Get guidance on capitalization to help improve your

writing.
Below is an overview of capitalization rules. If you are unsure whether a word should
be capitalized, you can consult a dictionary.

You should always capitalize proper nouns and words formed from them; do not
capitalize common nouns. The following are types of words that you should usually
capitalize:

 Names for the deity, religions, religious followers, sacred books – God, Buddha,
Allah, Christianity, Muslims, Bible, Torah

 Words of family relationships used as names – Aunt Rose, Uncle Henry,

Grandma Reed

 Names of countries, states, and cities – France, England, United States of

America, New York, New Orleans
  Nationalities and their languages, races, tribes – English, African, Sudanese,
Spanish, Cherokee

 Educational institutions, degrees, particular courses –University of Maryland,

Bachelor of Science, English 101

 Government departments, organizations, political parties – Federal Bureau of

Investigations, the Supreme Court, Congress, Sierra Club, Democrat

 Historical movements, periods, events, documents – the Enlightenment, the

Declaration of Independence, the Constitution

 Specific electronic sources – the Internet, the Net, the World Wide Web

 Trade/brand names – Kleenex

Months (January, February) and days of the week (Sunday, Monday) are also treated
as proper nouns. Seasons and the numbers of the days of the months are not.

Also, names of school subjects (math, algebra, geology, psychology) are not
capitalized, with the exception of the names of languages (French, English). Names of
courses are capitalized (Algebra 201, Math 001).

You should capitalize titles of people when used as part of their proper name.

Professor Smith but not “the Professor”

District Attorney Rodriquez but not “the new District Attorney”

Capitalize the first, last, and all major words of titles and subtitles of works such as
books, online documents, songs, articles. Major words can include nouns, verbs,
pronouns, adverbs and adjectives, but do not capitalize minor words like articles, and

prepositions, and coordinating conjunctions (and, or, the, in) with the only exception if
one of these minor words come first or last in the title.

The Cat in the Hat (book title)

I Want to Hold Your Hand (song title)

Capitalize the first word of a sentence.

She went to the store to purchase a new computer.

Capitalize the first word of a quoted sentence but not a quoted phrase.

Professor Smith says we should study “chapters eight through twelve and the
study notes.”
When writing school subjects, the general English rule is the subject should
not be capitalized. But it is important to note that the English language has
many rules and exceptions, and in some instances, you will be required to
capitalize the school subjects.
You need to take your time to understand the English rule on capitalization. The
numerous writing rules can be overwhelming if you are not into detailed English.
You will be able to engage in written communication more easily if you are
willing to learn. This article will elaborate more on the various rules of
capitalizing the school subjects.

Rules for Capitalizing School Subjects

School subjects are common nouns and when writing them, follow the
English rule of writing common nouns. If you are not familiar with the rule,
it states that common nouns are not given any special consideration when
writing English words, and that is why there is no need to capitalize them.
Common nouns are not given any special consideration when writing them
because they are not specific to anything, place, or person to understand common
nouns better. The same case applies when writing school subjects since they are
common nouns and are not specific to a person or place. With that in mind, when
writing, there is no need to capitalize them. The rule of thumb is school subjects
should be written using a lowercase.

Example sentences:
 I am excited to study art in my new school.

 He studied geometry during the summer holiday.

 He found a math tutor and improved drastically during the next
semester.
Rules-Based On Types of School Subjects
You also need to adhere to the sentence writing rule when writing school
subjects. That means if the subject you are discussing comes at the
beginning of a sentence, then you should capitalize it.
The proper way of writing English sentences is by capitalizing at the beginning
of each new sentence. Regardless of whether the sentence starts with a proper or
an improper noun, you need to apply this sentence rule when you write.

Capitalizing the first words in a sentence is one of the most straightforward

capitalization rules since there is no exception. So, each time you write school
subjects at the beginning of a sentence, make sure that you capitalize them. That
helps the reader know that they are reading a new sentence and idea.
Example sentences:
 Math tutors always charge a high fee for their service.

 Geography, at times, can be hard to understand.

 Music is her favorite subject.

Exceptions for Capitalizing School Subjects

School subjects can sometimes be proper nouns depending on how you use
them in a sentence. In such instances, then you will have to capitalize them.
It might be confusing how school subjects can change from ordinary to proper
nouns. The best way to know when the school subjects are proper nouns or
common nouns is the type of message that you are passing along. For instance,
when discussing general information about school subjects, they are not specific
to anything, place, or person. So you will not need to capitalize it.

Examples of Common Noun School Subjects in Sentences

 The music teacher will not be in today.

 The literature class will take the exam next week.

 The chemistry lab lit fire because students did not follow the proper
procedure when doing their experiments.
Examples of Proper Noun School Subjects In Sentences
 She decided to take Biology 101.

 He had a hard time during his first year in college because he took
Educational Psychology and Physics 301.
 Most of the students who took Algebra 2 failed because their teacher
was not keen on teaching.

Some Edge Cases When Capitalizing School Subjects

An example of an edge case when capitalizing school subjects is when the name
or the subject you are writing about is a language. This is because languages are
proper nouns, and thus, they should be capitalized. In addition, languages are the
proper nouns since they represent nationalities.

Example sentences:
 She took French last semester, but she will be taking Spanish this
semester.
 Chinese is the least popular subject in our school.
 I am preparing for my Latin exam.
More Alternative Rules When Capitalizing School
Subjects
The other alternative rule when capitalizing the school subjects is talking
about a particular subject as an academic degree.
Generally, academic degrees should not be capitalized unless the full name of the
degree is used. When writing a full name of a degree, you might be required to
write a school subject. Since the subject mentioned is specific to the academic
degree, it becomes a proper noun. When writing, you will need to keep up with
the English rule of proper nouns on capitalization.
Note that general reference of the academic degree you are talking about, such as
doctoral, master’s, or bachelor’s, should not be capitalized. But if you are
specific about the degree, then the rule is that it should be capitalized.

Example sentences:
 I finally got my Master of Science after taking the course three times.
 It was surprising that despite graduating with a Bachelor of Arts, he
pursued a career in sports.
 Only a few ladies have a Bachelor of Science in mathematics.

10 Examples of Correct School Subjects Word

Use In Sentences
Reading different sentences with the school subjects and keenly looking at how
they are used will help you better understand capitalization rules. Practicing is
the key to learning and understanding the rules of capitalization. Here are
examples of sentences to help you learn more about capitalization rules.

1. I am thinking of dropping my philosophy classes this semester.

2. It was tough for him when he was told to pick one language class, yet
he loves both Spanish and French.
3. Her brother advised her to study psychology in college, and she is
happy she took his advice.
4. My cousin is also taking Philosophy of Language in college, and he
loves the course pretty much.
5. I was never a fan of math, yet it is the only subject I passed.
6. They both took Math 301 in college, but Steve loves the subject more.
 7. Music lessons made high school interesting; thanks to Dr. Martin for
excellent tutoring.
8. I finally got my Doctoral in Consumer Math.
9. Photography classes require each student to have the proper tools.
10.Her love for Japanese culture made her take Japanese in college.

Conclusion
The rules of English writing are numerous, especially when it comes to
capitalization. In fact, if you dig deeper into these rules, it might seem like a new
language you are learning. However, when you understand the rules, you will
notice that everything is not very difficult. All you need is to take the time to read
through the article several times and practice what you are reading in your daily
life.
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