英語中的字母大寫規則（Capitalization Rules）指的是一個英語單詞的首字母大寫（uppercase ）而其他字母保留小寫（lowercase）的語法規則。
英語初學者對字母大寫規則不熟悉，中等水平的學習者有時會對大寫規則視若罔聞，反倒是越熟練的英語學習者對首字母大小寫的使用越加謹慎。
遇到不知道是否大寫的情況，學學西方人，最好把一個單詞的所有字母都大寫或者不大寫。然而，這並不是萬全之策。
記住下面的16條首字母大小寫規則，你就不必擔心在英語考試和書寫英語文章時發窘。
Capitalization Rules
Rule 1. Capitalize the first word of a document and the first word after a period.
Rule 2. Capitalize proper nouns—and adjectives derived from proper nouns.
Examples:
the Golden Gate Bridge; the Grand Canyon （大堡礁）
a Russian songa; Shakespearean sonnet; a Freudian slip （失言）
With the passage of time, some words originally derived from proper nouns have taken on a life, and authority, of their own and no longer require capitalization.
Examples:
herculean (from the ancient-Greek hero Hercules)
艱巨的; (H-) 赫拉克勒斯的; 力大無比的; 驍勇無比的
quixotic (from the hero of the classic novel Don Quixote)
堂吉訶德式的，愚俠的，不切實際的
draconian (from ancient-Athenian lawgiver Draco立法者)
嚴厲的; 嚴酷的; 苛刻的; 龍一樣的
The main function of capitals is to focus attention on/emphasize particular elements within any group of people, places, or things. We can speak of a lake in the middle of the country, or we can be more specific and say Lake Michigan, which distinguishes it from every other lake on earth.
Capitalization Reference List
· Brand names
· Companies
· Days of the week and months of the year
· Governmental matters
Congress (國會; 代表大會) but congressional
the U.S. Constitution ( 美國憲法) but constitutional
Department of Agriculture
Note: Many authorities do not capitalize federal or state unless it is part of the official title:
State Water Resources Control Board, but state water board;
Federal Communications Commission（聯邦通信委員會）, but federal regulations （[法] 聯邦法規）.
· Historical episodes and eras：
the American Revolutionary War, the Great Depression
· Holidays
· Institutions：
Oxford College, the Juilliard School of Music
· Manmade structures：
the Empire State Building, the Eiffel Tower, the Titanic
· Manmade territories：
Berlin, Montana（美國蒙大拿州）, Cook County （美國庫克縣）
· Natural and manmade landmarks：
Mount Everest（珠穆朗瑪峰）, the Hoover Dam（胡佛水壩）
· Nicknames and epithets （綽號）：
Andrew 「Old Hickory" Jackson; Babe Ruth, the Sultan of Swat
· Organizations：
American Center for Law and Justice
Norwegian Ministry of the Environment
· Planets: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, but policies：vary on capitalizing earth, and it is usually not capitalized unless it is being discussed specifically as a planet:
We learned that Earth travels through space at 66,700 miles per hour.
· Races, nationalities and tribes:
Eskimo, Navajo, East Indian, Caucasian(高加索人), African American (Note: white and black in reference to race are lowercase)
· Religions and names of deities
Note: Capitalize the Bible (but biblical). Do not capitalize heaven, hell, the devil, satanic.
· Special occasions: the Olympic Games, the Cannes Film Festival
· Streets and roads
Lowercase Reference List
Here is a list of categories not capitalized unless an item contains a proper noun or proper adjective (or, sometimes, a trademark). In such cases, only the proper noun or adjective is capitalized. 各類詞中，只有專有名詞和專有形容詞大寫。
· Animals:
antelope(羚羊), black bear, Bengal tiger（孟加拉虎）, yellow-bellied sapsucker（黃腹吸汁啄木鳥）, German shepherd
· Elements Always lowercase, even when the name is derived from a proper noun:
einsteinium 鑀 符號為Es，第99號化學元素，由中子轟擊鈽產生，具 有放射性。以愛因斯坦的名字命名
nobelium 鍩 一種人造的放射性元素。它的化學符號是No，原子 序數是102。它最早是在1944年合成的，名稱是以瑞典化學 家諾貝爾而命名。
californium 鉲 一种放射性金屬元素，符號為Cf，原子序為98。伯克利 加州大學於1950年首次人工合成鉲元素，因此該元素是以美 國加利福尼亞州及加州大學命名的。
· Foods:
Lowercase except for brand names, proper nouns and adjectives, or custom-named recipes:
Tabasco sauce, Russian dressing, pepper crusted bluefin tuna, Mandy’s Bluefin Surprise
· Heavenly bodies besides planets 除了行星，太空天體均不大寫Never capitalize the moon or the sun.
