The words that are generally not capitalized in writing are articles, conjunctions, and prepositions. These are considered to be “lowercase” words in English grammar. Articles include words like “a,” “an,” and “the.” Conjunctions are words like “and,” “but,” and “or,” which connect words, phrases, or clauses. Prepositions are words like “in,” “on,” and “at,” which show relationships between other words in a sentence.
However, it is important to note that some style guides suggest capitalizing longer conjunctions and prepositions, typically those that are longer than five letters. This is a matter of stylistic preference and can vary depending on the specific style guide or writing context.
In contrast to lowercase words, capitalized words include proper nouns, which are specific names of people, places, or things, such as “John,” “London,” or “Eiffel Tower.” Additionally, the first word of a sentence is always capitalized, as are all nouns, verbs (including short ones like “is”), and adjectives.
When writing, it is generally recommended to capitalize the first word of a sentence, all proper nouns, and any other words that would typically be capitalized according to the rules mentioned earlier. By following these conventions, your writing will adhere to standard grammatical and stylistic norms.
It is worth mentioning that while this answer provides a general guideline, specific writing contexts or style guides may have variations or exceptions to these rules.