Capitalization & Compound Words

Capitalization

Excessive capitalization slows down the reader and can affect their comprehension of the material. The following words and phrases should be capitalized:

1. titles and headings
2. proper nouns
3. the first word of a sentence (including a direct quote if it is a complete sentence)
4. months and days (seasons are not capitalized - "fall of 2020")
5. geographical terms (except for directional words that are not part of proper nouns (east, west, north, south) and recognized regions (Southern Maryland, the West)
6. historical periods and events
7. brand names

Below are some words that should not be capitalized: