The use of capital letters in English is generally similar to in other Germanic and Romance languages with a few exceptions. The following list shows when you should use a capital letter:
Edit Capitalization
Capitalize the first word in every sentence.
EXAMPLE:
She said, "It will be hard to go home after this fun vacation."
Capitalize the pronoun I.
EXAMPLE: Ira said that
I was the best dancer in the show.
Capitalize the interjection O.
EXAMPLE: Guide and direct us,
O Lord.
Capitalize the first word in both the salutation and the closing of a letter.
EXAMPLES:
Dear Mr. Novato:
Sincerely
Capitalize the names of persons and animals.
EXAMPLES:
Franklin
D. Roosevelt
Willem
de Kooning
Capitalize geographical names
EXAMPLES: the
Gulf of Mexico the
Southwest
Prince
William
Forest
Capitalize the names of planets, stars, constellations, and other heavenly bodies.
EXAMPLES:
Neptune
Polaris
Great Nebula
Capitalize the names of teams, organizations, institutions, and government bodies.
EXAMPLES:
Kansas
City
Chiefs
Future
Teachers of
America
Capitalize the names of historical events and periods, special events, holidays, and other calendar items.
EXAMPLES: the
Eighties the
Civil
War
Hannukah my
Birthday
Capitalize the names of nationalities, races, and peoples
EXAMPLES:
Indian
Chinese
Bedouin
Capitalize the names of religions and their followers, holy days and celebrations, sacred writings, and specific deities.
EXAMPLES:
Allah
Hindus
Christmas
Koran
Capitalize the names of buildings and other structures.
EXAMPLES:
Colleyville
Heritage
High
School
World
Trade
Center
Capitalize the names of monuments, memorials, and awards
EXAMPLES:
Lincoln
Memorial
Nobel
Peace
Prize
Capitalize the names of trains, ships, aircraft, and spacecraft
EXAMPLES:
Enola
Gay
U.
S.
S.
Enterprise
Challenger
Capitalize the names of businesses and the brand names of business products
EXAMPLES:
Continenetal
Airlines
Microsoft
Microsoft
Windows
Edit Notes
The use of medial capitals (those in the middle of words)is generally considered poor English, although this is quite common on the Internet and in advertisements. It's not necessary to capitalize styles of music (e.g. "indie"), adjectives, or the name of companies if they themselves don't use a capital letter (e.g. eBay) although the first letter will sometimes be capitalized on the Internet due to technical reasons.