Mignon fogarty is the founder of the quick and dirty tips network and creator of grammar girl, which has been named one of writers digests 101 best websites for writers multiple times. The writer is trying to demonstrate the rule of capitalization after a semicolon the first word of the 2nd sentence following the semicolon begins with an i. One of my favorite old grammar books, titled punctuate it right, has a wonderful name for the colon. Writing principles usagov platform style guide usagov. Newpath learning resources are fully aligned to us education standards.
Do not capitalize the first item after the colon unless its a proper noun. Capitalization after colons grammar and punctuation. For that, i prescribe a pair of em dashes to set off the elements instead. Dec 14, 2018 so in apa style, you can use a colon only after a complete sentence, and you capitalize the first word after a colon when its the start of a complete sentence. Capitalization after colons colons separating independent clauses.
Colons and semicolons should never be used interchangeably. In american english, colons are more often followed by capital letters. Remember the word formed downward by the first letters of each joining word. Grow your childs writing skills by teaching mechanics from an early age. Sep 10, 2007 capitalization rule with sentences after colons. Start here for quick tips to get punctuation on track for you or your students.
Capitalization and punctuation ma2015 page 2 now its your turn. Capitalization and punctuation rules capital letters always use a capital letter for the first word of a sentence thank you for the letter. A dash doesnt require any extra thought regarding capitalization. My favourite book is harry potter and the deathly hallows by j. If the is the first word in the given name of a work, it must be capitalized the washington post, the glass menagerie. The most important guiding principle in all such matters is consistency within a document and. See more ideas about punctuation worksheets, first grade writing and punctuation. Capitalization and punctuation rules mesa, arizona. 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. The guide to grammar and writing is a monument to inconsistency on this issue. Mignon is the author of the new york times bestseller grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing and six other books on writing. No apostrophe is needed because there is no ownership. Use a colon to introduce an item or a series of items. Lose the colon before a subtitle, or secondary title, when the title is displayed on a book cover or movie poster.
Finally, lets talk about whether you capitalize the first word after a colon or a dash. In british english, we do not normally use a capital letter after a colon. When writing a sentence that has a list of questions following a colon, should you separate the questions with commas no. The university of illinois writers workshop grammar girl. We offer a wide variety of capitalization and punctuation worksheets, perfect for little writers. When to capitalize after a colon grammar underground. Check this section about capitals for more about when to use them. Should i capitalize the first word after a semicolon or. Should you capitalize the first word of a sentence after a colon. Colons follow independent clauses and are used to call attention to the information that comes after.
Circle all the words that have capitalization errors. I think if the word following the colon is a proper noun or a proper adjective, we must captialize. Use title case for proper nouns for example, names of people, places or organisations. Capitalize the first, last, and all important words in the names of newspapers and magazines. Use a comma before these joining words when you are constructing a compound sentence. The names of companies are proper nouns so the capitalization rule for proper nouns applies here. Our website makes a great companion to language arts classes, homeschooling, and esl courses. If only one sentence follows the colon, it is often not necessary to capitalize the first word of the new sentence. This book series, writing skills made funis one way to help you meet these curriculum demands and make grammar and writing fun. 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. When to capitalize after a colon heres something you probably never have to worry about. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts.
I am focusing on the capitalization part so i made this sentence up. To the delight of word nerds everywhere, grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing came out yesterday. Capitalization and punctuation ma2015 page 4 commas 1. Should you capitalize the first word of a sentence after a. Whether youre thinking about pursuing a career in dentistry or you just have a curiosity as the patient in the chair, getting a grasp on the lingo can come in handy. Here are some quick tips for using colons properly. Here youll find engaging worksheets to introduce basics of capitalization and punctuation. Books by girard sagmiller author of english grammar. If only one sentence follows the colon, do not capitalize the first word of the new sentence. If two or more sentences follow the colon, capitalize the first word of each sentence following.
