If the words that follow the colon form at least one sentence, ap style says to capitalize the first letter. On the other hand, the house style at the computer magazines where i used to work was to initialcap the first word after a colon if it could function as a complete sentence as opposed to being, say, the first product in what was essentially a series or list of product names. A full suite of products to help you stay in style, whether on your desktop. If the words following the colon are a quotation, again a capital letter needs to be used for the first word after the colon. When too many commas are used in one sentence, the sentence becomes confusing. Note that ap adjusts its style to reflect current usage not long ago they. The university uses capital letter u, when referring to the university of cambridge. When a colon introduces a complete sentence, you may capitalize the first word after the colon according to some style guides. Writing a research proposal is like any other form of writing.
The reverend bill graham has met with many presidents. Most uses of a colon do not require the word after the colon to be capitalized. Im going to be seeing student papers turned in all with the titles in initial caps. Access to the complete content on ama manual of style requires a subscription or purchase. The classic, practical spiralbound edition now is published every other year. You should place a colon between the units of time when indicating an amount of time that has elapsed or a time of day. To subscribe to the associated press stylebook online, or to find out about purchasing hard copies of. If the explanatory statement coming after a colon consists of more than one sentence, begin the independent clause immediately after the colon with a capital letter. Titles apa style guide libguides at indian river state. Colons and semicolons should never be used interchangeably. Dont add anything else to a sentence after youve finished introducing the elements. In british english, the first letter after a colon is capitalized only if its. Apa style uses two types of capitalization for titles of works such as paper titles and headings within works.
Use quotation marks around the titles of books, songs, television shows, computer games, poems. Jan 30, 2016 a colon, rather than a comma, should be used to introduce a quotation. Capitalizing after semicolons or colons when it comes to the question of whether to capitalize the first word after a semicolon or colon, the answer is likely it depends. If there is only one explanatory sentence following a colon, then you do not capitalize the first word after the colon to adhere to the chicago manual of style. Capitalize the first word of the titleheading and of any subtitlesubheading. This is because the sentence has been broken into separate sentences. The same would be true for titles in a reference list where only the first word, proper nouns, and the first word after a colon or an em dash should be capitalized. In title case, capitalize the following words in a title or heading. Sep 01, 2011 current common practice is to capitalize if what follows the colon is a multiple sentences or b a maxim and to lowercase if what follows the colon is not a complete sentence. The quest for peace, the is capitalized because it is placed directly after the colon.
Jun 24, 2016 in addition, if youre quoting someone after a colon, they open their speech or text with a capital letter. Capitalization after colons chicago style and mla style. When a colon precedes a list, do not capitalize the first word after the colon unless, of course, its a proper noun example. Consider the sentences below, and note the lack of capitalization in quotes within these sentences. Ap style also aims to avoid stereotypes and unintentionally offensive language. According to rae capitals should follow the colon only in certain cases see section 3. You can also read more about proper capitalization after colons in section 4. Unlike the single sentence version, each list item bullet point starts with a capital letter and ends in a full stop.
That can make you scratch your head and wonder what got into that author. It seems that they say a colon may be used after an independent clause to introduce a list of particulars, an appositive, an amplification, or an illustrative quotation. There is some disagreement among writing reference manuals about when you should capitalize an independent clause following a colon. If youre new to news writing or switching from one to another, youll want to keep this ap cheat sheet handy and. Capitalize the first word after a colon only if its followed by a. The ap stylebook has a few simple rules for using quotation marks in ap style stories. Sep 10, 2007 im sorry, but punctuations main purpose is to increase readability and understanding of the written word. One of the tricky issues many writers deal with when it comes to colons is whether.
Understandably, many editors are confused about when to capitalize the element directly following a colon. Jun 12, 2006 capital letter after a colon if this is your first visit, be sure to check out the faq by clicking the link above. In title case, major words are capitalized, and most minor words are lowercase. When quoting, the first word of a complete sentence should be capitalized, regardless of its placement within the main sentence. Public users are able to search the site without a subscription. She smiled, youll want to read this gatehouse newsroom post about how to properly use quotation marks in ap style stories then. Capital letters are used with particular types of nouns, in certain positions in sentences, and with some adjectives.
