better Business Bureau, The Internal Revenue Service
The Rand Corporation, etc.

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