Ok, the behavior after colon is now switched back to not capitalize it will still capitalize after. I wish i could promise you a quick fix via csl, but while that is going to happen eventually, its not going to happen soon. The grammar girl podcast has also won best education podcast multiple times in the podcast awards, and mignon is an inductee in the podcasting hall of fame. Nov 20, 2010 in a title or heading, a colon is often used to introduce a subdivision of a subject. Titles of books, movies, magazines, newspapers, articles, songs, plays and works of art this ones a little tricky when and, articles or prepositions are involved. Capitalization after colons the blue book of grammar and. In british english, the first letter after a colon is capitalized only if its a proper noun or an acronym. Mignon fogarty is the founder of quick and dirty tips and the author of seven books on language, including the new york times bestseller grammar girls quick and. Third grade capitalization and punctuation worksheets with so many punctuation rules that developing young writers need to learn, its important that kids get a head start learning and practicing basic mechanics. Sep 29, 2009 regarding the first semicolon rule, the first example for capitalization after semicolons is a terrible example. So in apa style, you can use a colon only after a complete sentence, and you capitalize the first word after a colon when its the start of a complete sentence. If you want a pure capitalization list for the children to copy, they can learn to capitalize and spell the names of common companies by going to our check writing page to see how to write the names we would put in checks.
Girard sagmillers most popular book is english grammar, punctuation and capitalization. Capitalization after colons chicago style and mla style. Example exception do not capitalize the first word of a list following a colon if the list is not a complete sentence. Should i capitalize the first word after a semicolon or colon. Capitalise the principal words only, to distinguish them from common nouns or the generic meaning. Capitalize the first, last, and all important words in the titles of books, movies, and songs. A subreddit for questions and discussions about grammar, language, style, conventions, and punctuation. If you need to look up some grammar rules, see these helpful resources in english and spanish. Grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing by. Thats because the colon signals that what comes next is.
Shared possessives possession is shared by more than one noun take an apostrophe and s on the last noun only, unless the nouns do not share. A colon can be used to separate two independent clauses when a the second clause is directly related to the first clause not just vaguely related and b when the emphasis is on the second clause. When using a colon to join two independent clauses, capitalize the first word of the independent clause after the colon american psychological association, 2010, p. Dont add anything else to a sentence after youve finished introducing the elements. Capitalization exercises correct each sentence by writing it with the correct words capitalized. Capitalization first words capitalizethefirstwordofeverysentenceevenin emails. She has appeared as a guest on the oprah winfrey show and the today show and has been featured in the new york times, business week, the washington post, usa today, and more. You treat the first word after a dash the same way youd treat it if it followed a comma. 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. The exception is when the colon introduces multiple sentences or when it introduces speech. In a title or heading, a colon is often used to introduce a subdivision of a subject. Strict rules may say that, as the following questions are standalone sentences, but logic and rhythm makes a colon the natural thing there. In certain documents, after the verb that explains the nature of the document for example, a certification. Its not the kind of thing that, if you get wrong, people will roll their eyes or giggle behind your back or pass you over for a job or even notice.
The chicago manual of style online is the venerable, timetested guide to style, usage, and grammar in an accessible online format. When a colon introduces a list of of things, do not capitalize the first word after the colon unless it is a proper noun. According to the chicago manual of style, the word after a colon is lowercase, even if it starts a complete sentence, unless its a proper noun. Use a colon instead of a semicolon or a period between two sentences when the second sentence explains or illustrates something in the first sentence. Girard sagmiller has 15 books on goodreads with 183 ratings. The train is scheduled to arrive fortyfive minutes late. See more ideas about grammar, punctuation and grammar and punctuation.
Lots of opinions here, but lets look to a higher authority. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard english capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. Punctuation 9 misuses of apostrophes do not use the apostrophe to form plurals. When to capitalize after a colon grammar underground with. Colons punctuation rules the blue book of grammar and.
1071 1118 1578 1265 1166 80 401 1465 523 112 636 1151 816 1316 401 963 568 1532 726 367 1646 205 181 949 444 1112 959 1037 75 302 411 716 1441 315 332 1027 1436 909 849