Is the word saturday capitalized

In English, there are a few rules for capitalization. Most of these rules are simple and straightforward, but they can be confusing for new writers. In this post, we’ll go over the basics of English capitalization rules, including when to capitalize proper nouns and when to use lowercase letters. We’ll also discuss some exceptions to these rules. Understanding these rules will take your writing to the next level.

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Knowing when to capitalize a word and when to leave it lowercase can be tricky because there are many different rules about when to use capital letters. You cannot form a complete sentence without proper capitalization. One such rule is learning to capitalize proper nouns like Valentine’s day in your writing!

Here are brief explanations of 20 general capitalization rules to help you figure out when you need a capital letter.

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1) First word of a sentence 

You should always capitalize the first word of a sentence (independent clause). Of course, there are a few exceptions to this rule, such as when a sentence starts with a coordinating conjunction or when you’re using quotation marks. But for the most part, if you just remember to capitalize only the first word of every sentence. So if you start a sentence with Chris’ or Chris’s, you better capitalize the -C!

It does not matter if you are writing only one sentence or multiple sentences, always capitalize the first word. Even if it is a sentence fragment. This rule is consistent with the AP Style guide.

There is no need to capitalize informal sayings like catch you on the flip side in your writing. They are treated like normal words!

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2) First word following a colon if the second phrase is a complete sentence

A colon introduces and connects the ideas in two or more sentences. Writers often avoid using this punctuation mark because they are unsure of the capitalization rules.

According to the rules, you should only capitalize the first word following a colon if the second phrase is a complete sentence (Chicago Manual of Style). So, in other words, if what comes after the colon could stand on its own as a sentence, then it should be capitalized. So if you have the word “association or organization” following a colon, you better capitalize them!

However, if it’s something like a list or a fragment, then there’s no need to capitalize.

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3) First word in each line of most poetry

According to English language capitalization rules, the first word in each line of most poetry should be capitalized. This rule is designed to help ensure that readers can easily identify the start of each new line.

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4) First word in a quotation 

Always capitalize the first word in a quotation. This rule seems simple enough, but there are plenty of people who still don’t follow it. As a result, they end up with sentences that look like this: “the cat slept through the storm.”

Not only is this incorrect, but it also makes your writing look sloppy. So if you have the word dying or even dying first in your quotation, you better capitalize them!

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5) The Pronoun “I”

The personal pronoun “I” is always capitalized in English, no matter where it appears in a sentence. This is because “I” is a proper noun, and all proper nouns are capitalized.

Example: “I went to the store.”

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6) Proper nouns

Proper nouns are tricky, because it can be difficult to tell when a noun is actually proper. Here are some rules about specific types of proper nouns:

• Names – First and last names are always capitalized: Billy Walker, Susan Myers
• Relationships – Terms for relationships are only capitalized if they are used as part of someone’s name: “Aunt Alice called me,” versus “My aunt, Alice, called me.”
• Titles – Much like relationships, titles are only capitalized if they are used as part of a name: “Coach Wilson was right,” versus “The coach was right.”

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7) Prefixes and Suffixes

Prefixes and suffixes added to titles are not capitalized: “ex-Governor Johnson”

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Direct address

Words used for relationships and titles that would normally be lowercase are capitalized when they are used to directly address someone: “But I want to play, Coach,” versus “The coach told me I couldn’t play.”

• Places – The proper names of places are always capitalized, such as New York City or France. If words like “city” are not used as part of the title, they are not capitalized: the city of New York.
  • Geographical Formations – You would not normally capitalize geographical formations, but when they are part of the title of a specific formation you do: “the mountains” versus “Rocky Mountains;” “the ocean” versus “the Atlantic Ocean”
  • Streets – The word “street” is not normally capitalized, but it is when it is part of the name of a street: “the street” versus “Baker Street”

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9) Specific deities

Don’t capitalize the word “god” or “gods” when they don’t refer to specific deities. Do capitalize the names of deities from any belief system, or the term “God” in reference to the deity of Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. For example, “Zeus is a Greek god.” “God helped the Israelites escape from Egypt.”

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10) Dates

Days of the week, months, and years are capitalized: Wednesday, July.

