Capital letters are the big letters you see at the start of sentences or on special words. This lesson shows you how to use them correctly. The list below shows you all the times you must use capital letters in English.
Starting a Sentence
- The dog is playing.
Days and Months
- Tuesday
- September
**There are no capitals on seasons.
- My birthday is in the winter.
Holidays
- New Year’s Day
- Father’s Day
Names of People
- Michael Jordan
- Sherlock Holmes
Names of Places
- Africa
- Germany
- Paris
- Main Street
Nationalities, Races, and Languages
- Spanish
- Asian
- Canadian
Names of Specific Things
- Eiffel Tower
- Grand Canyon
Titles
- Dr.
- Mrs.
- Mr.
Brand and Company Names
- Nike
- Burger King
Organizations, Teams, or Specific Groups of People
- The United Nations
- The Rolling Stones
- The New York Yankees
Titles of Movies, Songs, and Books
- Spiderman
- Let It Be
- Oliver Twist
Religions, Religious Days and Books
- Catholic
- Islam
- The Bible
- Easter, Christmas, Ramadan
Widget not in any sidebars
Specific Historical Events
- World War Two
- The Industrial Revolution
In general, use a capital if something is a proper noun, which is a specific thing.
- My teacher is from a big city.
- The teacher Daniel is from Mexico City.
Adjectives
Capitalize proper adjectives.
- German bakery
- Spanish omelette
Titles and Headings
Do not capitalize all words in a title or heading. Do not place capital letters on the following:
- Articles (a, an, the)
- Prepositions (to, of, with, for, etc.)
- Conjunctions (and, but, or)
Here are some examples:
- The Great Wall of China
- The Lord of the Flies
Those are the rules for using capital letters. Follow them and your writing will improve.
Are you ready to practice your skills? Try these capital letters tests:
Capital Letters Test
Capital Letters Test 2
