William Dana Orcutt

THE original use of capitals in early manuscripts was for the purpose of variety and ornamentation, and their position was naturally subject to each writer’s individual taste. Good form now prescribes certain definite rules of capitalization as follows:

2. The books and divisions of the Bible and of other sacred books: e.g., Old Testament, Book of Job, etc.

3. Versions of the Bible: e.g., King James Version, Revised Version, etc.

4. The names of monastic orders and their members: e.g., the Jesuits, the Black Friars, etc.

5. The word Church when it stands for the Church universal, or when part of a name: e.g., the Church, the First Congregational Church, the Church of Rome; but use lower case when referring to church history.

6. The word Gospel when it refers to a book of the Bible, as the Gospel of John, or {21} the Gospels; but use lower case when referring to the gospel message.

7. Pronouns referring to God or Christ when used in direct address, or whenever the reference might otherwise be mistaken.

8. General biblical terms: e.g., Priestly Code, Apostles’ Creed, Lord’s Prayer, Lord’s Supper, The Prophets, and Major and Minor Prophets, when the collection of prophetical books is intended; but use lower case for the adjectives biblical and scriptural.

9. Names applied to the Evil One, except when used as an expletive, or as a general name for any demon: e.g.,

10. The word Holy in the Holy place and the Holy of holies.

11. The title of a psalm: e.g., the Twenty-fourth Psalm.

2. Words like heaven, heavenly, hell.

3. The words fatherhood and sonship, god when a pagan deity is referred to, temple.

2. The words Pilgrim Fathers and Early Fathers (referring to the Early Church), etc.

3. The word Revolutionary when referring to the Revolution of 1776: e.g., a Revolutionary soldier.

4. The words river, creek, brook, mountain, mine, district, county, channel, when used as a part of a title: e.g., Hudson River, Clear Brook, Rocky Mountains; but use lower case when preceded by the: e.g., the Hudson river, etc.

5. Nouns designating definite geographical portions of the country or divisions of the world: e.g., the North, the South, the West, the Old World; and in the division of the Jewish Commonwealth, the Northern Kingdom, the Southern Kingdom. Also capitalize the adjectival nouns derived from them: e.g., Northerner, Southerner, Oriental, {23} Occidental. Use lower case for adjectives: e.g., He is now in southern California, etc.

6. Abstract ideas or terms when personified; e.g., Pride flaunts herself; Nature gives willingly of her abundance.

7. Names of streets, squares, parks, buildings, etc.: e.g., Beacon Street, Copley Square, Franklin Park, Tremont Building, etc.

8. Abbreviations of names of corporations and firms: e.g., N.Y.C. & H.R.R.R.

9. The abbreviation Co. (Company) in firm or corporation names.

10. The scientific names of divisions, orders, families, and genera in all botanical, geological, or zoÖlogical copy: e.g., Ichneumon Fly (Thalessa lunator), Reptilia, Vertebrata, etc.

11. The days of the week and the months of the year, but use lower case for the seasons, unless personified or referred to specifically: e.g., It was a bright spring day; but, Spring, beautiful Spring; the Spring of 1911, etc.

12. The popular names of the bodies of the solar system (except sun, moon, stars, earth): e.g., the Dipper, the Milky Way, Venus, etc.

13. In botanical and zoÖlogical copy, the names of species if derived from proper names or from generic names, but in geological and medical matter use lower case for the names of species, even though derived from proper names: e.g., Clover-root Borer, Hylesinus trifolii, Pterygomatopus schmidti. {24}

2. Nouns and adjectives when they merely fix a point of the compass: e.g., He came from the north, western New York, upper Canada, etc.

3. The words father, mother, mamma, and all other family appellations, except when used with the proper name of the person or without a possessive pronoun: e.g., I expect to meet my mother, but, I have received a telegram from Mother; My aunt gave me this, but, It is a present from Aunt Mary.

2. The words Federal, Government, Constitution, Cabinet, Administration when they refer to United States Government, and President when referring to the President of the United States.

3. All titles of honor, nobility, and respect: e.g., His Excellency, Her Majesty, Father William, Mother Hubbard, Cousin John, Deacon Smith.

4. Civil and military titles when they are used specifically: e.g., President Taft, King George, the Governor, General Grant, etc.; but do not capitalize the titles of offices actually existing when following the name: e.g., William H. Taft, president of the United States.

