UWF WRITING LABRULES OF THUMB FOR FAULTY CAPITALIZATION,

ITALICIZATION,

HYPHENATION, AND QUOTATION TECHNIQUE

From Real Good Grammar, Too

by Mamie Webb Hixon

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Created by April TurnerRevised by Mamie Webb Hixon

June 30,2010

To capitalize or not to . . .When Amazon launched its Kindle book

reader, Oprah announced on NBC that this e-reader is one of her favorite things.

CAPITALIZE trademarks/product names: Kindle

CAPITALIZE corporations: AmazonCAPITALIZE certain initialisms/abbreviations:

NBCCAPITALIZE people’s names: Oprah

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DO NOT CAPITALIZEThe first letter of some trademark/product names

eBayeLearningiPhone and iPad

Music genresjazzhip-hoprock ‘n roll music

Ideologies

capitalismsocialismexistentialism

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DO NOT CAPITALIZENames that have no association with their origin

sandwichpasteurizationleotards

Slang namesdorkgeek

Common religious termsa priestholy

• Types of transportationplanes and boats and trains

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DO NOT CAPITALIZESeasons

winter, spring, summer, or fall

Compass directionsnorth by northwestwest of the Mississippi

Majors or disciplinesspecial educationsocial work

Professional titles or occupational descriptionsmath teacher actor Kevin Baconlawyer former astronaut Dr. Mae Jemisonbank teller the sheriff

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DO NOT CAPITALIZEAcademic classifications

freshman year senior

Common nouns used in place of proper nounsa junior collegethe interstate

General eventsa civil wara proclamation

General names of organizations, agencies, and officesan insurance agencya social security check

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DO NOT CAPITALIZECommon nouns

hurricanea large city

Names of animalsbald eaglemockingbird

Academic degreesa doctoratebachelor’s degree

Military titlesretired admirala U.S. marine

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Which words have capitalization errors? retired admiral David Brewer, U.S. navySex And The CityMarketing Communications department

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CAPITALIZATION

(NOTE: The list below includes but is not limited to proper nouns that should be capitalized; when in doubt, consult a dictionary.)

Words in a title except articles, prepositions, and conjunctions The Wizard of OzSex and the City

Professional titles preceding or following names Doctor Frank Jones

Titles with rank Chief Petty Officer KumwaltzRetired Admiral David Brewer, U.S.

NavySpecific departments

Foreign Languages DepartmentMarketing Communications

DepartmentDivisions of the militaryArmy, Air Force, Navy

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Which words have capitalization errors?english skillsMBA degreeMaster’s degreewest of the Mississippion the west coastThe Gulf Coast

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CAPITALIZATION

Geographical areasWest CoastThe South

Names of businesses and institutionsFirst National Bank

Languages KoreanEnglish

Courses followed by a numberEnglish Composition

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Names of specific degreesBachelor of Arts degree BUTbachelor’s degree

master’s degreeSpecific rather than

generic course titles Western Civilization Philosophy of Love history philosophy

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Which words have capitalization errors?

Buddhists, Catholics, Protestants, and Atheists

the league of women votersblacks, whites, and latinos

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Which words have capitalization errors?Summer vacationFacebook, MySpace, and LinkedInGoogle appsWaiting to ExhaleGone With The Wind

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CAPITALIZATION

Religions, churches, denominations Catholicism

Organizations Boys and Girls Club League of Women Voters

Historical events, periods the Harlem Renaissance

Familial terms such as mother and father if they are not preceded by a possessive word Aunt Judy is my favorite

aunt.Races, nationalities

Mexican-American African-American

BusinessesAT&TSears

Do NOT capitalizeNeologistic or other

terms used to refer to races and nationalities whites Blacks (usage is

divided) a native American

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CAPITALIZATION

Calendar names and eventsIndependence Day

Personal names and nicknames Michael “Air” Jordan

Ships, trains, planes Air Force One

Abbreviations acronyms and initials

AA, NRA

TrademarkseBay iPhoneBlackBerryWi Fi

Seasons accompanying event namesSpring Festivalsummer

vacationBUT

winter, spring, summer

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When in doubt about the capitalization of a word, consult a dictionary.

