Proper nouns and adjectives derived from proper nouns:
Marie Curie
China, Chinese
Smokey Robinson
Darwin, Darwinian
But vocabulary words derived from proper nouns are generally lowercase:
china cups
plaster of paris
french fries
vienna sausage
The names of geographic divisions, regions, and localities and topographical features such as rivers, lakes, and mountains:
North Pole
Gulf States
Middle East
Atlantic Ocean
Southern Hemisphere
Rocky Mountains
the North
Lake Tahoe
Lower East Side
Erie Canal
Do not capitalize directions: She lives 10 miles north of Boston.
The names of nationalities, ethnic groups, tribes, and languages:
Spanish
Bantu
Asian American
Creole
Titles when preceding a name:
President Lincoln
Aunt Mary
Queen Victoria
Doctor Johnson
Senator Kennedy
Professor Davies
Do not capitalize such terms elsewhere: a biography of the queen; the senator's speech; my aunt, Mary Wilson; the president's fundraising efforts; the residence of the vice president.
Epithets: Ivan the Terrible; Lincoln is known as the Great Emancipator.
The names of political and judicial bodies, social organizations, councils, and departments:
U.S. Senate
Rotary Club
Democratic Party
United Negro College Fund
State Department
U.S. Supreme Court
The names for periods, events, and documents of historical importance:
Middle Ages
Constitution
Renaissance
Treaty of Versailles
Battle of Waterloo
Magna Carta
The names for streets, buildings, and monuments:
Fifth Avenue
World Trade Center
Broadway
Statue of Liberty
The names for the supreme deity and sacred works:
God, the Father Almighty
Bible
Yahweh
Talmud
Allah
Qu'ran
The names for religious denominations and their members: Buddhism, Buddhists Catholicism, Catholics Judaism, Jews Methodist Church, Methodists Society of Friends, Quakers
The days of the week, months of the year, holidays, and holy days:
Thursday
Labor Day
December
Passover
The pronoun I: I told her I didn't want to go.
The first word in the salutation and complimentary close of a letter: My dear Carol… Very truly yours…
The first word of a sentence: Are you hungry? Lunch will be served soon.
The first word of a direct quotation, except when the quotation is split: I asked, “Do you really like bats?” “Yes,” said Holly, “they're so cute.”
The first word and all the key words in the title of a literary or other artistic work: The Bluest Eye (novel) A Streetcar Named Desire (play) “The Road Not Taken” (poem) Starry Night (painting) “Only the Lonely” (song)
The names of ships, aircraft, and space vehicles: USS Maine The Spirit of St. Louis space shuttle Challenger
The names of constellations, planets, and stars:
Milky Way
Saturn
the asteroid Juno
Little Dipper
The names of geologic eras, periods, epochs, and names of prehistoric divisions:
Paleozoic Era
Pleistocene
Quaternary Period
Stone Age
The genus but not the species name in binomial nomenclature: Canis familiaris (dog) Malus pumila (apple tree)
