Mean uppercase letter
Upper-case letters Definition & Meaning
- Top Definitions
- Quiz
- More About Upper Case Letters
- Examples
Save This Word!
Capital letters. (Compare lower-case letters.)
QUIZ
WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?
Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!
Question 1 of 7
Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.
Words nearby upper-case letters
upper bound, Upper Canada, Upper Canadian, Upper Carboniferous, uppercase, upper-case letters, upper chamber, Upper Chinook, upper class, upperclassman, upper crust
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
MORE ABOUT UPPER CASE LETTERS
What are
uppercase letters?Uppercase letters are capital letters—the bigger, taller versions of letters (like W), as opposed to the smaller versions, which are called lowercase letters (like w).
Uppercase means the same thing as capital. Uppercase letters can also be called capitals.
Some uppercase letters are just larger, taller versions of their lowercase counterparts (like uppercase W and lowercase w or uppercase C and lowercase c), but in many cases the two versions of the letter take different forms altogether, such as uppercase A and lowercase a or uppercase B and lowercase b.
To capitalize a word is to make its first letter an uppercase letter. For example, to capitalize the word polish (which is here spelled with a lowercase p), you would write it with an uppercase P, as Polish.
The state of being capitalized or uppercase (or the process of making a letter an uppercase letter) is called capitalization, as in Please check your paper for proper punctuation and capitalization.
In English, uppercase letters are used at the beginning of words for a few different reasons. It is considered a standard rule of English to use an uppercase letter to start proper nouns (which are nouns that refer to specific people, places, or things—meaning one’s that have specific names), such as Jess, Mexico, and Nintendo. Using an uppercase letter at the start of a word can change the way the reader interprets its meaning, as in the case of polish (a verb meaning to make something shinier) and Polish (an adjective describing someone from Poland) or apple (the fruit) and Apple (the company).
We also use an uppercase letter for the first letter of the first word in a sentence.
Sometimes, we use an uppercase letter for the first letter of each word in a title, as in To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before. This is sometimes called title case.
Some acronyms and abbreviations are written using all uppercase letters, such as NASA and U.S. A word written entirely in uppercase letters (like WHAT) is said to be written in caps or all caps.
Example: A lot of people don’t bother using uppercase letters in text messages unless they want to emphasize something.
Where does
uppercase letter come from?The term uppercase letter has been used since at least the 1730s. The words uppercase and lowercase come from printing. The process of physically printing things with printing presses involved trays, called cases, that were divided into compartments for holding different kinds of type (blocks with letters on them).
The upper case held capital letters and the lower case held what came to be known as lowercase letters.
It can be confusing to know whether or not to use an uppercase letter in certain situations, but a capitalization guide can help.
Did you know ... ?
What are some other forms related to uppercase letter?
- upper-case letter (alternate hyphenated spelling)
- upper case letter (alternate two-word spelling)
What are some synonyms for uppercase letter?
- capital letter
- capital
- uppercase (when uppercase is used as a noun)
What are some words that share a root or word element with uppercase letter?
- uppercase
- lowercase
- lowercase letter
- letter
What are some words that often get used in discussing uppercase letter?
- capitalize
- capitalization
- spelling
- first
- word
- sentence
- title
How are
uppercase letters used in real life?Uppercase letters are used in the beginning of names and other proper nouns, at the beginning of sentences, at the beginning of words in titles, and in some abbreviations.
In casual use, a word might be written in uppercase letters for emphasis.
She’s back with the classics and the riddles and the puzzles. The uppercase letters say APRIL NINTH. 👏🏻 @taylorswift13 You deserve this, so much. 💛 https://t.co/x7KsswdBPj
— anne⁰⁰ ఌ😺 (@ANNEtisocial) February 11, 2021
Identifying and matching uppercase and lowercase letters using these colorful underwater themed cards. Games make learning fun! 🐟 🐠 #IslipENL #LearningIsFun @WingElemIslip pic.twitter.com/QjUSLvuZ57
— Jaclyn Brady (@JaclynBrady17) February 5, 2021
i wonder if i’ll ever use uppercase letters for anything besides emphasis again
— h☼ (@hl_cutie) July 8, 2019
Try using
uppercase letters!Which of the following kinds of words is often spelled with an uppercase letter at the beginning?
A.
proper nouns
B. the first word in a sentence
C. the first word in a title
D. all of the above
How to use upper-case letters in a sentence
Certain features of its history suggest why this may be the case.
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers|Michael Schulson|July 27, 2016|DAILY BEAST
And, in the case of fluoride, at least, that doubt might actually be justified.
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers|Michael Schulson|July 27, 2016|DAILY BEAST
Her latest book, Heretic: The Case for a Muslim Reformation, will be published in April by HarperCollins.