· Medical conditions:
Epstein-Barr syndrome, tuberculosis, Parkinson's disease
· Minerals
· Plants, vegetables, and fruits:
poinsettia, Douglas fir, Jerusalem artichoke, organic celery, Golden Delicious apples（金帥蘋果）
· Seasons and seasonal data:
spring, summertime, the winter solstice, the autumnal equinox, daylight saving time
Rule 3.
A thorny aspect of capitalization: where does it stop?
When does the Iraq war become the Iraq War?
Why is the legendary Hope Diamond not the Hope diamond?
Everyone writes New York City, so why does the Associated Press Stylebook recommend New York state?
There aren't always easy formulas or logical explanations. Research
with reference books and search engines is the best strategy.
(有些大小寫沒有定律，需要自己去搜索研究)
In the case of brand names, companies are of little help, because they capitalize any word that applies to their merchandise. (品牌名稱首字母的大小寫要看公司的喜好)
Domino’s Pizza or Domino's pizza?
Is it Ivory Soap or Ivory soap，a Hilton Hotel or a Hilton hotel ?
Most writers don't capitalize common nouns that simply describe the products (pizza, soap, hotel ), but it's not always easy to determine where a brand name ends. There is Time magazine but also the New York Times Magazine. No one would argue with Coca-Cola or Pepsi Cola, but a case could be made for Royal Crown cola.
If a trademark starts with a lowercase word or letter (e.g., eBay, iPhone), many authorities advise capitalizing it to begin a sentence. (如果某個商標名稱以小寫字母開始，放在句首時就要大寫。)
Example:
EBay opened strong in trading today. （易趣網今日強勢開盤。）
Rule 4. Capitalize titles（頭銜） when they are used before names.
（只有用在姓名前面表頭銜的名詞首字母才大寫）
Examples:
The president will address Congress.
Chairman of the Board William Bly will preside at the conference.
The chairman of the board, William Bly, will preside. （compare with the above）
The senators from Iowa and Ohio are expected to attend. Also expected to attend are Senators Buzz James and Eddie Twain.
The governors, lieutenant governors, and attorneys general called for a special task force. Governor Fortinbrass, Lieutenant Governor Poppins, and Attorney General Dalloway will attend.
Note : Out of respect, some writers and publishers choose to capitalize the highest ranks in government, royalty, religion, etc. （特指某一位）
Examples:
The President arrived.
The Queen spoke.The Pope decreed.
Rule 5.
Titles are not the same as occupations. Do not capitalize occupations before full names. （頭銜不同於職業。不要大寫名字前面表示職業的名詞的首字母）
Examples:
director Steven Spiel, coach Biff Sykes
Note：
Sometimes the line between title and occupation gets blurred.
Examples：
general manager: is it a title or an occupation? Opinions differ. Same with professor: the Associated Press Stylebook considers professor a job description rather than a title, and recommends using lowercase even before the full name:
professor Robert Ames.
However, titles replacing someone's first name are generally capitalized.
Example: Here comes Professor Ames.
Rule 6a. Capitalize a formal title when it is used as a direct address.
(正式頭銜被用作直接稱呼時，大寫首字母)
Examples:
Will you take my temperature, Doctor?
We're sorry to report, Captain, that we're headed for choppy waters（風浪多的水域）.
Rule 6b. Capitalize relatives』 family names (kinship names) when they immediately precede a personal name, or when they are used alone in place of a personal name.
(親屬的姓/親屬稱謂用在名字前面，或者單獨使用代替名字時，首字母大寫。)
Examples:
I found out that Mom is here.
You look good, Grandpa.
Andy and Opie loved Aunt Bee's apple pies.
However, these monikers （名字）are not capitalized when they are used with possessive nouns or pronouns, or when they follow the personal name, or when they do not refer to a specific person.
Examples:
My mom is here.
Joe's grandpa looks well.
The James brothers were notorious robbers.
There's not one mother I know who would allow that.
