Capitalization facts for kids

The letter 'A' in both lowercase and uppercase forms.

Capitalization is when you make a letter an uppercase (big) letter instead of a lowercase (small) letter. For example, 'a' becomes 'A', and 'b' becomes 'B'. It's a very important rule in writing that helps us understand sentences and spot important words easily.

Most languages use capitalization for certain words. For instance, the first letter of every sentence is usually capitalized. Also, the first letter of proper nouns, which are specific names of people, places, or things, is always capitalized.

What is Capitalization?

Capitalization means changing a small letter into a big one. Think of it like giving a word a special signal to show it's important or starting something new. It's a basic rule in orthography (the way words are spelled) that makes reading much clearer.

Why Do We Capitalize?

Capitalization helps readers in several ways:

• Starting new thoughts: It clearly shows where a new sentence begins.
• Highlighting importance: It points out specific names or titles.
• Avoiding confusion: It helps tell the difference between a general word and a specific name (like "apple" and "Apple" the company).

When Do We Capitalize?

There are several common rules for when to use a capital letter. These rules help make writing easy to read and understand.

Starting a Sentence

The very first letter of the first word in every new sentence is always capitalized. This is one of the most basic rules in writing.

• The dog barked loudly.
• It was a sunny day.

Proper Nouns

A proper noun is the specific name of a person, place, organization, or thing. Unlike common nouns (like "dog" or "city"), proper nouns always start with a capital letter.

• People's Names: This includes first names, last names, and titles used with names.
  • Jane Doe
  • Mr. Smith
  • President Lincoln

• Places: Specific names of countries, cities, states, continents, streets, buildings, and landmarks.
  • France
  • New York City
  • Eiffel Tower
  • Asia

• Days, Months, and Holidays: The names of specific days of the week, months of the year, and holidays are always capitalized.
  • Tuesday
  • July
  • Christmas
  • Easter

• Titles of Books, Movies, and Songs: When you write the title of a specific work, most important words in the title are capitalized.
  • The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe
  • Star Wars: A New Hope
  • Bohemian Rhapsody

• Brand Names: The names of specific products or companies.
  • Nike
  • Coca-Cola
  • Apple

• Languages and Nationalities: The names of languages and words describing someone's nationality.
  • English
  • Spanish
  • American
  • French

Special Cases

• The Pronoun "I": The word "I" (meaning yourself) is always capitalized, no matter where it appears in a sentence.
  • I went to the park.
  • My friend and I played games.

• German Language: In the German language, a special rule exists: all nouns are capitalized, not just proper nouns. This is unique among many languages. For example, "dog" (Hund) and "house" (Haus) would both be capitalized in German.

Other Meaning of Capitalize

The word capitalize has another meaning that is completely different from using big letters. In finance, "to capitalize" means to provide money or funding for something, often for a business or an investment. For example, a company might "capitalize" a new project by investing a lot of money into it.