For example:

• I have to be at the doctors office on Thursday, October 21st.
• On December 25th my entire family is coming over for dinner!
• I will graduate school on Friday, May 18th from Rutgers School of Engineering!

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11) Holidays

You should capitalize the names of specific holidays. This includes holidays such as Christmas, Easter, and Halloween.

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12) Seasons as titles

The rules around season capitalization are actually quite simple. Season names should only be capitalized when they’re being used as specific names. For example, “I can’t wait for spring break!” In this sentence, “spring” is being used to refer to a specific season, so it’s capitalized.

However, if you were simply talking about the temperature getting warmer, you wouldn’t need to capitalize the word “spring.” Pay close attention to capitalization rules when writing your titles.

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13) Countries, nationalities, and specific languages

Countries, nationalities, and specific languages are always capitalized in English. This rule seems simple enough, but it can often trip up writers who are unfamiliar with the language.

For example, it is incorrect to write “I’m from Germany” or ” English is my first language.”

The correct way to write these phrases would be “I’m from Germany” and “English is my first language.”

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14) Periods and Events

The names of periods and events are always capitalized when use specifically.

You need to capitalize the names of historical periods, like the Stone Age, or the Renaissance. But you also need to capitalize big events, like World War II.

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15) Groups

Specific names of groups like the National Honor Society should always be capitalized. Other specific names including organizations and places like the White House should also be capitalized. However, generic names for groups like “government” don’t need to be capitalized.

For example:

• I worked very hard to get into the National Honors Society in high school.
• The president of the United States lives in the White House in Washington, DC.

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16) Trademarks

The trademarked names of companies and products are always capitalized, such as Coca-Cola or Apple. If a product or company is self-styled with a lowercased first letter, you do not capitalize it: iPhone, eBay. Some scholars do suggest capitalizing these forms if they are used at the beginning of a sentence: “iPhones are very popular.”

• Google
• Walmart
• Exxon
• Nike

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17) Most adjective forms of proper nouns

Capitalize adjective forms of proper nouns: a French song, a Shakespearean play, except for words that have lost their connection to the proper noun over time, like quixotic, which comes from the novel, Don Quixote. Part of learning how to capitalize correctly is learning how to use adjectives correctly.

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18) Salutations and closings in letters

No matter if you’re writing a postcard or letter, you should capitalize the first word in a salutation or closing in a letter: “Dear friend;” “With love”

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19) Initials, Acronyms

Capitalize the letters of initials and acronyms: CIA, BBC, Elizabeth A. Green

• ASAP – As soon as possible
• TGIF – Thank god its Friday
• LOL – Laugh out loud
• OMG – Oh my God

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20) Planets

The names of planets are capitalized. Earth, sun, and moon are not required to be capitalized, but it is recommended to capitalize for consistency when other celestial bodies will be capitalized in the same text.

• Earth
• Mercury
• Uranus
• Saturn
• Mars

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Is Halloween Capitalized?

Halloween is one of the few holidays that is regularly capitalized. While some people argue that all holidays should be lowercase, the general rule is that days of religious or cultural significance should be capitalized.

This includes both Christmas and Easter, as well as Halloween. So next time you’re debating whether or not to capitalize the “h” in Halloween, remember that you’re actually following proper grammar rules!

Takeaway: Proper nouns should always be capitalized.

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Tricky Elements:

The President, The Queen, and The Pope – These titles do not have to be capitalized, but some writers do so in order to display respect. The decision to capitalize these terms is not common in the United States, but is in some other locations.

Composition titles – Book, movie, art, play, essay, chapter, and poem titles are capitalized, but only certain words. Here are the rules:

• Capitalize the first and last word of a main title
• Capitalize all verbs (Goes, Is, May)
• Capitalize all pronouns (We, It, She)
• Capitalize “Not”
• Don’t capitalize “a,” “an,” “the” unless they are the first or last word
• Do not capitalize conjunctions unless they are first or last (and, but, for)
• Do not capitalize the word “to” unless it is first or last.
• Capitalize subtitles as if they are titles

When in doubt, do not capitalize a word unless it is used in direct address or as a name or title.

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APA Style Capitalization

There are a lot of different styles of capitalization out there. But if you’re looking for the most versatile style, you can’t go wrong with APA.

