When and What to Capitalize in AP Style

A Reference to Capitalization Usage in Associated Press Style

Mar 5, 2009

Do you capitalize the words "math class?" Lowercase the adjectives white or black when referring to race? You'll learn everything about capitalization in AP format here.

The AP Stylebook contains many rules on capitalization for journalistic writing. While it is a good idea to learn all the rules by reading and referencing the AP Stylebook frequently, this article contains the basic rules of capitalization to help you begin writing or refresh your already-developed skills.

Regions

Do not capitalize points of the compass, but DO capitalize specific regions.

People say "y'all" in the South.
Drive north on highway 95.

Religion

Capitalize names of religions, adjectives used to describe religious denominations and words used to mean a Supreme Being.

Lowercase pronouns that refer to deity.

Last week at the Methodist church, the minister talked about God's will.

Race

Capitalize the names of races and nationalities, but lowercase the adjectives used to describe them. Keep in mind that race is only to be noted when necessary to the story's integrity.

Is your friend African American or white?

Titles

Capitalize titles that precede a name, but lowercase titles that follow a name, stand alone or are used as informal references.

Lengthy titles should be placed after the name.

President Obama adressed the nation yesterday.
Jessie, the class president, addressed the student body yesterday.

Wars and Historic Events

Always capitalize names of wars, battles, generals and historic events.

The Battle of Coral Sea was a crucial point in WWII.

Holidays

Capitalize all holidays.

Christmas is celebrated about a month after Thanksgiving.

Proper Nouns

And a basic rule of capitalization: Capitalize all proper nouns. Just remember that proper nouns can be tricky to identify when it comes to specific and nonspecific. If a basic word like "math" or "government" is attached to a specific course or department, it should be capitalized, otherwise it should be lowercased. For a further discussion of capitalization of proper nouns, reference the AP Stylebook.

At the University of Louisiana, Sara ran into Justin Timberlake on Rex Street just after College Algebra.

What NOT to Capitalize

The abbreviations a.m. and p.m. Also be sure to use these with times attached, and there are no spaces between the letters. Do not capitalize the words noon or midnight.
Names of college classes unless specific. Don't capitalize names of academic degrees.
The seasons.
Prepositions, conjunctions, articles in titles of books or stories unless they begin or end the title.

Remember that memorizing all the rules of capitalization may not be the most practical way to learn AP style. Double-checking your work with the most current copy of the AP Stylebook is a sure way to learn the rules and ensure accuracy in your copy, something crucial for journalistic writing. Remembering the basics will help you better write a first draft of an article.