Titles. Many people, especially those at the top of the organizational chart, want their titles capitalized in all instances. But in most cases, titles shouldn't be capitalized in text. An exception is when the title is used directly before the name.

Betsy Jones, executive director
Executive Director Betsy Jones
He is the chief executive officer.
We are recruiting a sales manager.

City. Capitalize the word city only when it's included in the proper name or in an imaginative title.

Kansas City, the Windy City, city of Dallas, a city employee

State. Capitalize state only when it follows the name of a state or is part of an imaginative name.

Washington State, the Empire State, state of Iowa, state funds

Federal. If you work for the federal government, you'll need to capitalize federal wherever it appears. But everyone else follows the same basic rule applied to city and state.

Federal Trade Commission, a federal agency, federal court judge

Academic Degrees. Do not capitalize academic degrees unless used after a person's name as part of a title.

earned a bachelor's degree, working on her doctorate
Jane Smith, Doctor of Social Science

Decades. Don't capitalize decades unless you are using special expressions.

Born in the fifties, 21st century approach, Roaring Twenties

Seasons. Don't capitalize the seasons.

Held in the spring, winter weather

Black and White. Capitalize races and ethnicities in general, but not those descriptions based on color.

a black woman, white people, Hispanic and Jewish men

Just about every writing style rule has its exceptions and these rules about capitalization are no different. To fully understand the rules of capitalization and when capital letters are called for, consult your favorite style guide. Of course, you can also create your own style guide and deviate from these rules all you want!

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