• APA stands for the American Psychological Association, and its style guide is used by many different disciplines.

The biggest feature of APA style is that it uses “down” style meaning that words are lowercase unless there is specific guidance otherwise.

This makes it great for writing in a variety of contexts. Whether you’re writing a research paper or an email to your boss, you can use APA-style manuals and be confident that you’re using the correct capitalization.

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FAQs – Capitalization Rules

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Final Thoughts

English capitalization rules can seem confusing at first, but if you take the time to learn them, you’ll be able to write complete sentences with confidence. There are only a few basic rules that you need to remember and we’ve outlined them for you here. Once you’ve got them down pat, your writing will go to the next level! And if you struggle with these rules, use software such as grammarly vs prowritingaid for some extra help!

«Sábado» redirects here. For the Portuguese news magazine, see Sábado (magazine).

Saturday is the day of the week between Friday and Sunday. No later than the 2nd century, the Romans named Saturday diēs Sāturnī («Saturn’s Day») for the planet Saturn, which controlled the first hour of that day, according to Vettius Valens.^[1][2] The day’s name was introduced into West Germanic languages and is recorded in the Low German languages such as Middle Low German satersdach, saterdach, Middle Dutch saterdag (Modern Dutch zaterdag) and Old English Sæternesdæġ, Sæterndæġ or Sæterdæġ.^[3]

Origins

Saturday is named after the planet Saturn, which in turn was named after the Roman god Saturn

Between the 1st and 3rd centuries AD, the Roman Empire gradually replaced the eight-day Roman nundinal cycle with the seven-day week. The astrological order of the days was explained by Vettius Valens and Dio Cassius (and Chaucer gave the same explanation in his Treatise on the Astrolabe). According to these authors, it was a principle of astrology that the heavenly bodies presided, in succession, over the hours of the day. The association of the weekdays with the respective deities is thus indirect, the days are named for the planets, which were in turn named for the deities.

The Germanic peoples adapted the system introduced by the Romans but glossed their indigenous gods over the Roman deities in a process known as interpretatio germanica. In the case of Saturday, however, the Roman name was borrowed directly by West Germanic peoples, apparently because none of the Germanic gods were considered to be counterparts of the Roman god Saturn. Otherwise Old Norse and Old High German did not borrow the name of the Roman god (Icelandic laugardagur, German Samstag).

In the Eastern Orthodox Church, Saturdays are days on which the Theotokos (Mother of God) and All Saints are commemorated, and the day on which prayers for the dead are especially offered, in remembrance that it was on a Saturday that Jesus lay dead in the tomb. The Octoechos contains hymns on these themes, arranged in an eight-week cycle, that are chanted on Saturdays throughout the year. At the end of services on Saturday, the dismissal begins with the words: «May Christ our True God, through the intercessions of his most-pure Mother, of the holy, glorious and right victorious Martyrs, of our reverend and God-bearing Fathers…». For the Orthodox, Saturday — with the sole exception of Holy Saturday — is never a strict fast day. When a Saturday falls during one of the fasting seasons (Great Lent, Nativity Fast, Apostles’ Fast, Dormition Fast) the fasting rules are always lessened to an extent. The Great Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross and the Beheading of St. John the Baptist are normally observed as strict fast days, but if they fall on a Saturday or Sunday, the fast is lessened.

Name and associations

Today, Saturday has two names in modern Standard German. The first word, Samstag, is always used in Austria, Liechtenstein, and the German-speaking part of Switzerland, and generally used in southern and western Germany. It derives from Old High German sambaztac, the first part (sambaz) of which derives from Greek Σάββατο, sávvato and this Greek word derives from Hebrew שבת, Shabbat. However, the current German word for Sabbath is Sabbat. The second name for Saturday in German is Sonnabend, which derives from Old High German sunnunaband, and is closely related to the Old English word sunnanæfen. It means literally «Sun eve», i.e., «The day before Sunday». Sonnabend is generally used in northern and eastern Germany, and was also the official name for Saturday in East Germany. Even if these two names are used regionally differently, they are usually understood at least passively in the other part.

