Chapter
Capitalization
and
Abbreviations:
Go
to
the
Head
of
the
Class
In
This
Chapter
•
Get the capital idea
•
Learn to abbrev. the rgt. wds.
The
next
time
you're in Rome, stop by an ancient building or two and
check out the inscriptions. You might notice
that
on the oldest of the old
buildings,
every
letter
is capitalized. Eventually, however, the scribes real-
ized
that

they could fit more on a building (or a page) if the letters were
smaller.
Their realization became the
basis
for our capital/lowercase
letter
system
of writing. So we have the ancient Romans to thank for this chapter.
Capitalization:
A
Capital Idea
In addition to enabling us to fit more letters on a page, a system of capital
and lowercase letters serves a far more important purpose: It allows writers
to point out specific words within a sentence (such as proper nouns) and to
signal
the start of
a
new sentence.
22*1
Part
<»:
Tools
of
the
Trade
Capital
Punishment
How much do you already know about capital letters? I'll bet it's a lot more than you
suspect. Take the following simple quiz to see where you stand. On the lines provided,
write the words

that
should be capitalized. Some lines will have one word or more
than one word; other lines
won't
have any words.
(1)
There was an orioles fan
with
really lousy seats (2) at
camden
yards for the
recent playoffs. Looking
with
(3) his binoculars, he spotted an empty seat right
behind (4) the orioles'
dugout,
thinking to himself,
"what
a (5) waste," he made his
way
down to the empty seat. (6) when he arrived at the seat, he asked the man
(7)
sitting
next
to it, "is this seat taken?" the man replied, (8) "this was my wife's
seat,
she passed
away,
she was a big (9) orioles fan."
(10)

the other man replied,
"i'm
sorry to hear of your
(11)
loss,
may i ask why you didn't
give
the
ticket
to a
(12)
friend or a relative?"
(13)
the man replied, "they're all at the funeral."
Answers
(i)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
(6)
(7)
(8)
(9)
(10)
(11)
(12)
(13)
Answers
1.

Orioles
2.
Camden Yards
Chapter
17:
Capitalization
and
Abbreviations:
Go
to the
Head
of
the
(lass
225
3.
none
4.
Orioles, Thinking,
What
5.
none
6.
When
7.
Is,
The
8. This, She, She
9. Orioles
10.

The, I'm
11.
May, I
12.
none
13.
The, They're
Danger,
Will
Robinson
When you
quote
a
fragment
of dialogue,
don't
capi-
talize
it, as this example shows:
The
boss
told
us the stock per-
formed
"like
gangbusters."
Rules
to
Capitalize
By

Time to review the rules for clear capitalization. The envelope, please.
•
Capitalize the first word of:
•
A sentence: It rains on the Spanish plain.
•
A complete sentence after a colon: The fans all realized the same astonish-
ing
fact: No NFL team
that
plays its home games in a domed stadium has
ever won a Super Bowl.
•
A quotation, if it is a complete sentence: The child said, "Blood circulates
through the body by flowing up one leg and down the
other."
But:
"Blood,"
the child said, "circulates through the body by flowing up one leg
and down the
other."
•
A line of poetry: I think
that
I shall never see
A poem lovely as a
tree
•
The greeting of
a

letter:
Dear Ms. Ramirez:
•
The first word in the complimentary close of
a
letter:
Sincerely yours,
Yours very truly,
226
Partit:
Tools
of
the
Trade
•
Capitalize the first word of each item in an outline:
I.
Introduction
A. Topic sentence
B.
First major point
C. Second major point
•
Capitalize the titles of books, plays, newspapers, and magazines:
•
A book title: The
Complete
Idiots
Guide
to Grammar and

Style,
Second
Edition
•
A play:
If
Pigs
Could
Fly
•
A newspaper: The New
York
Times
•
A
magazine:
The Atlantic Monthly
•
Capitalize titles before a person's name: Dr. Frankenstein, Ms. Steinem
Take
My
Word
for
It
When should you capitalize
compass
points
such
as
north,

south, east, and west?
Here's
the
scoop.
Capitalize a com-
pass
point
when it
identifies
a
specific
area of the country, as in
this example: "We live in the
South."
Don't
capitalize a com-
pass
point
when it refers to direc-
tion:
"The breeze
comes
from
the
east."
Strictly
Speaking
Should you always capitalize the
names
of countries and lan-

guages?
Should it be french fries
or
French
fries?
Spanish
omelet or
Spanish
omelet? Dictionaries
vary;
no one's in agreement.
Here's
your
rule
of
thumb:
Pick
one style
and stick
with
it.
Capitalize abbreviations
that
appear after a per-
son's
name: Dr. Martin Luther
King
Jr.,
Laurie
Rozakis,