Rule 6c. Capitalize nicknames in all cases. (綽號、諢名、暱稱首字母全部大寫)
Examples:
Meet my brothers, Junior and Scooter.
I just met two guys named Junior and Scooter.
Rule 7. Capitalize specific geographical regions. Do not capitalize points of the compass.
Examples:
We had three relatives visit from the West.
Go west three blocks and then turn left.
We left Florida and drove north.
We live in the Southeast.
We live in the southeast section of town.
Most of the West Coast is rainy this time of year. (referring to the United States)
The west coast of Scotland is rainy this time of year.
Some areas have come to be capitalized for their fame or notoriety:
Examples:
I'm from New York's Upper West Side.
I'm from the South Side of Chicago.
You live in Northern California; he lives in Southern California.
Rule 8. In general, do not capitalize the word the before proper nouns.
Examples:
We visited the Grand Canyon.
They're fans of the Grateful Dead.
In special cases, if the word the is an inseparable part of something's official title, it may be capitalized.
Example: We visited The Hague.
Rule 9. It is not necessary to capitalize city, town, county, etc., if it comes before the proper name.
Examples:
the city of New YorkNew York City
the county of Marin Marin County
Rule 10a. Always capitalize the first word in a complete quotation, even midsentence.
Example: Lamarr said, "The case is far from over, and we will win."
Rule 10b. Do not capitalize quoted material that continues a sentence.
Example: Lamarr said that the case was "far from over" and that "we will win."
Rule 11. For emphasis, writers sometimes capitalize a midsentence independent clause or question.
Examples:
One of her cardinal rules was, Never betray a friend.
It made me wonder, What is mankind's destiny?
Rule 12. Capitalize the names of specific course titles, but not general academic subjects.
Examples:
I must take history and Algebra 101.
He has a double major in European economics and philosophy.
Rule 13. Capitalize art movements.
Example: I like Surrealism, but I never understood Abstract Expressionism.
Rule 14. Do not capitalize the first item in a list that follows a colon.
Example: Bring the following: paper, a pencil, and a snack.
Rule 15. Do not capitalize "the national anthem."
Rule 16a.
Composition titles: which words should be capitalized in titles of books, plays, films, songs, poems, essays, chapters, etc.? This is a vexing
matter, and policies vary. The usual advice is to capitalize only the "important" words. But this isn't really very helpful. Aren't all words in a title important?
The following rules for capitalizing composition titles are virtually universal.
· Capitalize the title's first and last word.
· Capitalize all adjectives, adverbs, and nouns.
· Capitalize all pronouns (including it).
· Capitalize all verbs, including the verb to be in all forms (is, are, was, has been, etc.).
· Capitalize no, not, and the interjection O
(e.g., How Long Must I Wait, O Lord?).
· Do not capitalize an article (a, an, the) unless it is first or last in the title.
· Do not capitalize a coordinating conjunction
(and, or, nor, but, for, yet, so) unless it is first or last in the title.
· Do not capitalize the word to, with or without an infinitive, unless it is first or last in the title.
Otherwise, styles, methods, and opinions vary; for instance, certain short conjunctions (e.g., as, if, how,that) are capped by some, lowercased by others.
A major bone of contention is prepositions. The Associated Press Stylebook recommends capitalizing all prepositions of more than three letters (e.g., with, about, across). Other authorities advise lowercase until a preposition reaches five or more letters. Still others say not to capitalize any preposition, even big words like regarding or underneath.
Hyphenated words in a title also present problems. There are no set rules, except to always capitalize the first element, even if it would not otherwise be capitalized, such as to in My To-go Order (some would writeMy To-Go Order).
Some writers, editors, and publishers choose not to capitalize words following hyphens unless they are proper nouns or proper adjectives (Ex-Marine but Ex-husband). Others capitalize any word that would otherwise be capped in titles (Prize-Winning, Up-to-Date).
Rule 16b. Many books have subtitles. When including these, put a colon after the work's title and follow the same rules of composition capitalization for the subtitle.
Example: The King's English: A Guide to Modern Usage
Note that A is capitalized because it is the first word of the subtitle.
Suppose you are reviewing a book whose title on the cover is in capital letters: THE STUFF OF THOUGHT. Beneath, in smaller capital letters, is the subtitle, LANGUAGE AS A WINDOW INTO HUMAN NATURE. All sides would agree that the main title should be written, The Stuff of Thought. But depending on which capitalization policy you choose, the subtitle might be any of the following:
Language As a Window Into Human Nature
Language as a Window Into Human Nature
Language As a Window into Human Nature
Language as a Window into Human Nature
Any title of more than two words can be a challenge. How would you capitalize a title such as not yet rich?
