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Capital letters make words distinctive．Because they help words to stand out，capitals are used in special cases—for example，to show the reader where a new sentence starts or which words in a title are the most important words．Writers，therefore，must use these special signals correctly．In this unit you will review some of the well-known basic uses of capital letters．In addition，you will learn to avoid some of the common errors writers make with capital letters．

大写字母使得单词从句子中凸显出来，它常用于特定的场合——如一句话的开始或标题中的重要词汇。本章节的主要内容便是讨论大写字母使用的基本法则。

（1）First word in a sentence or a group of words used as a sentence句首字母要大写

In April Mr．Cohen will begin planning our convention for next year．

Andrew asked whether we would cancel the meeting．Definitely!

（2）First word in a direct quotation直接引语中的句首字母

Andrew asked，“Will we cancel the meeting with the advertising agency?”

（3）First word in a question within a sentence问句中的句首字母

All of us wondering，Will this equipment be shipped on schedule?

（4）First word of each entry in a list or an outline目录或提纲中每个条目的句首字母

The first mailing includes:

①a covering letter explaining the special offer we are making;

②a brochure illustrating the entire product line;

③our credit-application form;

⑤a service contract form;

⑥a reply envelope．

b．Names of Persons

Names of persons are proper nouns and must be capitalized．The capital letter tells the reader that this is the name of a special person．

人名属于专有名词，通常必须大写。

(1)Capitalize the names of countries and major geographic areas，streets，parks，rivers，shopping centers，buildings，and so on．

国家及主要地理区域、街道、公园、河道、商场、建筑等地名一般要大写。

(2)Capitalize the word only when it is part of the official name:The Dalles，The Hague．

作为正式地名一部分的简称或代称也需要大写，如The Dalles，The Hague。

(3)Capitalize North，South，East，and West when they are used to refer to specific sections of the country．

东西南北等如果指一国当中的特定区域也需要大写。

Compare:Our headquarters office is in the South．We plan to open our first district office in the North by next September．

The warehouse is about 6 miles east of Nanjing and 2 miles south of our store．

（1）organization names机构名

Capitalize the names of specific companies，associations，societies，commissions，schools，political parties，clubs，religious groups，and government agencies and bureaus．

特定的公司、社团、协会、委员会、学校、政治党派、社团、宗教团体、政府部门及办公机构等名词都需要大写。

Metropolitan Area Graphic Arts Company

Association of American Publishers

Securities and Exchange Commission

（2）product names产品名

Capitalize the names of commercial products such as Coca-Cola．But do not capitalize the common nouns that identify the general class of the product．

像可口可乐这样的商品名也需要大写，但标明其用途的普通名词则无需大写。

（3）historical events and documents历史事件和文献

Capitalize the names of historical events or historical periods，specific treaties，bills，acts，and laws;for example，the World WarⅡ．

表示历史事件或特定的历史阶段、条约、协议、法律、草案的名词通常也要大写，如the World WarⅡ。

（4）holidays，months，and days of the week节假日、月份、星期等

Capitalize the names of holidays，months，and days of the week．But do not capitalize the names of the seasons．

上述节假日、月份、星期等都需要大写，但季节名称则无需大写。

National Day　Christmas

e．Proper Adjectives

Because proper adjectives are derived from proper nouns，proper adjectives are also capitalized:

Mexican art　Chinese silk

German food　Italian operas

In headings and in titles of books and articles，capitalize the first and last words and all major words．Consider as major words，all words except:

(1)The articles a，an，and the

How to Become an Expert in the Stock Market(book title)

(2)Conjunctions with fewer than four letters，such as and，but，or，nor，as，and if“Stocks and Bonds and You”(article title)

(3)Prepositions with fewer than four letters，such as at，for，out，up，and in Life in the Twenty-First Century(heading)

“Investments With Potential for the Future”(article title)

“What Are We Waiting For?”(Note:for is capitalized because it is the last word in the title．)

书名和文章标题中，第一个和最后一个单词的首字母都需要大写，其他的主要词汇通常也需要大写，即除了三个冠词，字母数少于四个的连词和介词等以外的几乎所有英文单词都大写。

g．Personal and Official Titles

Whenever a person has a title that is written before his or her name，capitalize the title．

人名之前的头衔一般要大写。

Captain M．R．Haggarty

Professor Marilyn J．Frigosi

Titles that are written after names are not capitalized unless:

人名之后出现的头衔通常不需要大写，除非：

(1)The title is that of a high government official．

政府的高级官员。

Among the scheduled speakers is Gerald Weems，a Senator who is a leader in environmental protection．

(2)The title appears not in the context of a sentence but on a displayed line，such as in an envelope address or a signature line in a letter．

此头衔出现于信封或信函内的签名处。

Joan P．Stimpson，Treasurer

Ms．Joan P．Stimpson，Treasurer

(3)In all other cases，do not capitalize a title that follows a person's name．In addition，do not capitalize ex-and former and late when they are joined to titles．

此外，头衔中出现的“前任”、“已故”等单词也不需要大写。

A news report stated that ex-President Rigan will be in the city later this evening．

Yes，former Governor Hamilton is scheduled to meet the press later this week．

（1）short forms短形式

Do not capitalize short forms such as company，corporation and college when they are used in place of full names．

公司、机构、院校等名词单独使用时无需大写。

Edna plans to attend Del Mar College beginning next fall．As you know，the college is in Corpus Christi，Texas．

（2）letter parts信件部分

Capitalize the first word and any title in the salutation of a letter．Capitalize only the first word in a complimentary closing．

信函内的称呼行所有单词要大写，末尾致意行则只有第一个单词需大写。

（3）family title家庭称谓

Capitalize words denoting family relationships only when they are used as a part of a person's name or as a substitute for a person's name．

表示家庭称呼的词如果后面跟有人名，或作为人名的替代，一般也要大写。

Mother　but:my mother

Aunt Bernice　your aunt

（4）school subjects学校课程

Capitalize the names of languages and of specific numbered courses．Do not capitalize the names of subjects．

语言和特别标注数目的课程名一般也要大写。