Ph.D.
Capitalize titles used in direct address: Doctor,
I
have a pain in my side.
Capitalize titles of parents and relatives not pre-
ceded by a
possessive
word: We saw Mother
kissing
Santa
Claus.
I saw my father
with
my
mother.
Capitalize geographical places and sections of
the country: Europe, Asia, United States of
America, Lake Erie, Mars, the South
Capitalize the names of specific historical
events, eras, and documents: The Civil War, the
Renaissance,
the Magna Carta
Capitalize the names of
languages,
nationalities,
countries, and races:
Languages:
French, German, Russian
Nationalities: American, Japanese
Countries: America, England

Races:
African American, Asian
Chapter
17:
Capitalization
and
Abbreviations:
Go
to the
Head
of the
Class
227
Capitalize religions and references
to the
Supreme
Being,
including
the
pro-
nouns referring
to the
Supreme
Being:
Religions:
Judaism, Catholicism
References:
the
Creator, Him,
He,

Heaven, His name
•
Capitalize each
part
of
a
person's name:
William Jefferson Clinton, Barbra
Streisand
•
Capitalize proper nouns and proper
adjectives:
Proper nouns: Shakespeare, Mexico
Proper adjectives: Shakespearean,
Mexican
In
a
hyphenated proper adjective, capi-
talize only
the
adjective: French-speaking
residents
•
Capitalize brand names and trademarks:
Jell-O
pudding, Kleenex tissues
•
Capitalize
the
names of

organizations,
institutions, courses, and famous build-
ings:
Organizations:
The
Girl Scouts
of
America
Institutions:
The
United Nations
Courses:
French
101,
Mathematics
203
(but not
mathematics)
Buildings:
The
Empire State
Building
•
Capitalize
days,
months, and holidays:
Days:
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday
Months: February, March, April
Holidays:

Thanksgiving
Danger,
Will
Robinson
Don't
capitalize
the
pre-
fix attached
to a
proper adjective
unless
the
prefix
refers
to a
nationality.
For example:
ail-
American, Anglo-Saxon.
Danger,
Will
Robinson
Don't
capitalize
the
words
god or
goddess when
they refer

to
ancient
mythology,
as
these examples show:
"the
goddess
Athena,
the god
Poseidon."
<J
)X^_Jy
Quoth the Maven
L«V
If
a
last name begins
with
Mc,
O',
or
St., capitalize
the
next
letter
as well:
McAAannus,
O'Neill,
St. Claire.
If the

name
begins
with la, le, Mac, van,
von,
de, or D', the
capitalization
varies:
le
Blanc and Le Blanc
are
both
correct,
for
example.
Ask
the person
with that
name
for
clarification.
228
Part*:
ïools
of
the
Trade
•
Capitalize abbreviations for time: 6 A.M., 6 P.M.
•
Capitalize the words "I" and

"O":
Quickly, I
turned
around. O! Did you see that?
Capital Investment
Now
that
you've learned the rules, take a few minutes to apply
them
to the following
sentences. On the lines provided,
write
all the words
that
need to be capitalized.
Correct the words
that
have been incorrectly capitalized.
1.
how many dolly clones does it take to screw in a Lightbulb? as many as you'd
like,
as many as you'd like.
2.
how many microsoft Executives does it take to screw in a lightbulb?
none—bill
gates
will just redefine darkness as the Industry Standard.
3.
how many
Baby

Boomers does it take to screw in a lightbulb?
ten—six
to talk
about
how great it is
that
they've all come together to do this, one to screw it in,
one to film it for the News, one to plan a Marketing Strategy based on it, and
one to reminisce
about
the mass naked bulb-screwing of the '60s.
4.
how many surrealists does it take to screw in a lightbulb? fish
5.
how many communists does it take to screw in a lightbulb? one, But it takes him
about
30
years to realize
that
the old one has burned out.
6. how many Ukrainians does it take to screw in a lightbulb? they
don't
need light
bulbs—they
glow in the Dark.
7.
the graduate
with
a Science degree
asks,

"why does it work?"
Quoth
the Maven
,
Capitalize the names of
spe-
cific animals:
Rin
Tin Tin,
Lassie,
Morris the Cat.
Chapter
17:
Capitalization
and
Abbreviations:
Go
to
the
Head
of
the
(lass
229
8. the graduate
with
an Engineering degree
asks,
"how does it work?"
9. the graduate

with
an Accounting degree
asks,
"how much will it
cost?"
10.
the graduate
with
a Liberal Arts degree
asks,
"do you want fries
with
that?"
Answers
1.
How, lightbulb As, As
2.
How, Microsoft, executives, None,
Bill,
Gates, industry standard
3.
How, baby, boomers, Ten, news, marketing, strategy
4.
How, Surrealists, Fish
5.
How, Communists, One, but
6. How, Ukrainians, They, dark
7.
The, science, Why
8. The, engineering, How