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ITALICIZATION &UNDERLINING

Italicize longer works (for handwritten work, underline):Books, novels, plays, movies, newspapers, magazines, paintings, sculptures, ships, trains, TV programsA Streetcar Named Desire, The New Yorker,

Pensacola News Journal, The Amazing Race

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USE QUOTATION MARKS FOR

Shorter works: TV episodes, short stories, songs, poems, chapters in a book, essays, speeches “The Gettysburg Address” “Ode to a Grecian Urn” by John

Keats “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty

Direct quotations: Place periods and commas inside closing quotation marks; semicolons and colons, outside; question marks and exclamation marks are placed according to whether the mark accompanies the sentence or the quotation. Cameron exclaimed, “That dog’s

barking was not music to our ears!”

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USE DOUBLE QUOTATION MARKS

TO SET OFF: Words and expressions that need to be emphasized or that the writer wants to call attention to:

Marco is a career student – he has been enrolled eight years already because he believes in the mantra “stay in school.”

The celebrity couple are not married to each other; they have an “LTA,” a “living together arrangement.”

Both children have cancer, but neither of them is “out of the woods” yet.

I remember “Mommilies” such as “Things aren’t always as bad as they seem.”

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USE DOUBLE QUOTATION MARKS

• TO SET OFF: Words used as words

The report will use the word “aborigine” to refer only to the primitive tribes now living in Australia.

• TO SET OFF:Words used satirically or words that

should not be taken literally

The librarian righteously cleansed the library of all "dirty literature" such as Catch 22, Huckleberry Finn, and The Color Purple.

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USE SINGLE QUOTATION MARKS

TO QUOTE SOMEONE WHO IS QUOTING SOMEONE ELSE: A quotation within another quotation or a title within a quote

Dr. Feinstein opened his lecture by saying, “Albert Einstein reminded us that ‘Great spirits always receive violent opposition from mediocre minds.’”

The intro to Lit student naively remarked, “The nurse in Eudora Welty’s short story ‘A Worn Path’ calls the protagonist Phoenix Jackson ‘aunt,’ so are the two characters related?”

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Place commas and periods inside closing quotation marks.

Place semicolons and colons outside closing quotation marks.

“Do your own thing, an expression coined by Ralph Waldo Emerson, is found in his 1841 edition of “Self Reliance,” and it is considered a “philosophical gem.”

The graffito on a bathroom wall reads “ESP should be outlawed”; underneath this quote is “I knew you’d say that!”

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Place question marks and exclamation points inside closing quotation marks when the quoted material asks a question or makes an exclamation.

My personal anthem is Tina Turner’s song “What’s Love Got to Do with It?”

The captain shouted, “Halt!”

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Place question marks and exclamation points outside closing quotation marks when the sentence, not the quoted material, asks a question or makes an exclamation.

Which philosopher said, “I think; therefore, I am”? (René Descartes)

I know that “misery loves company,” but please save us from his “misery”!

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HYPHENATION

Words with a fixed hyphen (use a dictionary)

Compound modifiers preceding a noun: a three-hour movie

Words beginning with the prefixes self-, all-, and well-: self-evident, all-encompassing, well-intended

Prefixes before a proper noun: pro-American 28

HYPHENATION

Fractions used as modifiers: one-third voter turnout

Numbers from twenty-one to ninety-nine Multiword adjectives: out-of-state checks Some compound nouns: mother-in-law

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LET’S PRACTICE!!!

Eighty year old actress Betty White said that “Facebook” is a waste of time.

Eighty-year-old actress Betty White said that Facebook is a waste of time.

The Grapes of Wrath is Steinbeck’s greatest novel.

The Grapes of Wrath…My Aunt attends the local Junior College.

My aunt…junior collegeBeth said that “Tony is a teacher’s pet.”

No quotation marksUWF boasts a low student teacher ratio.

…student-teacher…30

LET’S PRACTICE A LITTLE MORE!!!Joe Smith is a member of the I have a

dream foundation.…I Have a Dream Foundation

Doesn’t everyone love Elvis’s song called Jailhouse Rock?

…“Jailhouse Rock”?Her paper is extremely well written.

…well-writtenJessie has never read Much Ado About

Nothing, but she did watch the movie.…Much Ado About Nothing…

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