In West Frisian there are also two words for Saturday. In Wood Frisian it is saterdei, and in Clay Frisian it is sneon, derived from snjoen, a combination of Old Frisian sunne, meaning sun and joen, meaning eve.

In the Westphalian dialects of Low Saxon, in East Frisian Low Saxon and in the Saterland Frisian language, Saturday is called Satertag, also akin to Dutch zaterdag, which has the same linguistic roots as the English word Saturday. It was formerly thought that the English name referred to a deity named Sætere who was venerated by the pre-Christian peoples of north-western Germany, some of whom were the ancestors of the Anglo-Saxons. Sætere was identified as either a god associated with the harvest of possible Slav origin,^[4] or another name for Loki^[5] a complex deity associated with both good and evil; this latter suggestion may be due to Jacob Grimm.^[6] However, modern dictionaries derive the name from Saturn.^{[7][8][9][10]}

In most languages of India, Saturday is Shanivāra, vāra meaning day, based on Shani, the Hindu god manifested in the planet Saturn. Some Hindus fast on Saturdays to reverse the ill effects of Shani as well as pray to and worship the deity Hanuman.^[11][12] In the Thai solar calendar of Thailand, the day is named from the Pali word for Saturn, and the color associated with Saturday is purple.^{[citation needed]} In Pakistan, Saturday is Hafta, meaning the week. In Eastern Indian languages like Bengali Saturday is called শনিবার, Shonibar meaning Saturn’s Day and is the first day of the Bengali Week in the Bengali calendar.
In Islamic countries, Fridays are considered as the last or penultimate day of the week and are holidays along with Thursdays or Saturdays; Saturday is called سبت, Sabt (cognate to Sabbath) and it is the first day of the week in many Arab countries but the Last Day in other Islamic countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Central Asian countries.

In Japanese, the word Saturday is 土曜日, doyōbi, meaning ‘soil day’ and is associated with 土星, dosei: Saturn (the planet), literally meaning «soil star». Similarly, in Korean the word Saturday is 토요일, tho yo il, also meaning earth day. The element Earth was associated with the planet Saturn in Chinese astrology and philosophy.

The modern Māori name for Saturday, rāhoroi, literally means «washing-day» – a vestige of early colonized life when Māori converts would set aside time on the Saturday to wash their whites for Church on Sunday.^[13] A common alternative Māori name for Saturday is the transliteration hātarei.

Quakers traditionally referred to Saturday as «Seventh Day», eschewing the «pagan» origin of the name.^[14]

In Scandinavian countries, Saturday is called lördag, lørdag, or laurdag, the name being derived from the old word laugr/laug (hence Icelandic name Laugardagur), meaning bath, thus Lördag equates to bath-day. This is due to the Viking practice of bathing on Saturdays.^[15] The roots lör, laugar and so forth are cognate to the English word lye, in the sense of detergent. The Finnish and Estonian names for the day, lauantai and laupäev, respectively, are also derived from this term.

Position in the week

The international standard ISO 8601 sets Saturday as the sixth day of the week. The three Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) regard Saturday as the seventh day of the week. As a result, many refused the ISO 8601 standards and continue to use Saturday as their seventh day.

Saturday Sabbath

For Jews, Messianics, Seventh Day Baptists and Seventh-day Adventists, the seventh day of the week, known as Shabbat (or Sabbath for Seventh-day Adventists), stretches from sundown Friday to nightfall Saturday and is the day of rest. Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches distinguish between Saturday (Sabbath) and the Lord’s Day (Sunday). Other Protestant groups, such as Seventh-day Adventists, hold that the Lord’s Day is the Sabbath, according to the fourth commandment (Exodus 20:8), and not Sunday.

But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work.

— Exodus 20:10 King James Version

Astrology

In astrology, Saturn is associated with Saturday, its planet’s symbol  , and the astrological signs Capricorn and Aquarius.

