Introduction
In English, capitals have four core functions.
Capital letters are used to
- signal the beginning of a new sentence.
- differentiate proper nouns and adjectives from common nouns and adjectives.
- provide emphasis in official titles of persons, articles, books, courses, and so on.
- highlight important words in headings.
APA Style
The tables below provide examples for using capitals in sentences; for proper nouns, adjectives, and titles; and for business or trade names.
| Explanation | Example |
|---|---|
| Use capital letters to begin sentences. | Our team is excited about the new project.
Employees are pleased with the new schedule. |
| Capitalize the first letter after a colon if what follows it is a sentence. | They had several concerns: Remuneration was the most pressing.
but One principal concern arose in the meeting: remuneration. |
| Capitalize important words in a title of an article, book, or report if the title is used in a sentence. (called title case in APA)
Do not capitalize important words in a title of an article, book, or report if the title is used in a references list. |
In his article, “Now Is the Time to Embrace a Four-day Workweek: The Five-day, 40-hour Model Goes Back to the 1920s, When it Replaced a Standard Six-day Routine”, Badelt provides a overview of the history of work days.
but Badelt, B. (2021). Now is the time to embrace a four-day workweek: The five-day, 40-hour model goes back to the 1920s, when it replaced a standard six-day routine. |
| Explanation | Example |
|---|---|
| Proper nouns | Bill Gates is one of America’s most influential business titans.
Our Greek associates reminded us of the different tax policies in their country. |
| Proper job titles
but not Generic job titles |
We interviewed Chief Financial Officer Jennifer Fong.
Human Resources Manager Klara Vandermolen created the interview questions. but not Our manager is on vacation. We interviewed the chief financial officers from several leading financial institutions. |
| Proper course titles
but not Generic titles |
We spent considerable time discussing audience and purpose in BUSN 732.
The Construction Project Management program at Centennial College has become very popular these past two years. but not Our business communications course is quite challenging. We provide a basic overview of various aspects of occupational health and safety in the construction industry. |
| Proper geographic names and locations
but not Generic names and locations |
Several of our branches are located in Toronto.
Because Whistler is in a mountainous region, internet connectivity issues sometimes occur. but not Several of our branches are located in the city. Because we live in the mountains, internet connectivity issues sometimes occur. |
| Explanation | Example |
|---|---|
| Capitalize trade names | Dofasco Steel Warehouse
TD Bank McDonald’s |