Since the first and last word in any title are always capitalized, the only question is whether to cap yet. In this case, yet is an adverb, and adverbs are always capped. So make it Not Yet Rich.
Now suppose the title is rich yet miserable. This time yet is one of the seven coordinating conjunctions (the others are and, or, nor, but, for, and so). Since coordinating conjunctions are not capitalized in titles, the right answer is Rich yet Miserable.
Here are two correctly capitalized titles: Going up the Road and Going Up in a Balloon. In the first title, up is a preposition, and short prepositions are not capitalized. In the second title, Up is an adverb and should be capped.
Along the same lines, compare the following three sentences:
I Got It off the Internet。
Please Put It Off for Today.
I Hit the Off Switch.
In the first example, the preposition off is lowercase. But the word must be capped in the second example because put off, meaning "to postpone," is a two-word phrasal verb (a verb of two or more words). One-word verbs, helping verbs, and phrasal verbs are always capitalized. Off is also capped in the third sentence because the word functions as an adjective in that title, and adjectives are always capitalized.
Although the seven coordinating conjunctions are not capitalized, you may have noticed there are many more than seven conjunctions in English. Most of these are called subordinating conjunctions, because they join a subordinate clause to a main clause. Familiar examples include as, although, before, since,until, when.
There are three approaches to capping subordinating conjunctions:
capitalize them all, lowercase them all, or capitalize them if they are words of four letters or more. Take your pick.
Capitalizing composition titles is fraught with gray areas. Pick a policy and be consistent.
If you have a look at the title of this article you will see that some letters are capitalized and some are not. Although the capitalization of titles can sometimes depend on the particular style of a writer or publication, there are some general rules to remember.
The rules for capitalizing titles can vary according to a particular style guide, such as Associated Press Stylebook (AP), Chicago Manual of Style, and MLA style. They all have different rules for how to capitalize
titles. So which one should you choose?
Well, it all depends if a certain style is required by your teacher, course, or subject/field. For example, MLA style is commonly used in the liberal arts or humanities, while AP style is popularly used in journalism. One suggestion is to choose one style, or check the style required by your teacher, and stick to it.
As discussed there are some exceptions to the rule; however, here is one general rule that you can apply for capitalizing titles. Capitalize the first, last and any important words in a title, which is known as Title Case or Headline Style.
Generally, these parts of speech are capitalized in titles.
· Nouns (man, bus, book)
· Adjectives (angry, lovely, small)
· Verbs (run, eat, sleep)
· Adverbs (slowly, quickly, quietly)
· Pronouns (he, she, it)
· Subordinating conjunctions (as, because, that)
As you have probably noticed "short" words, those with less than five letters, are generally lowercase in titles, unless they are the first or last words in a title.
Generally, we do not capitalize:
· Articles: a, an, the
· Coordinating Conjunctions: and, but, or, for, nor, etc.
· Prepositions (fewer than five letters): on, at, to, from, by, etc.
When in doubt and you do not have a reference guide in front of you, here is one general rule to remember recommended by The U.S. Government Printing Office Style Manual:
"Capitalize all words in titles of publications and documents, except a, an, the, at, by, for, in, of, on, to, up, and, as, but, or, and nor."
Some writers and publications choose to use sentence case for titles. Basically the title is written as if it is a sentence, with only the first letter capitalized (however, proper nouns within the title are capitalized).
For example:
· Budget wedding invitations
· Top 10 things to do in Paris
· Best technology blogs
II. Advanced RulesHere are some advanced rules for title capitalization:
· Hyphenated compound words (High-Quality Web Services, First-Rate U.S. Lawyers, ) and open compounds (salad dressing, science fiction)
· The first word following a colon (Feminine Poetry: Ten Women Writers from Around the Word)
· Prepositions that belong to a phrasal verb (How to Back Up a Computer)
If you are writing titles (or headings) for a school paper, it is recommended to choose one style for capitalizing titles and be consistent throughout.
Further, no matter your personal preference make sure that you write the exact titles of books, newspapers, journals, etc. as they are written on the original document (even if they do not follow common capitalization rules).
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