Ayaan Hirsi Ali: Our Duty Is to Keep Charlie Hebdo Alive|Ayaan Hirsi Ali|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Their friendship began when Krauss, who was chairman of the physics department at Case Western in Cleveland, sought out Epstein.
Sleazy Billionaire’s Double Life Featured Beach Parties With Stephen Hawking|M.L. Nestel|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
A grand juror in the Ferguson case is suing to be able to explain exactly what went down in the courtroom.
Politicians Only Love Journalists When They're Dead|Luke O’Neil|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
“Perhaps you do not speak my language,” she said in Urdu, the tongue most frequently heard in Upper India.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
The case was an assault and battery that came off between two men named Brown and Henderson.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun;|Various
In this case, I suspect, there was co-operant a strongly marked childish characteristic, the love of producing an effect.
Children's Ways|James Sully
On the upper part of the stem the whorls are very close together, but they are more widely separated at the lower portion.
How to Know the Ferns|S. Leonard Bastin
Sometimes in the case of large plants, cones have been known to occur on the tips of the branches of the Marsh Horsetail.
How to Know the Ferns|S. Leonard Bastin
The World's Fastest Dictionary | Vocabulary.
comSKIP TO CONTENT
upper-case letter one of the large alphabetic characters used as the first letter in writing or printing proper names and sometimes for emphasis
lower-case letter the characters that were once kept in bottom half of a compositor's type case
hypercoaster a roller coaster that goes up 200 feet or higher and can catapult riders from 0 to 70 mph in 4 seconds by motors originally designed to launch rockets
purchase order a commercial document used to request someone to supply something in return for payment and providing specifications and quantities
percolator a coffeepot in which boiling water ascends through a central tube and filters back down through a basket of ground coffee beans
Broca's center the motor speech center in the left hemisphere of the brain in most people
operculated having an operculum
operculate having an operculum
personal letter a letter dealing with personal affairs
approachability the attribute of being easy to meet or deal with
Upper Paleolithic the time period during which only modern Homo sapiens was known to have existed; ended about 10,000 years BC
approximate not quite exact or correct
approximately imprecise but fairly close to correct
uppercase relating to capital letters which were kept in the top half of a compositor's type case
brake cylinder a cylinder that contains brake fluid that is compressed by a piston
varsity letter an award earned by participation in a school sport
airmail letter a letter sent by air mail
market letter a newsletter written by an analyst of the stock market and sold to subscribers
paper cutter a cutting implement for cutting sheets of paper to the desired size
open letter a letter of protest
CAPITAL LETTERS - what are they (large or small)? Example
Capital letters are uppercase letters that are larger than lowercase letters.
What are capital letters?
In Russian writing, letters differ in their graphic design: some are large, others are small or lowercase. Large letters are often referred to as capital letters. As can be understood from this "speaking" name, they begin headings, that is, they indicate the beginning of
- sentences
- period
- paragraphs
- stanzas
- someone else's speech, etc.
- By everyone is born for some work, - objected E. Hemingway and added:
- By everyone who walks the earth has his duties in life.
In an old style heals me.
E There is charm in ancient speech.
About is not like your words
and are more modern and sharper.Bella Akhmadulina
Capital letters are a common name. In Russian, a special linguistic term is used - capital letters. Once upon a time, at the dawn of handwriting, they were really carefully written at the beginning of a line, and decorated in every possible way to distinguish them from other ordinary letters. Emphasizing the initial letter of the first word is the oldest writing technique that was used before the invention of printing. When typography appeared, the tradition of using capital letters at the beginning of a sentence and to highlight proper names survived. nine0005
Let's consider in detail the cases in which uppercase or lowercase letters are used in modern Russian.
The use of capital letters
Capital letters are used not only in headings, at the beginning of sentences, but also to highlight certain words found anywhere in written speech.
These special words include - proper names;
- items.
In Russian orthography, proper names must be written with a capital letter:
1. names, patronymics, surnames, pseudonyms, nicknames of people, names of gods, mythical creatures, fairy-tale and literary heroes
- Tanya, Vasilek, Andryushka;
- Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin;
- Gaius Julius Caesar;
- Vladimir Krasnoe Solnyshko;
- O'Henry (William Sidney Porter)
- Curly, Chernysh, Beetle, Top;
- Zeus, Hera, Apollo; nine0077
- Vasilisa the Beautiful, Cinderella, The Nutcracker.
2. animal names
- Tortilla turtle;
- cat Marquis;
- dog Oliver;
3. geographical names, except for generic words (krai, region, district, city, settlement, village, river, lake, mountain, sea, bay, etc.
) - Krasnodar Territory;
- Saratov region;
- City of Mosty;
- Veliky Ustyug;
- Sokol settlement;
- Ponizovye village;
- Volga river;
- Lake Seliger;
- Red Sea;
- Everest.
