Like names of people, the names of days, months and holidays begin with capital letters. The seasons do not.
| Capital letter | Small letter |
|---|---|
| Monday, Saturday | spring |
| May, October | summer |
| Thanksgiving, New Year’s Day | fall, winter |
Key idea
Days, months and holidays begin with capital letters. Seasons do not.
Why it works
Each day, month and holiday has its own name, like a person does. A season is more like a kind of time of year, so it stays small.
Worked example: Fix the capitals
“On saturday in june, we had a Summer picnic.”
- Saturday is a day: capital.
- June is a month: capital.
- Summer is a season: small letter.
Answer: “On Saturday in June, we had a summer picnic.”
Common mistake
Capitalizing the seasons (Summer, Winter) or forgetting the capital on days and months. Ask: is it a day, a month or a holiday? Capital. A season? Small.
For the grown-up. A calendar on the wall is a ready-made spelling list for the days and months. Writing the date at the top of each page (“Monday, October 6”) practices it every day.