In popular culture

Regional customs

• In most countries, Saturday is a weekend day (see workweek).
• In Australia, elections must take place on a Saturday.^[16]
• In Israel, Saturday is the official day of rest,^[17] on which all government offices and most businesses, including some public transportation, are closed.
• In Nepal, Saturday is the last day of the week and is the only official weekly holiday.^[18]
• In New Zealand, Saturday is the only day on which elections can be held.^[19]
• In Sweden and Norway, Saturday has usually been the only day of the week when especially younger children are allowed to eat sweets, lördagsgodis in Swedish and lørdagsgodtteri in Norwegian. This tradition was introduced to limit dental caries, utilizing the results of the infamous Vipeholm experiments between 1945 and 1955.^[20] (See festivities in Sweden.)
• In the U.S. state of Louisiana, Saturday is the preferred election day.^[21]

Slang

• The amount of criminal activities that take place on Saturday nights has led to the expression, «Saturday night special», a pejorative slang term used in the United States and Canada for any inexpensive handgun.

Arts, entertainment, and media

Comics and periodicals

• Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal is a single-panel webcomic by Zach Weiner.
• The Saturday Evening Post
• Saturday Night (magazine) (Canada)
• Saturday Night Magazine (U.S.)

Films

• The association of Saturday night with comedy shows on television lent its name to the film Mr. Saturday Night, starring Billy Crystal.
• It is common for clubs, bars and restaurants to be open later on Saturday night than on other nights. Thus «Saturday Night» has come to imply the party scene, and has lent its name to the films Saturday Night Fever, which showcased New York discotheques, Uptown Saturday Night, as well as many songs (see below).

Folk rhymes and folklore

• In the folk rhyme Monday’s Child, «Saturday’s child works hard for a living».
• In another rhyme reciting the days of the week, Solomon Grundy «Died on Saturday».
• In folklore, Saturday was the preferred day to hunt vampires, because on that day they were restricted to their coffins. It was also believed in the Balkans that someone born on Saturday could see a vampire when it was otherwise invisible, and that such people were particularly apt to become vampire hunters.^[22][23] Accordingly, in this context, people born on Saturday were specially designated as sabbatianoí in Greek^[24] and sâbotnichavi in Bulgarian;^[23] the term has been rendered in English as «Sabbatarians».^[24]

Music

Groups

• The Saturdays is a female pop group

Songs

• The Nigerian popular song «Bobo Waro Fero Satodeh» («Everybody Loves Saturday Night») became internationally famous in the 1950s and was sung translated into many languages^[25]
• «Saturday» (Fall Out Boy song) from the album Take This to Your Grave
• «Saturday» (Kids in Glass Houses song) from the album Smart Casual
• «Saturday in the Park» is a song by Chicago
• «Saturday Night» is a song by the Misfits from Famous Monsters
• «Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting» is an Elton John song
• «One More Saturday Night» is a Grateful Dead song.

Television

• Saturday morning is a notable television time block aimed at children while generally airing animated cartoons, although in the United States this has generally been phased out due to American television regulations requiring educational content be aired, along with Saturday outside activities for children^{[citation needed]}
• Saturday night is also a popular time slot for comedy shows on television in the US. The most famous of these is Saturday Night Live, a sketch comedy show that has aired on NBC nearly every week since 1975. Other notable examples include Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell.
• The Grand Final of the popular pan-European TV show, Eurovision Song Contest, has always aired on a Saturday in May.
• Saturday evenings are a time slot in the United Kingdom, devoted to popular TV shows such as Strictly Come Dancing, The Voice UK, and The X Factor. Many family game shows, for example Total Wipeout and Hole in the Wall, also air on a Saturday evening.

Video games

• Saturday Night Slam Masters – Published by Capcom Wrestling, 1993 video game
• Saturday Morning RPG

Sports

• In the United Kingdom, Saturday is the day most domestic fixtures of football are played.
• In the United States, most regular season college football games are played on Saturday. Saturday is also a common day for college basketball games.

See also

• After Saturday comes Sunday
• Black Saturday bushfires, a series of bushfires in Victoria, Australia
• First Saturday Devotions, a day to honor Our Lady of Fatima
• Holy Saturday, the day before Easter
• Lazarus Saturday, the day before Palm Sunday; part of the Holy Week
• Working Saturday

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Saturday.

Wikiquote has quotations related to Saturday.

