Do you capitalize a sentence fragment following a colon?
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. 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.
Should I capitalize the first word that comes after a colon?
Capitalization: First Word After a Colon. 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. When a colon introduces a complete sentence, you may capitalize the first word after the colon according to some style guides. Read on for details.
Do you capitalize the letter after a semi colon?
There are, however, a few exceptions. If the word that comes after a colon or semi-colon is a proper name, you definitely would capitalize it.To put it slightly differently, you aren’t starting a new sentence when you use a colon or semi-colon, so you would only use capitals in the places you ordinarily would.
Does one capitalize the first letter following a colon?
When a colon introduces an incomplete sentence, do not capitalize the first letter unless it is a proper noun. According to some style guides, you may capitalize the first letter following a colon if the colon introduces a complete sentence. Read on for more details.
Does the first letter after a colon get capitalized?
Capitalization rule with sentences after colons: If only one sentence follows the colon, it is often not necessary to capitalize the first word of the new sentence. If two or more sentences follow the colon, capitalize the first word of each sentence following.
Do you capitalize the first word after a colon AP style?
The Associated Press Stylebook says: “Capitalize the first word after a colon only if it is a proper noun or the start of a complete sentence.” The New York Times Manual of Style and Usage is similar: “For consistency, capitalize what follows a colon if it is a complete sentence.”
How do you use a colon in AP style?
To summarize, AP style lets you put a colon after a sentence fragment or a complete sentence, and you capitalize the first word after a colon if it's the start of at least one complete sentence or is a proper noun.
Do you capitalize after a colon MLA?
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.
Do you capitalize after a colon Chicago Manual of Style?
It's fine to capitalize there, although Chicago style is to lowercase after a colon unless what follows consists of two or more complete sentences.
How do you list things after a colon?
When listing items one by one, one per line, following a colon, capitalization and ending punctuation are optional when using single words or phrases preceded by letters, numbers, or bullet points. If each point is a complete sentence, capitalize the first word and end the sentence with appropriate ending punctuation.
How do you continue a sentence with a colon?
Here's our suggestion: generally, the first word following the colon should be lower-cased if the words after the colon form a dependent clause (that is, if they could not stand on their own as a complete sentence). If the following phrase is a complete (independent) clause, you may choose to capitalize it or not.
Why is "the Princess Bride" not capitalized?
However, if the sentence were reworked to say, “ The Princess Bride teaches us the most famous of the classic blunders: getting involved in a land war in Asia,” then getting is not capitalized because the clause directly after the colon cannot stand on its own as an independent clause.
Is the first word after a colon capitalized?
The first word directly after a colon that begins an independent clause should also be capitalized. For example, one would write, “There is a valuable lesson to be learned in The Princess Bride: One should never get involved in a land war in Asia.”.
Is "after colon" capitalized in APA?
Comments on this post are closed. Capitalization After Colons. by David Becker. One basic rule of APA Style is to capitalize the first word after the colon in a title. For example, in the movie title Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, the is capitalized because it is placed directly after the colon. The same would be true for titles in ...
Do bullet lists have colons?
Occasionally, a numbered or bulleted list follows a colon. The same basic rules described above apply to these situations. To learn more, read our previous blog posts about numbered lists and bulleted lists. You can also read more about proper capitalization after colons in section 4.05 on page 90 and sections 4.14 and 4.15 on page 101 of the Publication Manual (6th ed.).
When do you capitalize the first letter of a colon?
When a colon introduces an incomplete sentence, do not capitalize the first letter unless it is a proper noun.
Do capital letters follow colons?
The guide mandates that a capital letter follow a colon only in 2 circumstances:
Is the first letter of a colon capitalized?
In British English, the first letter following a colon is only capitalized if it the word is a proper noun or an acronym.
Do you capitalize after a colon?
When to Capitalize After a Colon. The rules for capitalization will vary depending on which style guide you use. However, there are some general guidelines that are universal regarding capitalization after a colon: Do not capitalize after a colon if you’re introducing a list.
What is a colon?
A colon is a punctuation mark used to explain, illustrate, and elaborate. It directs the reader’s attention to the information that follows.
Within a sentence
Don’t capitalize a word after a colon within a sentence. In a sentence, a colon is used to introduce explanatory information that helps illustrate or amplify an idea.
Sentence after a colon
When a colon is used to join two sentences, the word after the colon is generally not capitalized. A colon may be used between two independent clauses to indicate that the second clause amplifies or explains the first. (An independent clause is one that can stand by itself as a sentence.)
