I often find that writers like to emphasize words by capitalizing the initial letter or by capitalizing every letter. Sometimes it seems like writers randomly select words to capitalize.
This use of capitalization makes it difficult to understand a writer’s intended tone. In casual communication, such as emails and texts, use of all caps is often interpreted as yelling. And use of all caps or random capitalization can make a text difficult to read because it disrupts the flow. But what about in, for example, formal writing such as a nonfiction manuscript, a business letter, or a resume?
Use of all caps is not acceptable in professional writing.
According to The Chicago Manual of Style (7.52), capitalizing every letter in a word is called “setting in full caps” (e.g., DAY). Setting only the first letter as a capital is called “capitalizing” (e.g., Day).
But the meaning of a sentence is the same, regardless of whether all caps are used:
It was a beautiful spring day.
It a beautiful spring DAY.
And when random capitalization is used, the meaning is the same, but the writer looks like he or she does not have a solid grasp of written communication:
It Was a Beautiful Spring DAY.
The Chicago Manual of Style reminds us that “capitalizing an entire word or phrase for emphasis is rarely appropriate in formal prose.” Instead, italics should be used for emphasis because they are not as distracting as all caps—but they should be used sparingly. If you want to be seen as a skilled communicator and a professional within your field, let your choice of descriptive words convey emphasis; paint a picture for your readers.
I recently edited a resume that included capitalization of nearly every word. I assumed the writer wanted the reader to know, “This information is important, and I took the time to make this resume look nice!” But what will end up happening is that the reader will likely toss the resume aside after struggling to read it—and will question the communication skills and professionalism of the writer.
Overuse (and incorrect use) of capitalization doesn’t make your text look formal and important. Instead, it makes it look ungraceful and downright disorganized. And this makes it difficult to read.
In some situations, it’s okay to use all caps, for example, with abbreviations and with key terms in legal documents. But try to avoid distracting your readers by cluttering your text with arbitrary capitalization.