Look up Saturday in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

1. ^ Falk, Michael (June 1999), «Astronomical Names for the Days of the Week», Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, 93: 122–133, Bibcode:1999JRASC..93..122F
2. ^ Vettius Valens (2010) [150–175], Anthologies (PDF), translated by Riley, Mark, Sacramento State, pp. 11–12
3. ^ Hoad, TF, ed. (1993). The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. Oxford University Press. p. 418a. ISBN 0-19-283098-8.
4. ^ Palgrave, Francis, History of the Anglo-Saxons (1876), William Tegg & Co., London p.43
5. ^ Couzens, Reginald C., The Stories of the Months and Days (1923), ch.22
6. ^ Grimm, Jacob, Teutonic Mythology (1835), translated by James Steven Stallybrass in 1882 from Deutsche Mythologie, George Bell, London, p. 247.
7. ^ «Saturday», Oxford English Dictionary, Third Edition (2008).
8. ^ «Saturday», Merriam-Webster Dictionary (2013).
9. ^ «Saturday», American Heritage Dictionary, Fifth Edition (2011).
10. ^ «Saturday». Online Etymology Dictionary, accessed 2013.
11. ^ «Hindu Fasting».
12. ^ «Weekly Rituals in the Practice of Hinduism».
13. ^ Rāhoroi — Saturday, Kupu o te Rā
14. ^ «Guide to Quaker Calendar Names». Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). Retrieved 30 March 2017. In the 20th Century, many Friends began accepting use of the common date names, feeling that any pagan meaning has been forgotten. The numerical names continue to be used, however, in many documents and more formal situations.»
15. ^ Wolf, Kirsten, 1959– (2018). The Vikings : facts and fictions. Mueller-Vollmer, Tristan. Santa Barbara, California. ISBN 9781440862984. OCLC 1035771932.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
16. ^ «Electoral Act 1992, s.100–101». www6.austlii.edu.au. 1992. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
17. ^ «Basic Law: Israel – the Nation State of the Jewish People» (PDF). knesset.gov.il. 19 July 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 February 2019. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
18. ^ «Holidays in Nepal». bharatonline.com. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
19. ^ «Electoral Act 1993, section 139(1)(b)». www.legislation.govt.nz. 1993. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
20. ^ Mildner, Anders (26 January 2014). «Godis är inget vi skojar om» [Candy is nothing we joke about]. Sydsvenskan (in Swedish). Malmö, Sweden. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
21. ^ «State of Louisiana Election Code, §402. Dates of primary and general elections» (PDF). www.sos.la.gov. 2018. pp. 91–93. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
22. ^ McClelland, Bruce A. (2006). Slayers and Their Vampires: A Cultural History of Killing the Dead. University of Michigan. pp. 62–79. ISBN 978-0-472-06923-1.
23. ^ ^{a b} Димитрова, Иваничка (1983). «Българска народна митология» (in Bulgarian). Archived from the original on 2016-03-08.
24. ^ ^{a b} Abbott, George F. (1903). «Macedonian Folklore». Nature. 69 (1780): 221–222. Bibcode:1903Natur..69Q.125.. doi:10.1038/069125a0. S2CID 3987217. In Summers, Montague (2008) [1929]. The Vampire: His Kith and Kin. Forgotten Books. p. 36. ISBN 9781605065663.
25. ^ Silverman, Jerry (1993). Songs That Made History Around the World. Mel Bay. p. 62. ISBN 978-1-56222-585-8. Retrieved 2012-07-30.

As the first full day of the weekend in the standard Western work week, Saturday means different things to different people. Freedom from school or work, for some, and the perfect day for parties for others. And then there are those who take the day to do absolutely nothing and not feel guilty about it.

Though you’re probably already familiar with the vibes that come along with the day, do you know the planet that Saturday is named after?

While Sunday and Monday get their names from the sun and moon, Tuesday through Friday are named for Germanic or Norse gods. Saturday, on the other hand, is designated as the day of the Roman planet Sāturnus, named after the god Saturn, who is equal parts party animal and agricultural icon.

How Saturday got its name

The word Saturday can be traced back to the Latin Sāturnī diēs (literally “Saturn’s day”). That led to the Old English pronunciation and spelling Saternesdæg, followed by the Middle English Saturdai before English speakers settled on Saturday.

To get to the origin of the name for Saturday (or any day of the week, for that matter), you have to start with the Babylonians. They were the ones who created the seven-day week that people still use today. When the ancient Romans followed suit, they named the days after their planets, the sun, and the moon (so named after the gods).

