The editors guide to capitalization after colons the. Luckily, this happens to be something that both ap and chicago guides agree on. Definition and examples of title case and headline style. If you are writing a news headline, use sentencestyle capitalization. Capitalization after colons grammar blog blue book of grammar. These resources provide an overview of journalistic writing with explanations of the most important and most often used elements of journalism and the associated press style. Title case converter a smart title capitalization tool. How would the capitalizationcolon rules work for this one in. The chicago manual of style online is the venerable, timetested guide to style, usage, and grammar in an accessible online format. In sentence case, most major and minor words are lowercase proper nouns are an exception in that they are always capitalized. Finally, lets talk about whether you capitalize the first word after a colon or a dash. Capitalize the first word after a colon only if it is a proper noun or the start of a. Apa style one of the tricky issues many writers deal with when it comes to colons is whether or not to capitalize the word following the colon.
Capitalize the first word of a quotation which comes after a comma or colon that makes a complete sentence he said, omit needless words. The associated press was founded more than 150 years ago and now has thousands of employees working in more than a hundred countries for a readership that numbers in the millions. I believe both the colon and the capitalization in this example are acceptable. Capitalizing after semicolons or colons rru library. Lets take a look at both the chicago and ap style guidelines. To subscribe to the associated press stylebook online, or to find out about purchasing hard.
If the stuff introduced by the colon is not a complete sentence, dont capitalize the first letter that is, of course, unless its a proper name. A second use for the semicolon is to connect two ideas more closely than they would be connected in separate sentences. One rule that constantly comes into question is whether or not the word following a colon should be capitalized. Often, the decision requires identifying the independent and dependent clauses in the sentence. As with so many things in the english language, capitalization with colons can be complex, and many times, its more of a style issue than one of correctness. Include other punctuation only if it is part of the title or subtitle. A place where you can find all of fida abbotts published books. Because the associated press stylebook is not indexed and the manual for chicago style covers title style in several sections intermixed with name style and capitalization style, some title styles may have been inadvertently omitted due to oblivion on my part.
Capitalize first word, first word after colon, and proper nouns. Behind the style capitalization grammar lists punctuation quotations writing tips. Apa style has two capitalization methods that are used in different contexts throughout a paper. Style and punctuation uw brand university of washington. But if, for whatever reason, youd like to know when to capitalize after a colon and when not to, heres all you need to know. Instead, there are a number of style guidesfor example, the chicago manual of style cmos and the mla handbookwhich each have individual rules for the capitalization of titles. Is there a standard ap style for bulleted areas of text. The department prefers bullets, but punctuate them per ap style.
Capitalize the first word after a colon only if its followed by a. Capitalization this text is taken directly from the mla handbook section 3. Public users are able to search the site without a subscription. Title case and sentence case capitalization in apa style.
Most examples here are taken and condensed from these style books. In titles of books and articles in reference lists, capitalize only the first word. Also, capitalize the first word after a colon or a dash in a title. Do not capitalize the first word after a colon unless it is in a heading see above, is a proper noun, or begins a standalone sentence. Capitalization after colons grammar and punctuation. Finding and using page numbers for kindle books main punctuating. This section can be used as a primer and a quick reference, not a replacement to the gpo or ap style books. She smiled, youll want to read this gatehouse newsroom post about how to properly use quotation marks in ap style stories then. The associated press stylebook ap style and the publication manual of the american psychological. Colon capitalize the first word after a colon only if it is a proper noun or the start of a complete sentence. Access to the complete content on ama manual of style requires a subscription or purchase. 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.
Capitalize the first word after a colon only if it is a proper noun or the. Capitalize the first word after a colon if it begins an independent clause. The first word directly after a colon that begins an independent clause. A full suite of products to help you stay in style, whether on your desktop. You treat the first word after a dash the same way youd treat it if it followed a comma. Associated press style provides guidelines for news writing. Capitalize the first word after a colon only if it is a proper noun or the start of a complete.
Use the letter s but not an apostrophe after the figures when expressing decades or centuries. Of course, youd capitalize the word after a colon if its a proper noun or i. Capitalization after a colon sabin 196199 two documents arrived. The ap stylebook and the chicago manual of style are two other. One of the most common uses for a colon is introducing a list or series of items at the end of a sentence. My grammar books say to cap the first word of what comes after a colon if what comes after the colon is a complete sentence. Apa style uses two types of capitalization for titles of works such as paper titles and headings within works. The ap stylebook has a few simple rules for using quotation marks in ap style stories. Capitalization the chicago manual of style, 17th edition.
Do not capitalize the first word after a colon if the clause cannot stand alone. The associated press was founded in 1848 as a cooperative effort among six new york. The ap style as its known in the trade is quite different from the new york times style or chicago manual of style. Writing center quick reference associate press style guide. For subsequent references, use only the persons last name, per ap style and common journalistic practice.
