Initial capital letters are always used to mark the start of new sentences, but they have many other uses as well. They are used to draw attention to particular words, to signal the start of direct quotations, or sometimes to begin the first word of a complete sentence following a colon or the first word of a new line of poetry. Initial capital letters are also used to mark names, titles of artistic works, and proper nouns and adjectives derived from them. Note, though, that in some cases the adjective has become divorced from its parent noun to the extent that it may not necessarily take a capital letter (french windows).Capital letters are not generally used for verbs derived from nouns (anglicize). Some words take capitals when part of a proper name but not when used alone (Dr. Jones/give it the doctor; Aunt Sally/her aunt). In the case of institutions, capitals are usually employed where an institution is identified specifically but not when spoken of in more general terms (President Jimmy Carter, former presidents; the Catholic Church/go to church). It will be gathered from such examples that there is some scope for personal choice and the influence of house style.The pronoun I is always rendered as a capital letter, although capitals are not usually used with other personal pronouns (he, she, they, etc.). Rare exceptions include references to God (He, Him, His) or to royalty and other senior ranks (Her Majesty, Her Royal Highness, His Excellency).Initial capital letters are also used for days of the week (Sunday, Friday), months (January, December), holidays (Labor Day, Thanksgiving) and religious feasts (Easter, Hanukkah). Note, however, that capitals are not used for the names of the seasons (spring, winter). Initial capitals are conventionally used for the names of historical, cultural, and geological periods (War of Independence, Renaissance, Bronze Age) and also for such miscellaneous categories as personal titles preceding a name (District Attorney Jennifer Jones, Professor Hawkins).The use of capitals for emphasis is generally disapproved of in formal writing and is rarely found except in very informal writing and children's stories. One alternative is to use italics instead.The rules regarding capitals have relaxed increasingly since the introduction of the e-mail and of text messaging by cell phone. The difference between upper and lower case is often ignored, for instance, in e-mail or Web site addresses or when searching the Internet. This convention has the advantage of making searches quicker to execute. The lower case is used almost exclusively in electronic addresses, even for names. The rules are also often deliberately broken when devising brand names and company names in order to convey a sense of modernity or informality.
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