In text use a capital first letter if the noun is specific. Chicago manual of style capitalize after colon readdownload capitalize the first word after a colon only if it is a proper noun or the start of a but the chicago manual of style, fifteenth edition 2003 has a substantially. Todays post tackles the question of whether you should capitalize the first word of a sentence after a colon. Capital letters after colons are a classic example. Lowercase only minor words that are three letters or fewer in a title or heading except the first word in a title or subtitle or the first word after a colon, em dash, or end punctuation in a heading. This topic deserves its own post because there is no absolute answer. Ap style holds that capital is a seat of government, usually being a city. Lowercase the first word unless it is a proper noun or the.
Associated press style provides guidelines for news writing. In the europepart there were some exceptions in using a capital letter after a colon. Proper capitalization is one of the cornerstones of good grammar, yet many people fling capital letters around carelessly. When a colon introduces a phrase or an incomplete sentence that is meant to add information to the sentence before it, do not capitalize the first word after the colon unless it is a proper noun.
However, they do agree that one should not capitalize the first letter after the colon. That includes newspaper names and magazine references. But they disagree on what to do when the colon introduces a complete sentence. Ap style holds that formal titles should be capitalized when they appear directly in front of one or more names. Colon capitalize the first word after a colon only if it is a proper noun or the start of a complete sentence. If the colon precedes a formal quote, you should begin the language of that quote with a capital letter.
Colons go outside quotation marks unless they are part of the. The ap style as its known in the trade is quite different from the new york times style or chicago manual of style. The first word after a colon should be capitalized only if it is a proper noun or the start of a complete sentence. Instead, the decision to use a capital or lowercase letter will depend on your style guide. When university is used in a general way, eg a place at university meaning any university the u. Firstly it is used to introduce an idea that is an explanation or continuation of the one that comes before the colon. Quotations within a sentence arent always capitalized, however. But, books may contain chapters or sections with individual titles. To put it slightly differently, you arent starting a new sentence when you use a colon or semicolon, so you would only use capitals in the places you ordinarily would. Capital can also be used in a financial sense to describe money, equipment, or property in a business of corporation among other uses.
For that, i prescribe a pair of em dashes to set off the elements instead. The chicago manual of style online is the venerable, timetested guide to style, usage, and grammar in an accessible online format. When to capitalize after a colon grammar underground with. If you cite only three sources in your paper, your reference list will be very shorteven if you had to read 50 sources to find those three gems. The strategy i happen to use is pretty brainfree, which is to say that it follows ap style. Most of the manuals advise that when you have more than one sentence in your explanation or when your sentences is a formal quotation, a capital is a good idea. The new york times manual of style and usage is similar. Apr 19, 2012 if the words that follow the colon arent a complete sentence, you lowercase the first word after a colon unless its something that would be capitalized anyway, such as a name.
Its an honor that must be warranted, and in writing, capitalization is reserved only for special words. After each bullet, capitalize the first letter and use periods at the end of each item. One basic rule of apa style is to capitalize the first word after the colon in a title. The name the flyer should always be capitalized when referring to the universitys official mascot, bedcheck charlie.
Youre using mla, and after the colon is a rule or principle. When a sentence contains multiple commas in the first clause, it is appropriate to use a semicolon before a conjunction to join two clauses. Capitalize the first word after a colon only if it is a proper noun or the. First, there was no superstar to take the place of michael jordan. For consistency, capitalize what follows a colon if it is a complete sentence.
Although i, too, was raised to put two spaces after. Capitalize the first word after a colon only if it is a proper noun or the start of a complete sentence. The same would be true for titles in a reference list where only the first word, proper nouns, and the first word after a. Should you capitalize the first word of a sentence after a. But sometimes, out of the blue, you notice an author does capitalize after a colon. When the quote is a piece of a bigger quote or a sentence fragment, no capitalization is necessary. When to capitalize after a colon grammar underground. Should you capitalize the first word of a sentence after a colon. A semicolon or colon joining two independent clauses signals a connection between them. What follows are summaries of some of the most common style rules. In other cases, some guides simply advise consistency, others advise that a capital should always be used.
Like a semicolon, a colon can connect two independent clauses, but it has several other uses as well. Does one capitalize the first letter following a colon. Associated press style has called for that final semicolon before and since at least the 1970s, though many people seem to think its not required. Titles of books, movies, recordings, television shows and similar. When to capitalize after a colon grammar underground with june. Ap stylebook, 55th edition spiralbound print published in 2020, the 55th edition of the associated press stylebook and briefing on media law includes more than 200 new or revised entries, with chapters covering data journalism, business, religion and sports terms, as well as media law, news values, punctuation. Apr 10, 2020 in apa style, however, each reference cited in text must appear in the reference list, and each entry in the reference list must be cited in text. In certain documents, after the verb that explains the nature of the document for example, a certification.