Those who spoke the Germanic and Nordic languages that shaped English subsequently replaced the Roman names with their own—Thursday, for example, gets its Latin name from Jūpiter, the god of thunder and the sky, and its English name from Thor, the Norse god of thunder.

This is true for all but Saturday. The Romans named it after Saturn, and for Saturn it stayed. The consistency in naming reflects the lasting Roman influence on English from the period when the Romans controlled the British Isles from 55 BCE to 410 CE.

It’s the perfect day to learn more about the word Saturday. Visit our article to get more insight on the meaning and uses of Saturday.

What is Saturnalia?

The connection between the Roman god, Saturn, and Saturday is a fitting one. In addition to agriculture, Saturn is associated with fertility, strength, wealth, feasts, and abundance. The god fits nicely with the festivities that often take place on his day, though Saturn’s ancient holiday, Saturnalia, arguably fits the bill even better: Saturnalia was “the festival of Saturn, celebrated in December in ancient Rome as a time of unrestrained merrymaking.”

Modern Saturnalia festivals may be few and far between, but Saturday remains a small reminder of Saturn’s merrymaking once a week.

Very few people (writers) know which words to or not to capitalize in a title or section headings. Usually, people just write the full title in caps or capitalize words which have three or more letters.

Post on social media and blogs usually get away with such mistakes, after all, who has time to police people on platforms where everyone just wants to have fun?

But as a professional writer or somebody writing academic papers, your knowledge and application of capitalization rules is of the essence. There are a lot of styles that have their title capitalization rules, and I recommend you know one style at the least (one applicable to your writing).

There is no mystery attached to these rules; they are simple and frequently used by most professional writers (you might even have used some of them unknowingly). 

Among the many areas that I have covered, I have introduced the major title capitalization styles to help you understand the basics. So, there’s no need for any crystal balls; no more wandering around the world wide web, searching for the perfect title capitalization formula.

Why Do We Not Capitalize Every Word in A Heading?

There are a couple of reasons—three, actually—why we don’t capitalize each and every word in a title or heading.

Capitalizing every word makes the text less legible and readable. We actually capitalize words to indicate emphasis and provide clarity, so if we capitalize each and every word regardless of their importance or the intended message, we’re flinging this clarity.

You could decide to switch to all caps if you have that liberty. As a matter of fact, a lot of writers have done it this way, but capitalizing each and every word only makes the text have a rough tone and appear obnoxious.

We usually use all-caps to indicate shouting or a bossy tone, so it would be appropriate when that’s the intention. Otherwise, it isn’t a good way to capitalize your titles.

How Do You Know What to Capitalize and What Not to?

If you are just writing your titles without following any rule, then it all boils down to preference—does the word feel that important for you to capitalize or not? Perhaps you just like to write your entire title in capital letters?

But as I have iterated already, there are capitalization rules which people use depending on preference or requirement. Some writers prefer the NY Times style because they’re journos or the APA style because they are writing an academic research paper and are required to use it.

Word processors usually have most of these rules programmed into them and all you have to do is indicate that a particular sentence is a title, the word processor identifies the words that you should and should not capitalize.

Examples of Correct Title Capitalization

To show you how correctly written titles look like—using generally accepted rules—I have listed a couple of examples.

They might be titles for books, poems, news articles, headings of a passage in a book or newspaper, etc.

The Seventh Sea: A Perilous Journey by the World’s Greatest Pirates.

When Curiosity Failed to Kill the Cat.

If you’re the title inside a paragraph or sentence, these are correct ways to write them:

Best of Dana was a famous book by Gina Lewinski.

“The Truth Behind the Helsinki Murders” is the only horror story in her collection.

He loves sitcoms and his favorite is Two and a Half Men.

There are a lot of different correct ways to capitalize, and I couldn’t fit all of them in this post but as long as you are following rules appropriate for the type of text that you’re writing, you’re good.

List of Words Not Capitalized in Titles

Although we have different capitalization styles, there are words which are generally capitalized and others not generally capitalize in titles.

