Don’t begin your caption with “a,” “an,” or “the.” No: An unknown man watches from across the street as flames consume his house. Yes: Unknown man watches from across the street as flames consume his house. No: The red-tailed hawk flies over Lake Michigan. Yes: Red-tailed hawk flies over Lake Michigan. Don’t begin your caption with a person’s name. No: Rodney Stuart, town councilman, speaks to reporters outside courthouse. Yes: Town councilman Rodney Stuart speaks to reporters outside courthouse. No: Bella Shu dances for a full house at the Grand Moscow Theater. Yes: Ballerina Bella Shu dances for a full house at the Grand Moscow Theater. Avoid judgemental statements or assumptions. No: Furious woman screams obscenities at departing team members. Yes: Woman screams at departing team members. No: First-graders wait impatiently to enter their classroom. Yes: First-graders wait in line in order to enter their classroom. Never use the past tense in your captions. No: The Wright Brothers unveiled their first glider prototype in 1896. Yes: The Wright Brothers present their first glider prototype to the public (1896). No: During the Great Depression, men and women stood all day in soup kitchen lines. Yes: Men and women waiting to enter a soup kitchen during the Great Depression.