Multiple sentences after a colon
When a series of two or more sentences is introduced by a colon, capitalize all the sentences, including the first one.
Quotations
Capitalize a direct quote after a colon. A colon is sometimes used in place of a comma to introduce direct speech or a quotation. The colon helps place emphasis on the quoted text.
Lists
Don’t capitalize the elements of a horizontal list if they are words or phrases rather than complete sentences.
Titles and subtitles
Capitalize a word that follows a colon in a title. The first word of a subtitle or subheading separated from the main title or heading by a colon is always capitalized.
How to capitalize a sentence?
In sentence case, lowercase most words in a title or heading. Capitalize only the following words: 1 the first word of the title or heading 2 the first word of a subtitle 3 the first word after a colon, em dash, or end punctuation in a heading 4 nouns followed by numerals or letters 5 proper nouns (such as the names of racial or ethnic groups)
What is the first word of a subtitle?
the first word of a subtitle. the first word after a colon, em dash, or end punctuation in a heading. nouns followed by numerals or letters. proper nouns (such as the names of racial or ethnic groups)
Is "major" capitalized?
In title case, major words are capitalized, and most minor words are lowercase. In sentence case, most major and minor words are lowercase ( proper nouns are an exception in that they are always capitalized).
What type of capitalization is used in APA?
APA Style uses two types of capitalization for titles of works (such as paper titles) and headings within works: title case and sentence case. In title case, major words are capitalized, and most minor words are lowercase.
What is the first word of a subtitle?
the first word of a subtitle. the first word after a colon, em dash, or end punctuation in a heading. major words, including the second part of hyphenated major words (e.g., “Self-Report,” not “Self-report”) words of four letters or more (e.g., “With,” “Between,” “From”)
What is a lowercase word?
words of four letters or more (e.g., “With,” “Between,” “From”) 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):
Is "major" or "minor" capitalized?
In sentence case, most major and minor words are lowercase ( proper nouns are an exception in that they are always capitalized). major words: Nouns, verbs (including linking verbs), adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, and all words of four letters or more are considered major words.
When Do You Not Capitalize After a Colon?
Most uses of a colon do not require the word after the colon to be capitalized. When in doubt, don’t capitalize after a colon.
When to use colons in a sentence?
A colon can be used to emphasize a single word or phrase at the end of the sentence, in the same way that an em dash can be used. Example: After four days of deliberating, the jury reached a verdict: guilty.
What is a Colon?
A colon is a punctuation mark that looks like two equally sized dots centered on the same (but invisible) vertical line. It looks like this :
Can a colon be used between two independent clauses?
Between Independent Clauses. A colon can be used between two separate independent clauses as long as the second clause explains or illustrates the first. Example: I don’t have much time to learn French: I leave for France in four weeks.
Do you capitalize the first word after a colon?
There are some exceptions to this rule. In British English, you do not capitalize the first word after a colon when it precedes a complete sentence. 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.
How to cite a source in APA format?
When using APA format, follow the author-date method of in-text citation. This means that the author's last name and the year of publication for the source should appear in the text, like, for example, (Jones, 1998). One complete reference for each source should appear in the reference list at the end of the paper.
How to introduce a quote in a paper?
You can introduce the quotation with a signal phrase that includes the author's last name followed by the date of publication in parentheses.
How to quote a quote without the author's name?
If you do not include the author’s name in the text of the sentence, place the author's last name, the year of publication, and the page number in parentheses after the quotation .
How to cite a page number in parenthetical?
On the other hand, if you are directly quoting or borrowing from another work, you should include the page number at the end of the parenthetical citation. Use the abbreviation “p.” (for one page) or “pp.” (for multiple pages) before listing the page number (s). Use an en dash for page ranges. For example, you might write (Jones, 1998, p. 199) or (Jones, 1998, pp. 199–201). This information is reiterated below.
What tense do you use in a research paper?
Note: On pages 117-118, the Publication Manual suggests that authors of research papers should use the past tense or present perfect tense for signal phrases that occur in the literature review and procedure descriptions (for example, Jones (1998) found or Jones (1998) has found ...). Contexts other than traditionally-structured research writing may permit the simple present tense (for example, Jones (1998) finds ).
When did APA 7 come out?
Note: This page reflects the latest version of the APA Publication Manual (i.e., APA 7), which released in October 2019. The equivalent resource for the older APA 6 style can be found here.
Where do you put references in a paper?
Regardless of how they are referenced, all sources that are cited in the text must appear in the reference list at the end of the paper.
