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Original poster

Is a capital letter needed after a colon?

18 replies

Demiwave · 15/09/2011 12:23

When using a colon in a sentence, is a capital letter to start the second part? Google gives me lots of conflicting answers, as do people I have asked.

OP posts:
seeker · 15/09/2011 12:26

No. Categorically no!

TheBends · 15/09/2011 12:28

Yes, after a full colon. No after a semi colon.

bridgingtheabyss · 15/09/2011 12:28

No.

Original poster
Demiwave · 15/09/2011 12:40

See! Nobody can agree! Can anyone back up their answer with evidence? I am getting so confused!

OP posts:
Malcontentinthemiddle · 15/09/2011 12:45

No. I think Americans do it, though.

The evidence as far as I can see would be that a colon does not end the sentence, so you wouldn't put a capital after it.

TheBends · 15/09/2011 12:48

I was taught to use a capital, but having googled it I think it depends on the connection between the first and second parts of the sentence. Maybe it's just one of those things that there is no categorical right or wrong answer.

Do you have a specific sentence in mind - can you share it with us?

TheBends · 15/09/2011 12:51

More googling has unearthed the Wikipedia definition. Does this help?

Abra1d · 15/09/2011 12:52

In a normally laid-out sentence you do not use a capital, so, for example,

To make the cake you need these ingredients: butter, eggs, flour.

If you were laying it out like this, with a new line, you might,

To make the cake you need:
Butter
Eggs
Flour

In some American usage (title, presentations) they do use capital after a colon but it is not common over here.

madmomma · 07/10/2011 22:55

Yes, but not after a semi-colon. Check David Crystal's website.

nickelbabe · 08/10/2011 13:15

no no no no no no no

a colon is the equivalent of the word "because" or the phrase "the reasons are"
(or similar)

Its use means that you are not using a new sentence: a new sentence requires a capital letter.

jimswifein1964 · 08/10/2011 13:16

Nooooooooooooooooooooo!

nickelbabe · 08/10/2011 13:16

yy Abra1d - if you are writing the title of a book, then yes, you can use a Capital, but if just a sentence, then definitely no.

caughtinanet · 08/10/2011 13:18

I'm not a grammar expert by any means but I'd say a capital letter would be wrong, wrong wrong as you aren't starting a new sentence.

nickelbabe · 08/10/2011 13:19

madmomma

A new version of the glossary went live in 2008: see Shakespeare's Words.
(form his biography page)

Shanghaidiva · 08/10/2011 13:19

No, absolutely no capital!

AmINearlyThereYet · 08/10/2011 13:27

Fowler's Modern English Usage (2nd ed, 1965) and "Grammar and Style for examination candidates and others" by Michael Dummett, Professor of Logic Emeritus at Oxford (1993) both say no.

scaevola · 08/10/2011 13:43

No, because the sentence hasn't ended.

The exceptions would be in titles (where most words are capitalised) and when the word immediately following is a proper noun.

I wouldn't however see it as wrong if it were supporting a particular style of formatting (as in the list example above).

I shall go and see if I can find the David Crystal reference, but note that he is an observational linguist, not a prescriptive or proscriptive one.

madmomma · 08/10/2011 18:38

Ooh I must be out of date then. I shall further research the matter as I am a complete geek.

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