The words in this bracket include:

• Articles (a, an, the)
• Short words (fewer than 4 letters)
• Prepositions (at, by, to, etc.)
• Coordinating Conjunctions (and, but, for)

Here’s the full list:

And, as, as if, as long as, at, but, by, even if, for, from, if, if only, in, into, like, near, now that, nor, of, off, on, on top of, once, onto, or, out of, over, past, so, so that, than, that, till, to, up, upon, with, when, yet.

Why Are Capitalization Rules Important?

For professional writers, reputation is—to a great extent—contingent on producing tidy work which conforms to generally accepted linguistic rules.

There are different styles of title capitalization rules for different genres, agencies, and associations. For example, if you are editing a page on Wikipedia, there are rules you must follow for your page to be legible.

Capitalization rules indicate tidiness, legibility, and professionalism.  Therefore, in many scenarios, they are usually one of the things that stand between you and success as a writer.

Different Styles of Title Capitalization Rules

There are four main title capitalization styles, namely Chicago style, APA style, MLA style, and AP style. I have also added NY times and Wikipedia styles in case one of my readers is a journo or edits Wikipedia pages.

It must also be noted that the title case capitalization or sentence case capitalization rules in each of these capitalization styles fractionally differ.

Here are the title capitalization rules classified by style.

Chicago Manual of Style Capitalization Rules

The Chicago Style is one of the most employed and venerated headline capitalization styles in journalism.

These are the title case rules according to this style:

• Capitalize the first and the last word.
• Capitalize nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, and subordinate conjunctions.
• Lowercase articles (a, an, the), coordinating conjunctions, and prepositions.
• Lowercase the ‘to’ in an infinitive (I want to play guitar).

MLA Style Capitalization Rules

The MLA style requires that you capitalize:

• The first word of the title or subtitle.
• All major words (nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and pronouns).
• The second part of hyphenated words (e.g., Self-Doubt)
• All words of four letters or more.

APA Style Capitalization Rules

Capitalization of APA style titles follows these rules:

• The first word of the title or subtitle should be capitalized.
• All nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and pronouns should be capitalized.
• Both parts of major hyphenated words (e.g., Self-Doubt).
• Words with four letters or more should be capitalized.

AP Style Capitalization Rules

This is a style used by writers for the Associated Press. However, AP style capitalization rules are also employed by many other journalists.

The rules demand that you capitalize words with three or more letters, the first and last words, nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, and subordinate conjunctions. Articles (a, an, the), coordinating conjunctions, and prepositions should be lowercase.

Wikipedia Style Capitalization Rules

The following are the title capitalization rules that Wikipedia editors must follow:

• All major words should be capitalized.
• The first and last words should be capitalized.
• Capitalize subordinate conjunctions.
• Articles (a, an, the), coordinating conjunctions, and prepositions should be lowercase.
• The word “to” in an infinitive (e.g., I Want to Leave) should be lowercase.

NY Times Style Capitalization Rules

The capitalization for the NY Times style—which is, for the most part, used by writers for the NY Times—requires that you capitalize major words (e.g., nouns, pronouns, verbs), the first and last words, and subordinate conjunctions. Articles (a, an, the), coordinating conjunctions, and prepositions should be lowercase.

Style Guide Differences and Exceptions Between the Major 3 Styles of Title Capitalization

Although the styles have a lot of similarities, they also have their differences, and it’s crucial to pay attention to these differences.

AP Stylebook

When you use the AP Stylebook, you’re supposed to use lowercase for all words with three letters or fewer in a title. But, if any of those short words happen to be verbs (like “is,” “are,” “was,” “be”), you should capitalize them.

Chicago Style

The Chicago style requires that you use lowercase for all prepositions except when they are the first or last word of the title. The length doesn’t matter in the case of prepositions and you have to use lowercase for words as lengthy as “between,” “throughout,” and other prepositions. 

MLA Style

MLA style has its own exception; words with three letters or fewer should always be in lowercase except when they are the first or last word of the title.

Write Your Titles the Write Way

There’s no need for you to memorize all the different capitalization styles, but you at least need to be aware of the generally accepted rules.

If it’s not compulsory for you to follow a particular style of capitalization, use the general rules provided by an established writer in your genre and make sure that you are consistent with your chosen style.

With consistency, everything becomes easier.