Effective English

for Colleges
11th Edition
Hulbert & Miller

Chapter 11
CAPITALIZATION
AND NUMBERS

© 2006 SOUTH-WESTERN EDUCATIONAL PUBLISHING

 Learning Objectives

11 To
To capitalize
capitalize words
words correctly
correctly

To
To write
write numbers
numbers correctly
correctly in
in
22
words,
words, figures,
figures, or
or aa
combination
combination ofof words
words and
and
figures
figures

Effective English for Colleges, 11e, by Hulbert & Miller Chapter 11, Slide 2
 Capitalization
Capitalization

Capitalize
Capitalizeevery
everyproper
proper Do
Donot
notcapitalize
capitalizecommon
common
noun—the
noun—theofficial
officialname
nameofofaa nouns—a
nouns—ageneral
generalreference
reference
specific
specificperson,
person,place,
place,or
orthing.
thing. to
toaaperson,
person,place,
place,or
orthing.
thing.

Capitalize the first word of a sentence, the first word of an

expression or fragment treated as a sentence, and the first word
of a quoted sentence.
In certain circumstances, capitalize the first word of an
independent clause that follows a colon.
When not part of another sentence, capitalize the first word of a
sentence enclosed in parentheses.
Capitalize the personal pronoun I.

Refer to CHECKPOINT 1.

Effective English for Colleges, 11e, by Hulbert & Miller Chapter 11, Slide 3
 Capitalization
Capitalization
(continued)
(continued)

Capitalize, space, and punctuate a person’s name according to

the person’s preference.
Capitalize courtesy and personal titles.
Capitalize official titles when they precede a person’s name and
when the titles are used in direct address.
Capitalize abbreviations of academic degrees and professional
designations that follow a person’s name.
Capitalize every word in a salutation and only the first word in the
complimentary close of a letter.
Capitalize family titles when they are used alone or when the title
precedes a person’s name.

Refer to CHECKPOINT 2.

Effective English for Colleges, 11e, by Hulbert & Miller Chapter 11, Slide 4
 Capitalization
Capitalization
(continued)
(continued)

Capitalize geographic locations.

Capitalize north, south, east, and west when they designate
specific regions or when they are a part of proper names.
Capitalize adjectives derived from most geographic proper
nouns.
Capitalize the names and abbreviations of all institutions,
organizations, government bodies, and the names of
specific government legislation.

Refer to CHECKPOINT 3.

Effective English for Colleges, 11e, by Hulbert & Miller Chapter 11, Slide 5
 Capitalization
Capitalization
(continued)
(continued)

Generally capitalize all of the words in artistic works, literary

works, and subunits of literary works. Exceptions: Do not
capitalize conjunctions and prepositions of three or fewer
letters, articles, and the word to (used as an infinitive) unless
the exceptions begin or end a title.
Capitalize the proper names of engineered structures and
other specific projects.
Capitalize manufacturers’ brand or trade names.
Capitalize days of the week, months of the year, holidays,
historic events, special events, and eras.
Capitalize a noun followed by a number or letter when the
reference represents a sequence or an identification number.

Effective English for Colleges, 11e, by Hulbert & Miller Chapter 11, Slide 6
 Capitalization
Capitalization
(continued)
(continued)

Capitalize the names of specific courses, course names

followed by numbers, and all languages.
Capitalize the common noun element used with two or more
proper nouns.
Capitalize words enclosed in quotation marks that follow the
words marked and stamped.
Capitalize the elements of a hyphenated word based on the
situation.
Capitalize the names of specific awards and medals.

Refer to CHECKPOINT 4.
Refer to APPLICATIONS 11-1 through 11-4.

Effective English for Colleges, 11e, by Hulbert & Miller Chapter 11, Slide 7
 Numbers
 In nontechnical documents, express whole numbers
one through ten as words and numbers greater than
ten as cardinal figures.
 Spell out numbers that begin a sentence.
 Express related numbers above and below ten in the
same format.
 Express unrelated numbers in the format appropriate
for each number.
 Express whole numbers and whole numbers plus
simple fractions in the millions or higher as a
combination of words and figures.
 Write indefinite numbers as words.

Effective English for Colleges, 11e, by Hulbert & Miller Chapter 11, Slide 8
 Numbers (continued)
 For adjacent numbers modifying the same noun, use
words for one number and figures for the other.
 Follow company and product preference when names
include numbers.
Refer to CHECKPOINT 5.
 Use figures for house or building numbers except for the
number one.
 Use ordinal numbers as words for street names one
through ten; use cardinal numbers for street names over
ten.
 Use a.m. or p.m. for time expressed in figures only.
 Use a date format that is appropriate for the situation.

Effective English for Colleges, 11e, by Hulbert & Miller Chapter 11, Slide 9
 Numbers (continued)

 Spell out ages and anniversaries when they can be

expressed in fewer than two words.
 To express periods of time, typically spell out
numbers under ten and use figures for numbers
above ten.
 Express amounts of one dollar or more in figures.
 Express dollar amounts of a million or more as a
combination of figures and words.
 Ordinarily use figures and the word cents for
amounts less than one dollar.
Refer to CHECKPOINT 6.

Effective English for Colleges, 11e, by Hulbert & Miller Chapter 11, Slide 10
 Numbers (continued)

 Use figures for numbers that identify people

or things.
 In telephone numbers, use a hyphen or
period to separate the three-digit exchange
from the four-digit number.
 Use figures with the word percent unless the
number begins the sentence (use words).
 When symbols are used in technical writing
and on business forms, write numbers in
figures.

Effective English for Colleges, 11e, by Hulbert & Miller Chapter 11, Slide 11
 Numbers (continued)

 Express a mixed number in figures.

 When common fractions are used alone, use words
to express the fraction; hyphenate the fraction.
 Use figures with most units of measurement, such
as temperature readings, dimensions, and sizes.

Refer to CHECKPOINT 7.
Refer to APPLICATIONS 11-6 and 11-7.
Refer to CHAPTER 11 REVIEW.
Refer to APPLY YOUR KNOWLEDGE.

Effective English for Colleges, 11e, by Hulbert & Miller Chapter 11, Slide 12