9. The, accounting, How
10.
The, liberal, arts, Do
Abbreviations:
Good Things Come in Small Packages
An
abbreviation
is a shortened form of a word or phrase. Abbreviations start
with
a
capital
letter
and end
with
a period. They're a handy way to save
time
and space when
you're writing, but only if you use commonly accepted abbreviations. Otherwise,
you'll
just confuse your readers. Here's how to use abbreviations correctly.
•
Abbreviate
social
titles and titles of rank,
both
before and after a person's name:
Mr.;
Mrs.; Ms.;
Dr. Laurie
Rozakis,

EI11JB1&
You
Could
Look
It Up
Ph.D.
fsmmmmm^
•
Abbreviate academic degrees: Ramon
Torres, B.A. (Bachelor of
Arts);
Hester
Lewis,
M.F.A. (Master of Fine Arts)
An abbreviation is a
shortened
form
of a
word
or
phrase.
2
JO
ParU:
Tools
of
the
Trade
The following list shows some of the most commonly abbreviated degrees.
Abbreviations

for
Academic
Degrees
Degree
Abbreviation
Bachelor
of
Science
B.S.
Bachelor
of Arts
B.A.
Bachelor
of
Business
Administration
B.B.A.
Master
of Arts M.A.
or
A.M.
Master
of
Science
M.S.
or
S.M.
Master
of
Business

Administration M.B.A.
Medical
Doctor
M.D.
Doctor of
Philosophy
Ph.D.
Doctor
of
Divinity
D.D.
Doctor
of
Dental Surgery D.D.S.
Registered
Nurse
R.N.
Abbreviate time: A.M.
or
a.m. (before noon; ante
meridian);
P.M.
or
p.m. (after
noon;
post
meridian)
Note:
These abbreviations are acceptable
with

and
without
periods.
Danger,
Will
Robinson
Never
combine
the
abbreviations
Mr., Mrs., or Ms.
with an
abbreviation
for a
profes-
sional
or
academic
title. For
example:
Laurie
Rozakis,
Ph.D.,
not
Ms.
Laurie
Rozakis,
Ph.D.
Take
My

Word
for
It
Because
of
their
Latin roots,
abbreviations
for
many degrees
can
be written in
either
direc-
tion:
M.A. or
A.M.
for
Masters
of Arts,
for
instance.
•
Abbreviate some historical periods.
In
most—
but
not
all—cases,
the

abbreviation is placed
after
the
date:
Ancient times (2,000 years
in the
past)
B.C.
(before
the
birth
of
Christ)
B.C.E.
(before
the
Common Era)
Modern times (within
the
last 2,000
years)
CE.
(Common Era)
A.D.
(Anno
Domini,
"in the year of the Lord,"
an
abbreviation
that

comes before
the
date)
Here's how these abbreviations are used:
Emperor Augustus lived from 63
B.C.
(or
B.C.E.)
to
A.D.
14
(or
CE.).
Chapter
17:
Capitalization
and
Abbreviations:
Go
to the
Head
of the
Class
231
Danger,
Will
Robinson
The ZIP
Code
abbrevia-

tions
for
states
are
not followed
by
periods.
There's
a
list
of all
50
abbreviations
in
your tele-
phone book.
•
Abbreviate words associated
with
addresses
or location: I live on Sunset
Ave.
•
Abbreviate states. Use the official U.S.
Postal
Service
(that's
the official name
of
the good

oP
"Post Office") ZIP Code
abbreviations: NY (New York), CA
(California)
•
Abbreviate some Latin expressions: e.g. (for example), et
al.
(and others)
•
Abbreviate measurements: in. (inches), ft. (feet)
The following list shows some of the most common abbreviations for measurements:
Abbreviations
for
Measurements
Item
yards
miles
teaspoon
tablespoon
ounce
pound
pint
quart
Fahrenheit
Celsius
grams
kilograms
millimeters
liters
centimeters

meters
kilometers
Abbreviation
yd.
mi.
tsp. or t
TB.,
Tbsp., or T
oz.
lb.
pt.
qt.
F
C
g
kg
mm
L
cm
m
km
232
ParU:
Tools
of
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Danger,
Will
Robinson

Metric
abbreviations
are not
followed
by a period.
You
Could
Look
It Up
An
acronym
is an
abbreviation
formed
from
the
first
letter
of
each
word
in the
title.
Abbreviate the titles of some organizations and
things.
These abbreviations are not followed by
a
period:
UN (United Nations); FBI (Federal
Bureau

of Investigation)
Use acronyms to abbreviate some organizations.
An
acronym
is an abbreviation formed from the
first
letter
of each word in the title.
Because
acronyms
are used as words, they never take
periods:
NATO
(North
Atlantic Treaty Organi-
zation);
NASA (National Aeronautics and Space
Administration)
The
Least
You Need to Know
•
Capital letters help determine meaning.
•
Most abbreviations start
with
a capital
letter
and end
with

a period. Use only
commonly accepted abbreviations.