5. The names of societies: e.g., Young People’s Society of Christian Endeavor, Boston Congregational Club, Second Church Parish.

6. Names of expositions, conventions, etc.: e.g., Brockton Fair, Congress of Physiology, etc.

7. Abbreviations of degrees: e.g., Ph.D., LL.D., Litt.D., omitting space between the letters.

8. Such titles as von, in German, le, la, du, de, or d’, in French, da, della, di, or de’, etc., in Italian, when the forename is not given: e.g., Von Humboldt, Da Ponte; but when the article or preposition is preceded by {26} a forename the title should not be capitalized: e.g., Lorenzo de’ Medici. Van in Dutch is always capitalized.

9. After Whereas and Resolved, followed by a comma, begin the first word with a capital; e.g., WHEREAS, It has pleased Almighty God...; therefore be it Resolved, That...

10. After a colon, capitalize the first word only when followed by a complete independent sentence or passage or where preceded by such introductory phrases as namely, as follows, for instance, the point is this, my conclusion is this, etc.

11. In titles of books or essays all words except unimportant adjectives, prepositions, and conjunctions: e.g., The Fall of the House of Usher.

2. The words apostle, pope, bishop, canon, rector, chaplain, minister, etc., when separated from names or used descriptively: e.g., the apostle Paul; but in direct address they should be capitalized: e.g., “O Apostle Paul.”

2. The word College or University only when part of the title: e.g., Amherst College, Harvard University.

3. Political alliances and terms which have acquired similar significance: e.g., the Dreibund, the Insurgents.

4. Titles of treaties, laws, and acts: e.g., the Treaty of Portsmouth, the Declaration of Independence, the Edict of Nantes.

5. Names of political parties: e.g., Republican, Democrat, etc.; but use lower case for republican form of government, a true democrat, etc., where reference is not made to members of political parties.

6. Names and epithets of races, tribes, and peoples: e.g., Hottentots, Celestials, etc.; but use lower case for negro, colored people, the blacks, the whites, poor whites, etc.

7. Generic parts of names of political divisions (a) when the term is an organic part of the name, directly following the proper name: e.g., the Russian Empire, Norfolk County, etc.; (b) when it is used with the preposition of as an integral part of the name indicating administrative subdivisions of the United States: e.g., Commonwealth of Massachusetts; (c) when it is used singly as designation for a specific division: e.g., the Dominion (of Canada), the Union; (d) when it is used as part of an appellation as though {28} a real geographical name: e.g., the Pine Tree State, the Promised Land; but use lower case for such terms when standing alone or preceding the specific name: e.g., the empire of Germany, the county of Norfolk.

8. Numbered political divisions: e.g., Ward Eleven, Fifth Precinct, Eleventh Congressional District, etc.

2. The words high school, grammar school, except as part of title: e.g., the Dorchester High School; but the high school of Dorchester.

2. The words I and O.

3. The first word after a colon when introducing a sentence having an independent meaning: e.g., My explanation is: Competition forces each manufacturer to study economies.

4. Words having special meanings: e.g., the Referee’s decision, a Bachelor’s degree.

5. The first word of every direct quotation.

6. In side-heads capitalize only the first word and proper names.

7. In a letter, the first word after the address. In the address, sir, friend, father, brother, sister, etc.

2. Units of measurement and their {30} abbreviations: e.g., second, minute, hour, ounce, pound, foot, yard, etc.

3. The first word of a quotation following a colon (a) if it is closely connected with what precedes it; (b) if the phrase is dependent upon the preceding clause; or (c) if the words following the colon contain comment: e.g., These explanations occur to me: either the manufacturers are unaware of the situation, or they have become indifferent.

4. The definite article as a part of the title in mentioning newspapers or magazines: e.g., the Boston Herald, the Review of Reviews.

¶ When a date is at the end of a letter or paper, it is to be placed at the left of page, using roman caps and lower case if above signature; caps, small caps, and italic if below signature.

¶ On title-pages and in headings certain words may be capitalized which in paragraphed matter would be made lower case: e.g., Queen Maria Sophia, a Forgotten Heroine.

¶ In MS., two lines drawn underneath a word or words indicate SMALL CAPITALS; three lines, CAPITALS.