The rules of capitalization may seem obvious, but looks can be deceiving.
Do we capitalize the days of the week?
Answer: Yes, the days of the week are capitalized.
The reason: In English grammar, the days of the week are what we call “proper nouns”. Proper nouns always start with a capital letter, no matter where they appear in writing.
Why do we capitalize the weekdays?
Like the names of people and places, weekdays refer to one “point in time” or day. All proper nouns refer to something or someone particular. This is what makes them different from common nouns, (which are general categories or kinds of things).
Because each day of the week; e.g., Monday, January 5th, is a specific 24-hour period, it takes a capital letter.
Key takeaways: Because the days of the week are proper nouns, they always start with capitals, (no matter when).
Proper nouns vs. Common nouns
Proper nouns name particular people, places, things or ideas.
- My friend [common noun] Jedidiah [proper noun] took his time perusing the restaurant’s menu.
- Turkeys aren’t from Turkey, but there are lots of turkeys in Turkey.
Proper nouns specify and define exact subjects in a sentence. In this way, proper nouns are definite and separate that person, place or thing from everything else.
Common nouns vs. proper nouns
Proper nouns are contrasted by common nouns or general nouns, which mention a noun from a broad category or type.
- I’ve never been to northern France.
- Barbara’s cat is named Scout.
- My favourite book is Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.
- Mount Everest is the tallest mountain on Earth.
- Existentialism is a branch of philosophy that questions the meaning of existence.
What’s a common noun?
Common nouns refer to general categories or kinds.
sentences with the days of the week
- “The gardener comes on Tuesdays and Fridays”.
- “My doctor’s appointment is on Monday afternoon”.
- “Your birthday is in March”.
- “Thanksgiving in November, Christmas in December, and New Year’s in January”.
- “On Wednesdays, we wear pink”.
- “Do you want to go out on Friday?”.
- “She was born on Thursday, November fifth”.
- “I clean the house every Sunday”.
- “December is my favorite month”.
