Always check your reference sheet first if to verify whether special content is capitalized.
Index
- Units of Measurement
- Planets, Galaxies and Other Astrological Bodies
- Seasons
- Cardinal Directions vs Official Regions
- The League
- Title as Name
Units of Measurement
Unless instructed otherwise by a Reference Sheet, units of measurement are transcribed in lower case.
Example
- The Empire State Building is 1,250 feet tall, weighs 365,000 tons and was built over 90 years ago.
Planets, Galaxies and Other Astrological Bodies
Capitalize the names of all astrological bodies. Only capitalize "earth" when it refers to the planet.
Example
- The witch cat flew all the way from the Crab Nebula back to the Milky Way, heading to Earth.
- The witch cat picked up a wet clump of earth and chucked the muddy missile at me.
- "Hey, you! Come back to Earth," the angry man shouted.
- We should head back to port before the Sun goes down. I don't think the Moon is out tonight. (Note: Both terms are capitalized when specifically referring to the literal Sun and Moon that are associated with our solar system.)
- That's no moon. (Note that "moon" is lowercase when referring to a general common noun)
- Do some planets really have two suns? (Note that "sun" is lowercase when referring to general plural noun)
- What on earth was George Lucas thinking? (Note that "earth" is lowercase when using this idiomatic phrase or similar)
Seasons
All seasons and derivatives are lowercase unless a part of a formal name.
Example
- Last spring was when the witch cat came to our house.
- It was seven summers ago.
- The witch cat loved going to the Dartmouth Winter Carnival.
Cardinal Directions vs Official Regions
Cardinal directions are generally lowercase. However, many official regions can be considered proper nouns.
Example
- Our cabin is 50 miles north of New Paltz.
- You can only find cooking like this in the South.
- If you keep heading northwest, you'll eventually find the Pacific Northwest.
Currencies
Currencies are generally not proper nouns and are not capitalized.
Examples
- British pound sterling
- US dollar
- Mexican peso
- Japanese yen
- Indian rupee
The League
Common noun equivalents of proper nouns should not be capitalized.
Examples
- Barry Sanders is the best the league has ever seen.
- Barry Sanders is the best the National Football League has ever seen.
Title as Name
Titles used in place of names are proper nouns and should be capitalized.
Examples
- Hello, Mom, Dad, Brother, Sister, Chief, Sheriff, Doctor, et cetera.
Note: Sir and ma'am are not considered proper nouns but general terms and wouldn't be capitalized (excepting a royal title like Sir Ian McKellan)