But if the words that follow the colon are a complete sentence, you can choose to capitalize the first letter of the first word like you would in a stand alone. The associated press style is the goto style for journalism and news writing. The colon can be considered as a gateway inviting the reader to go on. Lucky for us, ap and chicago agree on one thing before they part ways. Capitalization after colons grammar and punctuation. The associated press stylebook provides an az guide to issues such as capitalization, abbreviation, punctuation, spelling, numerals and many other questions of language usage.
Do not capitalize the first item after the colon unless its a proper noun. Many of the prominent families of this new england state were slaveholders prior to 1850. Associated press style basics journalists resource. In sentence case, most major and minor words are lowercase proper nouns are an exception in that they are always capitalized. Capitalize a complete sentence after a colon if you are using either the chicago manual of style, or mla, and there are multiple explanatory sentences after the. Do not capitalize the first word of a list after a colon. Capitalize a complete sentence after a colon if you are using either the chicago manual of style, or mla, and there are multiple explanatory sentences after the colon. After the colon, you have a complete sentence, and youre using apa or ap style guide throughout your piece of writing. Use a colon to introduce an item or a series of items. There were two reasons for a drop in attendance at nba games this season. In its section on lowercase or capital letter after a colon, chicago explains.
Now, should you capitalize the first word after a colon if it begins a list rather than a new sentence. However, if the list or series extends over multiple sentences, you should capitalize the first word after the colon in ap style. He was an expert on punctuation, or to precede a list he was an expert on the following. In legal or biblical citations, you should use a colon to break up chapters, sections or verses. If you have purchased a print title that contains an access token, please see the token for information about how to register your code. After each dash, capitalize the first letter and use periods at the end of each section. If the explanation that follows the colon contains more than one sentence, you should use a capital letter.
If the introductory phrase preceding the colon is very brief and the clause following the colon represents the real business of the sentence, begin the clause after the colon with a capital letter. The chicago manual of style chicago style and mla style from the modern language association recommend lowercasing the first word of a sentence after a colon unless the colon precedes multiple closely related sentences, in which case the first word should be capitalized. Usually you dont come across sentences that include a colon, and then the next part after the colon begins with a capital letter. Some style guides, such as the chicago manual of style, recommend capitalizing the word following a colon only if there are two explanatory sentences following the colon. To my eye, a capital letter after a colon looks better and i believe it helps in. Regarding headlines, according to the ap stylebook, only the first word and. In chicago style, you capitalize the first letter after the colon only when the colon introduces two or more sentences. Please subscribe or login to access full text content. The department prefers bullets, but punctuate them per ap style. Capitalize the first word after a colon only if it is a proper noun or. After each bullet, capitalize the first letter and use periods at the end of. A full suite of products to help you stay in style, whether on your desktop, laptop. A formal title is different, however, from a simple occupational description. Here german and dutch were named like if they were the same.
It said in german and dutch there will be a capital letter after colon when it is followed by a noun. The advice given by the skills team on research proposals aims to be reassuring. The puppy left a trail of destroyed items in his wake. Additionally, as you might suspect given its name, sentence case is used in regular sentences in the text of a paper. When a colon is used within a sentence, as in the first example above, it says, the first word following the colon is lowercased unless it is a proper name. Of course, youd capitalize the word after a colon if its a proper noun or i. Apr 22, 2020 in ap style, colons are also used to separate the elements in several listings.
When a colon is used for emphasis or precedes an incomplete sentence, do not. The two styles agree that whenever the stuff that follows a colon is less than a complete sentence, start with a lowercase letter. A second use for the semicolon is to connect two ideas more closely than they would be connected in separate sentences. The train is scheduled to arrive fortyfive minutes late. To my eye, a capital letter after a colon looks better and i believe it helps in understanding, too. Do you capitalize the word after a colon and a semicolon. Capitalization, punctuation, pagination, urls, and dois.
Lose the colon before a subtitle, or secondary title, when the title is displayed on a book cover or movie poster. Ap uses dashes, not bullets, for lists in news stories that follow a colon. Finding and using page numbers for kindle books main. Associated press style is to use dashes, not bullets, for lists that follow a colon. The sentence i need the following items from the store. A semicolon helps to break up the clauses and avoid confusion for the reader. Grammarly can save you from misspellings, grammatical and punctuation mistakes, and.
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