4. astronomical names
- Cygnus constellation;
- Solar Galaxy;
- Alpha Centauri. nine0077
The words "Earth", "Moon" and "Sun" as the names of celestial bodies are written with a capital letter and with a lowercase letter if they are used as common nouns. Compare:
Recently, astronomers have difficulty distinguishing spots on the Sun.
Rosehip stood with large flowers turned towards the sun, covered with many buds (K. G. Paustovsky).
Note that in proper names all words , their components, are capitalized , except for nouns denoting generic concepts and service words, for example:
- city of Rostov-on-Don;
- Ludwig van Beethoven;
- Vicomte de Bragelonne;
- Vasco da Gamma.
In this way, proper names differ from the names of organizations, institutions, industrial associations, architectural monuments, etc.
In titles, capitalize only the first word , for example:
- Socio-Political Research Foundation;
- Research Institute of Road Engineering;
- Main Department of Internal Affairs;
- House of scientists;
- Bronze Horseman.
The name may contain more capital letters if it contains a proper name, for example:
- Kristall Association;
- Information Telegraph Agency of Russia;
- Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory;
- Supreme Court of the Russian Federation.
The capital letter is also used in pronouns you, you, your in documents, business letters when addressing one person politely.
Uppercase and lowercase letters: usage, rules, examples
Is the capital letter large or small? If you can not immediately answer this question, then read the article.
In it, we will see what an uppercase letter means and how it differs from a lowercase letter. And also we will analyze the rules of lowercase and uppercase letters and give understandable examples. Subscribe to our Telegram channel to be the first to receive useful materials. And do not forget to follow promotions and discounts from the company to learn with profit.
Need help? nine0005
Trust your work to a PhD!
What do uppercase and lowercase letters mean
What are lowercase and uppercase letters? The examples are not always clear, so let's start with definitions:
Capital or lowercase letters are graphic characters used in writing that are larger than line boundaries. They are also called the big ones.
A lowercase letters are graphic characters that do not exceed the size of a line in writing. They are also called small letters. nine0005
The very name "capital letters" arose in Russian from the verb "prescribe".
In ancient texts there were no capital letters, all words were written from lowercase. And only at the beginning of the chapters, the first letter, which was called the “letter letter”, was depicted more than all the others. It was written by hand. Therefore, now capital letters are also called uppercase. In Russian, every lowercase letter has a capital counterpart. Even "b", "y" and "b", although it is difficult to imagine where they can be used. However, not all experts support this opinion and prefer to consider that the Russian language has 33 lowercase and only 30 capital letters. nine0005
Another feature of the Russian language is that the spelling of large and capital letters does not always coincide. So, for example, the letter is different:
- capital " A " and lowercase " a ";
- capital " B " and lowercase " b ";
- capital " D " and lowercase " d ";
- capital " E " and lowercase " e " and some others.
Uppercase and lowercase letters in different languages
Capital letters are used in many languages of the Indo-European family: Greek, Slavic, Germanic and Romance.
What does the capital letter mean in these languages? It can mean the beginning of a new phrase, a proper name, a geographical name, and much more. Below we will analyze in detail in which cases a capital letter is written.
However, not all language systems can observe the use of capital letters. Hebrew, Arabic, Indian, Thai and other languages use only lowercase alphabetic characters. nine0005
There were no capital letters in the Glagolitic alphabet, the first Russian written language. Capital letters firmly came into use only in the 18th century and all thanks to the great reformer Peter I. He not only brought reforms to Russia, but also introduced a civil typeface that contained both small and large letters.
There are many words in Hebrew that are spelled the same but read differently and have different meanings.
For example, the word "דוד" can sound like "dod" and mean "uncle" , as "dud" - "bak" and as "David" is a male name. How do the Israelis understand where is the meaning? Exceptional context. Uppercase and lowercase letters: spelling rules
Let's see what rules to follow when using uppercase and lowercase letters in Russian. And to make it easier to remember, let's give examples of uppercase and lowercase letters in words.
Capital letter at the beginning of a sentence
The basic rule is: always write a capital letter at the beginning of a sentence.
Example: It's easy to make a term paper. It is necessary to choose a topic, write the text and check for errors. Pay special attention to words with -Н- and -НН-, conjugation of verbs and spelling of particles "not" and "neither" with different parts of speech.
By the way! For our readers there is now a 10% discount on any kind of work.
It is customary to capitalize not only the first word in standard sentences, but also each new line in poetic works. This rule works even when the author didn't finish the sentence:
Night, street, lamp, pharmacy,
Meaningless and dim light.
Live at least another quarter of a century -
Everything will be like this. There is no exit.
If you die, you start over again
And everything will repeat as of old:
Night, ice ripples of the channel,
Pharmacy, street, lamp.
Alexander Blok
Capital letter in proper names
Another rule that always works: capital letters are written in proper names. It remains to figure out what applies to them. nine0005
Earth with a capital letter is a planet, and with a small one - a common nameProper names are the names of objects or phenomena that are unique and stand out from the general mass of homogeneous concepts.
Conversely, common names are names that apply to entire groups of similar objects. Such nouns always begin with lowercase letters.
Let's look at specific cases when a capital letter is written in proper names. And also remember the exceptions, without which it is impossible to imagine the Russian language:
Rule Example Exception Surnames, first names and patronymics of people Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy, Pushkin, Mashenka, Marina Ivanovna. If proper names are used as a common noun, they are written with a lower case: Pikapers are modern don Juans and womanizers. In pseudonyms, nicknames and nicknames Maxim Gorky, Bolbes and Experienced. 
If nicknames are used for a whole group of people: Why are balls dangerous for society? Animal names Dolly the sheep, Barbos the dog, Murka the cat. If the nickname is used as a common name for the group: In the morning, any watchdog barks just like that. In the names of fairy-tale characters Princess Nesmeyana Mermaid, Puss in Boots. nine0423In the names of gods Jesus, Allah, Mara, Poseidon, Osiris, Quetzalcoatl. The word itself "god" can be written both with a capital letter and with a lowercase letter. In church texts, they often write with a capital letter, but in popular literature - with a small letter. In religious names Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Holy Scripture, Koran, Mother of God, Wailing Wall. Place names Arctic Ocean, Kilimanjaro, New York, Serpukhovo. 
In the names of streets and avenues Alexander Nevsky Square, Tsvetochnaya Street, Raduzhny Lane. In the names of astronomical bodies and objects Planet Venus, satellite of Jupiter, Halley's comet, Milky Way galaxy. If this is not an astronomical object, but a homonym: planet Earth and native land. nine0077 In the names of historical eras and events The Renaissance, the October Revolution, the War of the Scarlet and White Roses. In the names of holidays Walpurgis Night, Independence Day, Victory Day, First of May, but May 1st. If this is the date of the holiday, then it is written with a small one: The New Year is celebrated on December 31st. In the names of awards Title of Hero of Russia, Order of the Legion of Honor, but Order of the Red Star. 
nine0426 In legal official company and brand names that are quoted Suzuki Auto Concern, Gorbunov's Bureau Creative Agency, Orlovsky Park Hotel. The name is not quoted if it is written in Latin letters: Hilton hotel, Pixies creative agency, BMW concern. In the names of organizations and institutions Federation Council, United Nations, European Union. nine0426 In the names of unique titles and positions President of the Russian Federation, Prime Minister. All other positions are written with a small one: NATO Secretary General, EU Minister, Bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church. Abbreviated CIS, IAEA, UN, PE, MIA, USA. Some abbreviations are always written with a small letter: university, college, dot, bunker, bum, interim, spa. nine0077 In the titles of scientific articles, literary titles and other works The novel "War and Peace", the fairy tale "The Scarlet Flower", the article "Why sleep should be a priority for every student". 
What are capital letters in street names? Examples may vary depending on the literary norm. So, in the names Chistye Prudy, Kuznetsky Most, Nikitsky Gates , only the first word was capitalized. Now the norm has changed and both words are capitalized: Chistye Prudy, Kuznetsky Most, Nikitsky Gates . If in doubt about spelling, refer to dictionaries.
Capital letter in adjectives
There are several cases in which adjectives are written with a capital letter, and they also need to be remembered:
- If the adjective expresses belonging to a specific person. For example, Misha's shirt, Vanka's stories.
- If the adjective refers to the memory of a famous person. For example, Pushkin Evenings, Spring Tolstoy Readings.
If the expression has become a common noun, then it is written with a lowercase letter: Sisyphean labor, Turgenev young ladies, oatmeal porridge.
Capital letter after colon
What other words are capitalized? Those with which direct speech begins. In the text, this is formalized as follows:
- the words of the author come first;
- then put a colon; nine0012
- in quotation marks write the words of direct speech.
Example: Ivanov sighed and said to the teacher: “You shouldn’t want to expel me for absenteeism, but I can refund my record book and student card.”
A special case: with what letter to write the appeal "YOU"
In official documents, letters and business correspondence, the appeal "YOU" and its derivatives are often written with a capital letter. It is believed that this form shows maximum respect for the interlocutor. nine0005 In letters to a respected person, it is appropriate to write "You"
However, the rules of the Russian language do not impose strict norms. They recommend using "you" only if the author intentionally wants to emphasize his special relationship to a particular person.
Learn more
