If you’re like me, you can never remember whether you’re supposed to capitalize the first word after using a colon. I went searching for answers, and my quest for knowledge yielded an answer of “It depends.”
Of course it does. Heaven forbid we should have a punctuation rule that was easy and consistent across style guides.
So, here’s the first in a series of blog posts on how to use colons, and we’ll start with The Chicago Manual of Style since he’s the big boss book of rules for most authors.
Three common reasons to use a colon include the following:
1. To denote emphasis or illustration with the second part of a sentence. Capitalize first letter after the colon? NO.
E.g., She watched the author struggle to understand punctuation rules, and her heart ached: she, too, knew that pain.
2. To introduce a series or list. Capitalize first letter after the colon? NO.
E.g., Her shopping list included the following items: eggs, milk, and sugar.
***There are two caveats for the answers “NO” above. If the first word after a colon is a proper noun, always capitalize it. Secondly, if a colon introduces two or more related, complete sentences, capitalize the first word following the colon.
E.g., Everyone could see one thing for certain: She was the victim here. He just liked to play the victim.
3. To separate the main title from the subtitle of a work. Capitalize first letter after the colon? YES.
E.g., I watched the movie Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde.
Clear as mud, right? As always, know you’re not alone in trying to figure out grammar and punctuation in your writing. You can always reach out to me at stephbediting@gmail.com, and I’ll be happy to take the burden of editing and proofreading off your shoulders. Besides, I actually like these little scavenger hunts for answers through the tomes of reference books!
Stay tuned for future posts about using colons in APA, MLA, and AP format. Goodness knows the rules will be different than they are with CMOS!
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