CHAPTER VIII

CAPITAL LETTERS

Then there's an M, and a T, and an S, but whether the next be an izzard, or an R, confound me, I cannot tell. - GOLDSMITH.

424. Alphabet. The letters of the Greek alphabet, from which most of our own letters are derived through the Latin, were originally all capitals. They were made with straight lines, being usually cut into some hard material, such as stone or metal. After writing materials came into use, the letters gradually became rounded, and connected letters were made small. Thus in our alphabet there are two kinds of letters. The interesting history of the alphabet will be found in any large encyclopedia.

In the writing of English, until recently, capital letters have been used with a good deal of freedom, chiefly for emphasis or distinction, at the pleasure of the writer. Nowadays they are used as little as possible, and their usage is determined by certain rules. To write accurately and most effectively, it is essential to know these rules.

NOTE. This chapter is based on Webster's New International Dictionary and on Rules for Compositors and Readers at the University Press, Oxford.

GENERAL RULES

425. Sentence, line of poetry, etc. Every sentence, every line of poetry, and every line in the conclusion of a letter (§§ 524, 540, 545) begins with a capital letter: