Example 1
After she unwrapped the box of Rosetta Stone discs, Estelle cried, "Thanks, Mom and Dad! I've always wanted to learn Swedish!"
Grattis på födelsedagen, Estelle! Of course Shmoop knows Swedish. You're surprised? We love IKEA.
We also know that in this example After is capitalized because it starts the sentence, Rosetta Stone is capitalized since it's the name of a company, Thanks is capitalized because it begins a direct quotation, and Swedish is capitalized because it's the name of a language. Mom and Dad are also capitalized because they're nicknames for Estelle's parents.
Example 2
Lake Michigan is the only one of the Great Lakes that the United States doesn't share with Canada.
Many believe that Michigan comes from the Chippewa word mishigami, which means "great water." Yup. That lake is pretty great… when it's not a frozen deathscape.
Lake Michigan is capitalized because it's a specific place, Great Lakes is capitalized because it's a specific geographic area, and the United States and Canada are both capitalized because they're the names of countries.
Example 3
Shannon's book club meets the last Thursday of every month. This month they're reading Life of Pi by Yann Martel.
We hope Shannon's serving pizza rolls. That's the food that we'd miss most if we were stuck on a boat with a ferocious tiger. Before we get totally sidetracked by literary-themed snacking, let's break down this example.
Both Shannon and Yann Martel are capitalized because they're people's names. This is capitalized because it starts a new sentence, and Thursday is capitalized because it's a day of the week. You'll notice that month isn't capitalized because it's not naming a specific month. And Life of Pi is capitalized because it's the title of a book—but not the word of; remember, only capitalize the major words in a title.