Capital letters in English

Why is the word Monday capitalized, but apple is not? In English there are clear rules for using capital letters, and they do not always coincide with Russian ones. In this article, let's find out when to capitalize a word and how to avoid common mistakes.

When you look at the English text, it is immediately noticeable that some words begin with capital letters. But this was not always the case! Let's look at where capital letters came from and why they are still used today.
Where did it all start?
Long ago, when there were no computers or even books, people wrote on parchment or stone. In ancient Rome, all letters were capitalized - no lowercase letters simply didn't exist. Imagine how uncomfortable it was to read a text that was ALL CAPS!
Over time, as people began to write more often and faster, lowercase letters appeared - they were easier and faster to write by hand. This happened sometime in the Middle Ages, when monks were rewriting books. To make the text look neater, they left capital letters for the beginning of sentences and important words.
Why are capital letters so important?
In English, capitalization has become a way to emphasize something important. For example:
The beginning of a sentence: To see at a glance where a new thought begins.
Names and titles: For example, Harry Potter or London - because people and cities are important!
Days of the week and months: Monday or December are also capitalized.
In the 18th century, when books and newspapers began to be printed, the rules became stricter. It was decided then that it was not necessary to capitalize every important word - certain cases were enough. These rules are still in place today.
What if we forget about capitalization?
Without capitalization, the text looks strange and is harder to read. For example:
i love london in december. - looks sloppy.
I love London in December. - It is immediately clear that these are proper names and the beginning of a sentence.
Capital letters are like road signs in a text. They help you not to get confused and to understand more quickly what we are talking about.
That's how a simple idea from ancient Rome became part of our lives - even in messages and posts on social networks!

At first glance, uppercase (capital) and lowercase (printed) letters in the English alphabet look almost identical. But there are some letters that have distinctly different shapes. Let's find out which ones!
Here's a list of the most “naughty” letters:

Why it matters.
Reading and writing: If you don't distinguish between letter shapes, text can seem like a cryptic cipher.
Correct spelling: For example, confusing A and a can make a word unrecognizable.
Beautiful handwriting: Understanding the difference helps you write neater (and teachers will be pleased).
✅ I have a cat. (It's clear and easy to understand.)
❌ i HaVe A cAt. (It looks like an alien wrote it!)
Knowing the difference between uppercase and lowercase letters will help you write English like a pro!

In school, you are often taught to write in block letters, but in English there is also cursive, which is when letters are beautifully joined together. It seems to be more difficult to write cursive, but let's find out if it's worth your time.
Why is it worth learning to write cursive?
Faster writing: When the letters are connected, your hand is less tired and you can write faster - useful for exams or school.
Looks nice: Uppercase handwriting is neat and stylish - your notes will be like a real English expert.
Read other people's handwriting: Many native speakers write in uppercase, and without this practice, their notes can seem like a secret code.
What if you don't learn?
Honestly, in today's world, many people only write in print - especially on messengers and social media. If you don't plan to work in England as a royal scribe, you can safely do without capitalization.
But if you want to write quickly, legibly and impress your teachers - the ability to write in capitals will definitely come in handy!

If you think that all native English speakers write perfectly according to the rules - I hasten to surprise you. In real life, they don't always follow the textbooks. Let's get to the bottom of how people actually write in English.
How do they write in real life?
They mix print and capital letters:
Many people don't bother and write as it suits them - they may start a word with an uppercase letter and continue with print letters. This is especially noticeable when people are in a hurry.
✅ I went to London. (Correct and neat.)
🤷‍♂️ i Went to london. (This is often written in informal messages.)
Sometimes they forget to capitalize letters:
In chat rooms and social media, speakers rarely follow all the rules. For example, they don't capitalize I's or skip capitalization at the beginning of a sentence.
✅ I'm so happy today!
😎 im so happy today!
Shortening words:
To write faster, many people use abbreviations - for example, they write I'm instead of I am, and you are instead of you are.
✅ I'm fine, how are you?
💬 im fine, how r u?

And how do you write officially?
In business correspondence, essays and documents everything is much stricter - there they follow capitalization and grammar.
✅ A letter to a teacher:
Dear Mr. Smith,
I am writing to ask about the homework assignment.
❌ Letter to a friend:
hey, what's the homework?

What is important to know?
In informal correspondence you can relax - no one will notice a mistake.
At school, in exams or when working with native speakers, it's better to write correctly and capitalize where you need to.
The main thing is to understand when you can write simply and when you need to follow all the rules.

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