Capital letters: the rules everyone forgets

Capital letters seem simple, but they are one of the most common errors in student writing.

Always use capitals for

• The start of a sentence.
• The word “I”.
• Names of people and pets: Sara, Mr Ahmed, Biscuit.
• Places: London, the River Thames, Mount Everest.
• Days, months and festivals: Monday, November, Christmas, Eid.
• Languages and nationalities: English, French, Pakistani.
• Titles of books and films: “The Hound of the Baskervilles”.
• Brand names and organisations: Google, the British Museum.

Do not use capitals for

• Seasons: spring, summer, autumn, winter.
• School subjects, unless they are languages: maths, science, English.
• Ordinary nouns used for emphasis: “It was the Best Day Ever” is wrong in a story.

Titles of people

“Doctor Patel” takes capitals; “the doctor” does not.

Try it: correct this sentence: “last summer i visited paris with my aunt and we went to the louvre on a tuesday.”