Like a semicolon, a colon can connect two independent clauses, but it has several other uses as well. Understandably, many editors are confused about when to capitalize the element directly 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. However, there is a consensus about the basic rules. In this case, the second phrase is an expanded explanation of the first phrase. In title case, major words are capitalized, and most minor words are lowercase. Introduces an element or a series of elements illustrating or amplifying what has preceded the colon 6. Regarding headlines, according to the ap stylebook, only the first word and proper nouns are capitalized. Apas title case refers to a capitalization style in which most words are capitalized, and sentence case refers to a capitalization style in which most words are lowercased. Use quotation marks around the titles of books, songs, television shows. Hyphens and dashes in the chicago manual of style 6.
Follow an organizations style for capitalization of its name or products, even if it. So why wouldnt you want to store it as a lowercase, and let the style handle any conversions to capitals as necessary, which would maintain the ability for those styles that dont use capitalization to be correct. The quest for peace, the is capitalized because it is placed directly after the colon. 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. The two punctuation marks serve very different purposes, and should not be used interchangeably.
Use a colon followed by a space to separate a title from a subtitle, unless another form of punctuation e. Rather, there are various style guides which each have their own rules regarding title case. Capitalization after colons ap style and apa style. A colon is used to give emphasis, present dialogue, introduce lists or text, and clarify composition titles.
After all, if the style calls for capitalization after a colon, the csl already converts it, right. Capitalization, punctuation, pagination, urls, and dois. If youre new to news writing or switching from one to another, youll want to keep this ap cheat sheet handy and refer to it when in doubt. Youre using mla, and after the colon is a rule or principle. The ap stylebook holds that capitalization, in general, should be confined to formal titles that are used directly before an individuals name. A colon is used to draw attention to what comes after it. Spiralbound book, updated each spring 2019 ap stylebook. 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. Should you capitalize the first word of a sentence after a colon. Capitalization mla citation and format guide libguides.
In narrative text, use a persons full name at first reference. Take this passage, and see what happens simply by changing the. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. A dash doesnt require any extra thought regarding capitalization. If two or more sentences follow the colon, capitalize the first word of each sentence following. The associated press stylebook provides an az guide to issues such as capitalization. Ap style is designed to address the challenges of the organizations large size. Capitalize the first word after a colon only if it is a proper noun or the start of a complete sentence. A full suite of products to help you stay in style, whether on your desktop, laptop. The chicago manual of styles rule is when a colon is used within a sentence, the first word following the colon is lowercased unless it is a proper name. Though ap only gives the colon a scant 7 column inches of space compared to chicagos 2 pages worth, it goes out of its way to tack on a little note barring the combination of a dash and a colon.
Ap style is designed to address the challenges of the organizations large size and readership. Lucky for us, ap and chicago agree on one thing before they part ways. If only one sentence follows the colon, do not capitalize the first word of the new sentence. If a colon is used, capitalize the first word after the colon. Associated press style is to use dashes, not bullets, for lists that follow a colon. After each bullet, capitalize the first letter and use periods at the end of each item.
This informative article from ap vs chicago gives some great examples of when capitalization is and is not appropriate after a colon. After the colon, you have a complete sentence, and youre using apa or ap style guide throughout your piece of writing. Regarding headlines, according to the ap stylebook, only the first word and. While you will find similarities between each guide, its important to pay attention to their differences. Use a colon and a space to separate a title from a subtitle, unless the title ends in a question mark or an exclamation point. The 2019 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, fashion, food, religion and sports terms, as well as media law, news values, punctuation, social media, polls and surveys and a new chapter on health and science. Associated press style basics journalists resource. This page describes the title case rules of six common style guides.
For ap style, how do you handle capitalization for blog titles. The sba is committed to simplifying our message by using a standard style without jargon and unidentifiable acronyms. This resource, revised according to the associated press stylebook 2012, offers examples for the general format of ap style. Another case where it is common to capitalise after a colon is in titles, as in all these many examples where the initial word after the colon is frequently of a type article, preposition that would not have been capitalised if it hadnt been preceded by a colon. The strategy i happen to use is pretty brainfree, which is to say that it follows ap style. You can also read more about proper capitalization after colons in section. In british english, the first letter after a colon is capitalized only if its a proper noun or an acronym. Rules for capitalization in titles of articles liuzhiguang. Ap uses dashes, not bullets, for lists in news stories that follow a colon. In ap style, the word that begins the list or series should generally only be capitalized if it is a proper noun. When to capitalize after a colon grammar underground. One basic rule of apa style is to capitalize the first word after the colon in a title. Major words in titles and headings capitalize major words in titles of books and articles within the body of the paper. Dont add anything else to a sentence after youve finished introducing the elements.
1502 241 525 1154 1323 679 1318 776 1364 935 1190 676 1044 36 531 1130 831 313 1434 696 1269 240 799 514 227 811 1441 1453 670