Author: Michelle Troutman

For more than ten years, Michelle Troutman has crafted newsletters and other content for service providers. She has spent a decade creating attention-getting e-newsletters for law and economic development firms. Her marketing and business administration background and education enhance clear and persuasive copy. Through features in publications like "Attorney at Work" and "Law Fuel," and her e-newsletter and YouTube channel, she inspires professionals to create engaging content. She enjoys helping businesses who serve others reach their marketing goals.
business communication, business writing, capitalization, capitalization rules, capitalization tips, capitalize, capitalizing, caps

Business Writing Capitalization Cheat Sheet

How did business writing capitalization start? Why do we capitalize words in general?

These interesting resources answer those questions. Capitalize on this mini link library to learn more.

The Linguist List: The History of Capitalization
Why we capitulate to capitalization.

The New York Times: Me, Myself and I
English is the only language in which the first-person singular pronoun, “I,” is capitalized. Author Caroline Winter will enlighten you on why it’s all about the “I.”

The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation
Take one of GrammarBook.com’s quizzes to test your capitalization knowledge.

Title Capitalization: Your Online Capitalization Case Tool
This handy site does what it says — it automatically capitalizes titles for you if you lack time to do it yourself or you truly don’t know how. It will help you keep your capitals in line, which is great for homework or for publication to ensure your titles follow the right style.

Case Converter
To ensure you cover all the cases, this tool will convert to the one of your choice: all uppercase, all lowercase, to capitalize the first letter of every word or just the first word of every sentence. It’s up to you. You can then cut-and-paste the results or save them to a text file.

I’ve also covered business writing capitalization rules in my Five-Minute Business Writing Tips newsletters.

Do caps “entrap” you? Do they make your life difficult? If so, contact me for a free consultation.

business communication, business writing, capitalization, capitalization rules, capitalization tips, capitalize, capitalizing, caps

5 More Ways to Use Capital Letters in Business Writing

1. To use capital letters in business writing properly, capitalize “government” when you refer to the U.S. Government or any foreign nation.

Examples: the Mexican Government; Her Majesty’s Government

2. Capitalize “state” when used with a name or in place of the name, but use lower-case with a general term.

Examples: the State of Maine or State government; state law

3. Capitalize “the,” or its foreign equivalent, when it is the authorized part of a geographical name, of a book title or work of art, or when it’s part of a company’s or an institution’s legal name.

Examples:

  • Geographical names: The South
  • Art work titles: The Student Prince
  • Company or institution names: The Hartford

Note: This rule is often disregarded in informal writing when referencing periodicals, ships, firm names, etc.

Examples: the National Review; the Enterprise; the Jones Company

4. Capitalize parts of a work when you refer to them in the same work.

Example: For more guidelines, read Appendix B.

5. Capitalize all names of celestial bodies except for the earth, moon, stars, and sun, unless they are personified or used in an astronomical context.

Examples: Jupiter; the Andromeda Galaxy; Sirius

Source: The Elements of Grammar by Margaret Shertzer
 

Advice from someone who knows how to use capital letters in business writing can help you improve your writing and make you look smarter and more skilled in your field.

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The Classy Writing Blog: Capitalization Cheat Sheet ‏

“How did business writing capitalization start? Why do we capitalize words?…” Read more.

Quotes

“Failure to use capitals properly will mark you as semi-literate just as quickly as mistakes in spelling or punctuation.” ~ Larry Trask, The Linguist List (History of Capitalization)

“One reason capitalization matters is that a word’s meaning can change depending on whether it’s uppercase or lowercase.” ~ Rob Reinalda, “When Should You Capitalize Words?” Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips.

writing advice

5 Ways to Avoid Clichés

1. Remove – Cut common words and phrases from your prose unless you’re using them to prove a point.

2. Recycle – Make a twist on a timeworn phrase instead.

Example: “The grass is always greener.”

Revised: “The grass is always greener over the septic tank.” ~ Erma Bombeck

3. Research – Visit sites such as Cliché Finder for examples of clichés if you’re not sure if you’ve used them. Look up words or phrases in a dictionary or in a thesaurus to find fresher alternatives with the same meaning. Read more about your subject matter to get a better idea of what others have already been written about it.

4. Replace – Describe something in an unpredictable or an unexpected way. Modifiers, such as adjectives before nouns, are sometimes clichéd.

Example: A thin veil (a veil is already thin, so “thin” is unnecessary).

Revised: A black veil made of Victorian lace.

5. Reorganize – Clichés are often a symptom of literary laziness. If your document overall is clichéd and doesn’t offer a new perspective, restructure it to revitalize your approach.

Quotes

“Avoid clichés like the plague.” ~ William Safire

“Most of my clichés aren’t original.” ~ Chuck Knox

Comments? Suggestions? Need help? Feel free to contact me.

Michelle Troutman
classywriting.com

writing advice

5 Common Punctuation Errors

1. Commas placed outside of quotation marks. This isn’t correct in American English.

2. Apostrophes in words that shouldn’t have them.

3. Lack of commas when they’re necessary.

4. Lack of apostrophes when they’re necessary.

5. Comma splices. These happen when someone intends to make a pause in a statement that is really two complete sentences.

The Classy Writing Blog: How to Fix Common Punctuation Errors‏

“‘Punc — punc — punc — punctuation / They are the little marks that use their influence / To help a sentence make more sense.’…” Read more.

Quotes

“I want to change my punctuation. I long for exclamation marks, but I’m drowning in ellipses.” ~ Isaac Marion, Warm Bodies

“Punctuation, is? fun!” ~ Daniel Keyes, Flowers for Algernon

Comments? Suggestions? Need help? Feel free to contact me.

Michelle Troutman
Classy Writing
207.332.8379
classywriting.com

writing advice

5 Ways to Write in Plain English

1. You are not your audience. Perhaps you become jumbled in jargon when you write and focus more on how you think you should sound. Talk about your article with a friend and record it or have someone take notes during the conversation. Apps, such as Dragon Dictation and iPhone’s Notes, can transcribe for you — these methods can humanize your writing.

2. Write to a friend (or pretend to). Some of us are self-conscious about being recorded.

3. Keep a journal. Some of my best, most open writing occurs when I jot in my journal. It’s like I’m talking to a therapist or a friend. It’s a great way to practice writing and to relax, and your words will flow more freely.

4. Read your writing aloud in a flat voice. Printing a copy helps. Sometimes what we see on-screen doesn’t match the printed page. Note any corrections or additions. Our ears can catch things our eyes don’t.

5. Let someone else read. If you’re open to constructive criticism, let a trusted friend or loved one read your writing. Another set of eyes can help you see more clearly.

Quotes

Incomprehensible jargon is the hallmark of a profession. ~ Kingman Brewster, Jr.

Even to a writer who is being intentionally obscure or wild of tongue we can say, ‘Be obscure clearly! Be wild of tongue in a way we can understand!’ Even to writers of market letters, telling us (but not telling us) which securities are promising, we can say, ‘Be cagey plainly! Be elliptical in a straightforward fashion!’ ~ William Strunk, Jr. and E.B. White, The Elements of Style.

Comments? Suggestions? Need help? Feel free to contact me.

Michelle Troutman
classywriting.com