Students sometimes get into trouble when they use capitals to add emphasis to their writing.
For example:
Wrong – Even though I like Reading, I would rather study Programming. (There are the general names of subjects, not the names of specific classes.)
Right – Even though I like reading, I would rather study math.
There are 6 uses of capitals:
1) The 1st word in a sentence or a direct quotation:
For example:
She wanted to go to the beach.
She said, "Let's go to the beach."
2) The word 'I' and people's names:
For example:
I feel the need for speed when driving.
Larry likes lemons.
3) The names of specific places, institutions, and languages:
For example:
The Sorbonne is a university in France.
French is the language the French Foreign Legion uses regardless of where its soldiers come from.
4) Product names:
For example:
Xerox makes copiers, but not all copies are xeroxes.
A smartphone can be an iPhone or a Blackberry or an Android.
5) Calendar items:
For example:
I sent my friend a Hanukkah card while she sent me a Christmas card.
Thanksgiving always falls on the fourth Thursday of November.
6) Titles:
For example:
My doctor is named Dr. Payne.
She always keeps the latest issue of MAD and National Lampoon in her waiting room.
