Capitals are used in four instances: at the beginning of each sentence, in order to indicate a name, as an expression of respect and often in abbreviations.
| Upper case | Lower case | |
|---|---|---|
| Abbreviations Please use as seldom as possible, but if you do, always apply full stops. In a formal text, write out in full. [1] | RSVP NB | e.g., c.c., p.t.o., c.q., etc., no., p. 24. (plural pp.), ed. (editor) – plural eds (no full stop) [2] |
| Communication equipment |
| XX |
| Organisation (parts), companies and agencies |
| |
| Types of school and class; education; types of student | MA PhD |
|
| School subjects |
| |
| Programmes |
| XX |
| Geographical names |
| XX |
| Names of buildings |
| |
| Names of languages, public holidays, eras and historical events |
| |
| Names of persons and personal names used as a brand |
| |
| In titles of books, brochures, dissertations, theses, the first word is capitalised, as are all other principal words (i.e., everything except articles, prepositions and conjunctions) – unlike in Dutch, where the first word only is capitalised. [4] |
| XX |
| Euro(s) (do not use EUR) | XX | euro (to be written after the amount). Example: 1 euro, 15 euros. Symbol € to be written before the amount with a space. |
- Whenever an external organisation has adopted an acronym for its name, it should be used. Examples: Sdu, AutoRai, Benelux.
- Every sentence begins with a capital letter.
[1] Example: approximately, et cetera
NB: Abbreviations new to the public are always written out in full the first time, followed by the abbreviation in brackets
[2] NB: if abbreviations end with the last letter of complete word no full stop is used (Dr) and a full stop is used if it doesn’t (prof.)
[3] If used at all in an English text, these terms should be italicized to indicate they are foreign. Better still, include the translation in chapter 10.
[4] For further conventions on titles and bibliographies, see www.eur.nl/ub/english > courses and training > all courses > references and citations