Trent University
MyTrent
  • Academics
    • Undergraduate Programs
    • Graduate Programs
    • Trent Online
    • Summer Courses
    • Continuing Education
    • Study Abroad
    • Academic Calendar
    • Academic Timetable
    • Academic Skills Centre
    • Academic Advising
    • Library
    • Centre for Teaching and Learning
  • Admissions
    • Undergraduate
    • Thinking of Applying
    • Already Applied
    • Received an Offer
    • Accepted My Offer
    • Graduate
    • International
    • Indigenous
    • Returning to Trent
    • Transfer
  • Services & Support
    • Academic Advising
    • Academic Skills Centre
    • Administrative Departments
    • Alumni Services
    • Athletics
    • Campus Security
    • Careerspace
    • Colleges
    • Communications
    • Conferences
    • Financial Aid
    • Financial Services
    • Health & Wellness
    • Indigenous Services
    • Information Technology
    • International Students
    • Learning Support
    • Parking
    • Printshop
    • Recruitment
    • Registrar's Office
    • Residence & Housing
    • Student Clubs
    • TrentU Card
  • Research
    • Research at Trent
    • Research Centres
    • Find an Expert
    • Resources
  • Give to Trent
  • About Trent
    • About Trent
    • Careers
    • Giving to Trent
    • Governance
    • How to Find Us
    • Media
    • News & Events
    • President's Office
    • Staff Directory
    • Trent Facts
    • Contact Us
  • Campus Locations
    • Peterborough
    • Durham GTA
    • Online
  • Future Students
    • Undergraduate
    • Thinking of Applying
    • Already Applied
    • Received an Offer
    • Accepted My Offer
    • Graduate
    • International
    • Indigenous
    • Returning to Trent
    • Transfer
  • Current Students
  • Alumni
  • Apply
  • Visit
  • Give
  • Map
  • Careers
  • Directions
  • Library
  • Site Map
  • Bookstore
Skip to main content Home
  • Peterborough
  • Durham GTA
  • Online
  • MyTrent
MENU
A student studying on the floor
Trent University
Academic Skills
  • Welcome
  • Appointments
  • How To Guides
  • Documentation Guide
  • Programs & Events
  • Contact
  1. Trentu.ca
  2. Academic Skills
  3. How To Guides
  4. How to Edit Your Writing
  5. Grammar and Style
  6. Capitalization

Capitalization

What words should be capitalized?

Capitalize the following:

  1. First word of every sentence
  2. First word of a quotation when introduced by someone's name and a verb of attribution (eg. says, asks, writes, observes, notes).
    • Example: Woolf writes, "The wonder is that I 've any clothes on my back."
    • Example: "How did one judge people, think of them?" Lily asks.
  3. Words in a title except for short prepositions (to, at, on, by, about etc.), short connecting words, or a, an, the, when the title appears in the text of the paper.
    • For titles appearing in parenthetical citations or in the reference section of a paper, consult the rules of the reference style you are following for your paper: MLA, APA, Chicago style, or others.
    • Example: To the Lighthouse
    • Example: A Room of One's Own
  4. Proper Nouns, that is the specific names of people, places, languages, ethnicities, nationalities, or words derived from them, such as Marxism from the name Marx.
    • Examples: Uncle Sam, Ireland, Latin, Latina, Irish
  5. Months, days of the week and holidays
    • Examples: March, Thursday, Labour Day, Thanksgiving
  6. Title of a Relationship if it takes the place or is used as a person's name. No capital is necessary if the relationship is just being identified.
    • Example: Mum, Dad, Grandpa, Aunt Jane    
    • Example: my mother, my father, my grandfather    
  7. People’s Titles when used in conjunction with their names, but not otherwise.
    •  Examples:
      • Dr Veri was called in for consultation.
        •  Another doctor was called in.
      •  They sailed along the St. Lawrence River.
        • They sailed along the river.
      •  I go to Trent University.
        •  I go to university.
  8. Periods of time when the reference is to a specific historical era that has been given a name.
    • Example: the Age of Reason, the Middle Ages, the Depression

Grammar and Style

  • Academic Culture and Expectations - ACE
  • Transition to University - Advice for First Year
  • Level Up: Resources for Upper-Year Students
  • How Do I Protect My Academic Integrity?
  • How to Study
  • How to Learn Online
  • How to Manage Your Time
  • How to Write in University
  • How to Succeed in Math and Science
  • How to Use Sources
  • How to Edit Your Writing
    • Strategies for Revision and Proofreading
    • Grammar and Style
      • Sentence Structure
      • Punctuation
      • Using Apostrophes
      • Pronoun Agreement and Reference
      • Subject-Verb Agreement
      • Misplaced, Squinting, and Dangling Modifiers
      • Parallelism, Consistency, and Voice
      • Capitalization
      • Words often Confused
  • Academic Skills Online Resources Index

Related Links

  • Academic Advising
  • Bata Library
  • Durham Academic Skills
  • Career Space

Trent University respectfully acknowledges it is located on the treaty and traditional territory of the Mississauga Anishinaabeg. We offer our gratitude to First Peoples for their care for, and teachings about, our earth and our relations. May we honour those teachings.

Peterborough

1600 West Bank Drive
Peterborough, ON Canada, K9L 0G2

Toll Free: 1-855-MY-TRENT

Campus Map

Durham Greater Toronto Area

55 Thornton Road South
Oshawa, ON Canada, L1J 5Y1

Phone: 905-435-5100

Campus Map

Social Media Directory
  • Contact
  • Directions
  • Site Map
  • Accessibility
  • @ Copyright 2023 Trent University