Apa style uses two types of capitalization for titles of works such as paper titles and headings within works. 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. Regarding headlines, according to the ap stylebook, only the first word and. This being said, however, the ap stylebook does go on to list some more specific guidelines that are to be followed when using various titles in your text. Lucky for us, ap and chicago agree on one thing before they part ways. Public users are able to search the site without a subscription. Regarding headlines, according to the ap stylebook, only the first word and proper nouns are capitalized. The chicago manual of style online is the venerable, timetested guide to style, usage, and grammar in an accessible online format. If two or more sentences follow the colon, capitalize the first word of each sentence following. Follow an organizations style for capitalization of its name or products, even if it. Capitalization, punctuation, pagination, urls, and dois.
Introduces an element or a series of elements illustrating or amplifying what has preceded the colon 6. Ap uses dashes, not bullets, for lists in news stories that follow a colon. Access to the complete content on ama manual of style requires a subscription or purchase. 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. This informative article from ap vs chicago gives some great examples of when capitalization is and is not appropriate after a colon. The ap stylebook has a few simple rules for using quotation marks in ap style stories. Dont add anything else to a sentence after youve finished introducing the elements. 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. Writing center quick reference associate press style guide. If you are writing a news headline, use sentencestyle capitalization.
Capitalize the first word after a colon only if it is a proper noun or the start of a complete. Capitalize the first word after a colon only if it is a proper noun or the start of a complete sentence. In ap style, the word that begins the list or series should generally only be capitalized if it is a proper noun. The quest for peace, the is capitalized because it is placed directly after the colon. A colon is used to give emphasis, present dialogue, introduce lists or text, and clarify composition titles. Apa style has two capitalization methods that are used in different contexts throughout a paper. Today, well look at another frequently misunderstood topic.
Spiralbound book, updated each spring 2019 ap stylebook. When to capitalize after a colon grammar underground. Finally, lets talk about whether you capitalize the first word after a colon or a dash. 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. 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.
Ap style is designed to address the challenges of the organizations large size. She smiled, youll want to read this gatehouse newsroom post about how to properly use quotation marks in ap style stories then. 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. For ap style, how do you handle capitalization for blog titles. In narrative text, use a persons full name at first reference. A dash doesnt require any extra thought regarding capitalization. The department prefers bullets, but punctuate them per ap style.
This section can be used as a primer and a quick reference, not a replacement to the gpo or ap style 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. Capitalization after colons ap style and apa style. While you will find similarities between each guide, its important to pay attention to their differences. After all, if the style calls for capitalization after a colon, the csl already converts it, right. 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. How would the capitalizationcolon rules work for this one in. In british english, the first letter after a colon is capitalized only if its a proper noun or an acronym. In title case, major words are capitalized, and most minor words are lowercase. Style and punctuation uw brand university of washington.
Capitalization after colons grammar blog blue book of grammar. Rules for capitalization in titles of articles liuzhiguang. The sba is committed to simplifying our message by using a standard style without jargon and unidentifiable acronyms. The strategy i happen to use is pretty brainfree, which is to say that it follows ap style. Rather, there are various style guides which each have their own rules regarding title case. Capitalization mla citation and format guide libguides. Should you capitalize the first word of a sentence after 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. Often, the decision requires identifying the independent and dependent clauses in the sentence. The two punctuation marks serve very different purposes, and should not be used interchangeably. Title case and sentence case capitalization in apa style. In sentence case, most major and minor words are lowercase proper nouns are an exception in that they are always capitalized. A full suite of products to help you stay in style, whether on your desktop, laptop.
Lets take a look at both the chicago and ap style guidelines. One basic rule of apa style is to capitalize the first word after the colon in a title. Capitalization after a colon sabin 196199 two documents arrived. Also, capitalize the first word after a colon or a dash in a title. 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. Take this passage, and see what happens simply by changing the. 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. You can also read more about proper capitalization after colons in section. Capitalizing after semicolons or colons rru library. Capitalize the first word after a colon if it begins an independent clause. The ap stylebook holds that capitalization, in general, should be confined to formal titles that are used directly before an individuals name. Capitalize first word, first word after colon, and proper nouns.
Is there a standard ap style for bulleted areas of text. 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 after a colon only if it is a proper noun or the start of a. After the colon, you have a complete sentence, and youre using apa or ap style guide throughout your piece of writing. A full suite of products to help you stay in style, whether on your desktop. The associated press stylebook provides an az guide to issues such as capitalization. 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. The ap style as its known in the trade is quite different from the new york times style or chicago manual of style. For subsequent references, use only the persons last name, per ap style and common journalistic practice. Capitalize the first word after a colon only if it is a proper noun or the. Of course, youd capitalize the word after a colon if its a proper noun or i. A second use for the semicolon is to connect two ideas more closely than they would be connected in separate sentences. Capitalization the chicago manual of style, 17th edition.
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. This resource, revised according to the associated press stylebook 2012, offers examples for the general format of ap style. If a colon is used, capitalize the first word after the colon. 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. The associated press was founded in 1848 as a cooperative effort among six new york. Use quotation marks around the titles of books, songs, television shows. Capitalize the first word after a colon only if it is a proper noun or. 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. Capitalize the first word after a colon only if its followed by a. Most examples here are taken and condensed from these style books. 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.
A place where you can find all of fida abbotts published books. This page describes the title case rules of six common style guides. One rule that constantly comes into question is whether or not the word following a colon should be capitalized. Ap style is designed to address the challenges of the organizations large size and readership. Colon capitalize the first word after a colon only if it is a proper noun or the start of a complete sentence. The ap stylebook and the chicago manual of style are two other.
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. The associated press stylebook ap style and the publication manual of the american psychological. Definition and examples of title case and headline style. After each bullet, capitalize the first letter and use periods at the end of each item. In this case, the second phrase is an expanded explanation of the first phrase. 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.
To subscribe to the associated press stylebook online, or to find out about purchasing hard. Hyphens and dashes in the chicago manual of style 6. I believe both the colon and the capitalization in this example are acceptable. However, there is a consensus about the basic rules. One of the most common uses for a colon is introducing a list or series of items at the end of a sentence. Use the letter s but not an apostrophe after the figures when expressing decades or centuries. After each dash, capitalize the first letter and use periods at the end of each section. Associated press style is to use dashes, not bullets, for lists that follow a colon. 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. You treat the first word after a dash the same way youd treat it if it followed a comma. Associated press style basics journalists resource. Luckily, this happens to be something that both ap and chicago guides agree on. Major words in titles and headings capitalize major words in titles of books and articles within the body of the paper.
Title case converter a smart title capitalization tool. If only one sentence follows the colon, do not capitalize the first word of the new sentence. A colon is used to draw attention to what comes after it. Do not capitalize the first word after a colon if the clause cannot stand alone. Associated press style provides guidelines for news writing. Behind the style capitalization grammar lists punctuation quotations writing tips. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. In titles of books and articles in reference lists, capitalize only the first word. 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. 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. The editors guide to capitalization after colons the.
890 678 958 1596 430 1160 1497 225 292 1388 780 1652 819 1187 1046 764 1514 1192 815 1321 629 540 165 812 413 1475 40 395 371 1209 1613 743 1250 654 610 1118 18 1035 1105 1050 425 1243 115 491 446 1436 251 1171