Capital letters are used to give emphasis to or call attention to certain words to distinguish them from the context. In manuscripts they may be written small or large and are indicated by lines drawn underneath, two lines for **ALL CAPITALS and three lines for CAPITALS.
Some authors, notably Carlyle, make such use of Capitals that it degenerates into an abuse. They should only be used in their proper places as given in the table below.
1.The first word of every sentence, in fact the first word in writing of any kind should begin with a capital? as, "Time flies." "My dear friend."
2.Every direct quotation should begin with a capital? "Dewey said,—'Fire, when you're ready, Gridley!'"
3.Every direct question commences with a capital? "Let me ask you? 'How old are you?'"
4.Every line of poetry begins with a capital? "Breathes there a man with soul so dead?"
5.Every numbered clause calls for a capital: "The witness asserts: (1) That he saw the man attacked? (2) That he saw him fall? (3) That he saw his assailant flee."
6.The headings of essays and chapters should be wholly in capitals? as, CHAPTER VIII—RULES FOR USE OF CAPITALS.
7.In the titles of books, nouns, pronouns, adjectives and adverbs should begin with a capital? as, "Johnson's Lives of the Poets."
8.In the Roman notation numbers are denoted by capitals? as, I II III V X L C D M—1, 2, 3, 5, 10, 50, 100, 500, 1000.
9.Proper names begin with a capital? as, "Jones, Johnson, Caesar, Mark Antony, England, Pacific, Christmas."
Such words as river, sea, mountain, etc., when used generally are common, not proper nouns, and require no capital. But when such are used with an adjective or adjunct to specify a particular object they become proper names, and therefore require a capital? as, "Mississippi River, North Sea, All eghany Mountains," etc. In like manner the cardinal points north, south, east and west, when they are used to distinguish regions of a country are capitals? as, "The North fought against the South."