ELA Style Sheet

I. CAPITALIZATION

First Words: Capitals are used for the first words in a sentence, line of poetry, direct quotation (but not the first word in the second part of a divided quotation, unless it starts a new sentence), salutation and complimentary close of a letter, line of an outline, and title of book, poem, short story, article, work of art, musical composition, etc. All other words in the title should also be capitalized except articles, prepositions, coordinating conjunctions, and the to in infinitives.

Names: Proper nouns (which name a particular person, place, or thing) and proper adjectives (which are derived from proper nouns) are capitalized. See list below.

(1) Organizations and Institutions
branches and units of the armed services - Corps of Engineers, U.S. Army
business and trade names - General Motors Corp., IBM, Colgate toothpaste, Kleenex
churches - St. Mark"s Church, Memorial Church
clubs and their members - GPSHS Drama Club, a Boy Scout, Cottage Hospital Auxiliary, the Rotary Club, Rotarians
governmental and judicial bodies - the U.S. House of Representatives, the Senate, the Supreme Court, the Justice Department
hospitals - Children"s Hospital, Hutzel Hospital
political parties - Democratic Party, Republican Party

but not words such as church, school, college, and hospital when not used as names (the Baptist church, a college education) or words such as army or navy when used in their plural forms or when not part of an official title (allied armies, the ancient Greek navy)

(2) People
family relationships when used as names - Hello, Mother! Uncle John is here.
names of persons and initials that stand for names - John, John Paul, J. P.
nicknames - Alexander the Great, Old Hickory
personifications - " . . . she dwells with Beauty . . ." or "the sweet breath of Spring"
pronouns - I (but not he, she, you, we, etc.)
titles used with names or abbreviations of titles - Dr. Jones, Senator Clark, Mr., Mrs.
titles of high rank used with or without the name - the President of the United States

but not family relationships when modified by personal pronouns (My uncle is famous. My mother is not.) or titles when used as common nouns (such as a country doctor or the president of the company)

(3) Places
bodies of water - Pacific Ocean, Lake St. Clair
continents and countries - Europe, Australia, Italy
global divisions - Eastern Hemisphere, Tropic of Cancer
heavenly bodies - the Milky Way, the planet Earth
land forms - Mojave Desert, Cape of Good Hope
nicknames - the Badger State, the Gold Coast
political units - Oak Park, Utah, First Congressional District
roads and highways - Broad Street, Fisher Freeway
public places - Badlands National Monument
directions on the compass when they refer to a specific section of the country - the Southwest, an Eastern university, a Southern accent

but not simple directions (We moved westward as the north wind blew.), some adjectives derived from proper nouns (french fries, manila envelope, a japan finish), or "earth," "sun," and "moon" unless they occur with other astronomical names. (The moon shines brightly.)

(4) Religious References
religions and religious orders - Buddhism, Christianity, Society of Jesus
the Deity and pronouns referring to the Supreme Being - God, Allah, He, the Holy Family, the Almighty
religious scriptures and creeds - the Bible, the Book of Exodus, the Koran, Apostles" Creed, the Old Testament, the New Testament, the Nicene Creed

but not gods and goddesses when referring to mythology (Greek goddesses, Norse gods)

(5) Things
awards - Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Academy Award
documents - Treaty of Paris, Bill of Rights, Magna Carta, Clean Air Act of 1990
names of vehicles (trains, planes, automobiles, etc.) - Titanic, Lindbergh"s Spirit of St. Louis, Apollo 13, Challenger, Cutlass Supreme, Malibu Classic)

(6) Time Periods
events - Battle of Hastings, World War I, the Boston Tea Party
months and days - May, Monday
historical periods - Renaissance, the Middle Ages, the Third Reich, the Roaring Twenties, the Dark Ages
holidays - Thanksgiving, Fourth of July

but not seasons (spring, summer, winter, fall, autumn) or numerical designations of historical periods unless part of a proper name (the eighteenth century, the eighties)

(7) Miscellaneous
abbreviations - U.S.A., N.A.A.C.P., M.D., No.
races and ethnic groups - Negro, Caucasian, Hispanic
nationalities - Canadian, Egyptian
languages - French, Latin

but not subjects except for languages or if followed by a course number (Algebra 101, history, French, math) or a prefix attached to a proper noun (un-American) or a common noun shared by or coming after proper nouns (Missouri and Ohio rivers, United and American airlines)