Our tool box contains the following a hammer, a wrench, and a chisel. The best punctuation book period a comprehensive guide for every writer editor student and businessperson. She is an inductee in the podcasting hall of fame, and the show is a fivetime winner of best education podcast in the podcast awards. The best punctuation book period a comprehensive guide for. I anticipated this book for weeks while i waited on the library reserve list. A comma is used after the salutation for personal correspondence. It will not let you know if a colon is needed at all. Unlike the use of commas to combine very short sentences, semicolons are used for combining relatively longer sentences.
After realizing her fans were asking the same questions over and over, mignon decided to focus her attention on those words that continuously confound. Aug 11, 2007 the comma after but in the second sentence is not necessary. 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 girl s quick and dirty tips for better writing. Our mission is to provide a free, worldclass education to anyone, anywhere. This article was originally published january 4, 2012, and updated june 9, 2017. If the items in the list are complete sentences, put a period or a question mark at the end of each of themand capitalize the first wordjust as you would do with any sentence. For those looking for a quick and dirty answer, a word is not capitalized after a colon. The department prefers bullets, but punctuate them per ap style. Also, learn the rules for spacing and capitalization after a colon. Colons and semicolons are two valuable pieces of punctuation that separate sentence elements from each other. After shopping for eight hours, i finally found them. For personal correspondence, use a comma after the salutation.
Colons and semicolons should never be used interchangeably. If the material that follows the colon is part of the structure of the clause that precedes it, a colon isnt correct. As with the semicolon, do not capitalize the first word after the colon unless the word is ordinarily capitalized. The words before the colon entice the reader to expect what comes after the colon. After each bullet, capitalize the first letter and use periods at the end of each item. Grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing by mignon. For that, i prescribe a pair of em dashes to set off the elements instead. This seems like the simplest way to structure the sentence, and i like the placement of the punctuation because it clearly sets off the list of questions, but i also want to make sure this is correct, or at least passable in. In such usage, the colon functions in much the same way as the semicolon. Welcome,you are looking at books for reading, the the best punctuation book period a comprehensive guide for every writer editor student and businessperson, you will able to read or download in pdf or epub books and notice some of author may have lock the live reading for some of. Used after a series or list and before the rest of the sentence. The colon can be used after the first word of a sentence or just before the final word of a sentence. In the second sentence, we would change but he to but holmes for clarity.
I know a colon should come after an independent clause, but are there exceptions to this rule, especially in fiction. The virgule is a mark that doesnt appear much in firstrate writing, says bryan a. This only works if the second sentence states a logical consequence of whatever is. I have read several books on word usage and have benefited from all. Here are some quick tips for using colons properly.
A semicolon may be used between independent clauses joined by a connector, such as and, but, or, nor, etc. We also recommend a comma the oxford comma after lens and no comma following. Water can exist in three forms solid, liquid or gas. While you can also use a semicolon or a period between two independentyetrelated clauses, the colon is a little softer than the period, but a. Colons, question marks, quotation marks, parentheses, apostrophes. Colon capitalize the first word after a colon only if it is a proper noun or the start of a complete sentence. Summary millions of people around the world communicate better thanks to mignon fogarty, aka grammar girl, whose toprated weekly grammar podcast has been downloaded more than 30 million times. Spacing after periods, colons, question marks, and exclamation marks. Capitalization after colons chicago style and mla style. Besides the earlier blog on this topic, you also can find the first example in the colons section as rule 6. Grammar girl presents the ultimate writing guide for students. When to capitalize after a colon grammar underground. We would place a colon rather than a comma preceding the list of costume items in the third sentence.
So a semi colon means that two sentences are connected. Fourth grade teacher, las vegas public school system whether you are a grammarphobe seeking guidance, a parent looking for a tutorial that your kids will enjoy and therefore use or a writer seeking a fun reference manual for frustrating recurring questions, grammar girl s quick and. A colon may be used to introduce a concept that is a signal for the reader or audience to continue. Use the colon to follow the salutation of a business letter even when addressing someone by his or her first name. When a colon introduces a complete sentence, you may capitalize the first word after the colon according to some style guides. Mignon fogartys most popular book is grammar girl s quick and dirty tips for better writing. How to use semicolons grammar girl quick and dirty tips.
Capitalization after colons grammar and punctuation. The semicolon represents a break midway between a comma and a full stop, and is principally used to separate independent sentencelike clauses that are strongly related never use a lathe or any other machine in the workshop if you are feeling ill or tired. Serial commas and serial semicolons the mla style center. Were you taught to put two spaces after a period at the end of a sentence. The colon is like a sign on the highway, announcing that something important is coming. Handsome, talented, and kindits easy to see why i love my boyfriend. Each item in the list below is a complete sentence, so it must have an appropriate end mark of punctuation. One of my favorite old grammar books, titled punctuate it right, has a wonderful name for the colon. Capitalization is the writing of a word with its first letter in uppercase and the remaining letters in lowercase. Associated press style is to use dashes, not bullets, for lists that follow a colon.
Lose the colon before a subtitle, or secondary title, when the title is displayed on a book cover or movie poster. Hyphens and dashes in the chicago manual of style 6. Read more12 capitalization rules most people dont know. 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. If the word that comes after a colon or semi colon is a proper name, you definitely would capitalize it. Experts have raised valid concerns that people overuse lists in powerpoint presentations 1 and for presenting. One of my favorite old grammar books, titled punctuate it right, has a wonderful name for the. When i finish here, and i will soon, ill be glad to help you. If a quotation contains two or more sentences, many writers and editors introduce it with a colon rather than a comma. Should you capitalize the first word of a sentence after a. Colon worksheet please place a colon where it belongs in each sentence below. 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. After reading the handout, you will be better able to decide when to use these forms of punctuation in your own writing. It should be lowercase, unless of course the word after the semicolon always needs an initial capital for example, because its a proper name.
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 girl s quick and. Only the chicago manual of style gives the topic the respect it deserves. Use the colon to follow the salutation of a business letter even when addressing someone by hisher first name. How to thrive in the age of customer experience today more than twothirds of companies say they compete on customer experience cx, up from just 36% in 2010 1. A dash doesnt require any extra thought regarding capitalization. Grammar checkers will not help you much with your semicolons and colons. In this capacity, the colon acts as a substitute for that, that is, that is to say or namely new employees are told that there is. If two or more sentences follow the colon, capitalize the first word of each sentence following. Capitalize the titles of highranking government officials when used with or before their names. When to capitalize after a colon grammar underground with. For each of the following, choose the sentence with the correct punctuation. Thats because the colon signals that what comes next is directly rela. With the exception of proper nouns, it is amazing to see capitals in the middle of a sentence, and very unusual to be polite in fact, highly irregular to see experts accepting it, even if apparently sanctioned by certain style guides and.
Also, in your example, a colon might be a better choice than a semicolon. Use a colon to introduce an item or a series of items. Originally, typewriters had monospaced fonts skinny letters and fat letters took up the same amount of space, so two spaces after ending punctuation marks such as the period were used to make the text more legible. Do you capitalize the word after a colon and a semicolon. Because your second example uses a capital h after the semicolon, it suggests that youre talking about god. One of my favorite old grammar books, titled punctuate it right, has. Should the first word after a colon be capitalized. Nov 20, 2010 in a title or heading, a colon is often used to introduce a subdivision of a subject.
If only one sentence follows the colon, it is often not necessary to capitalize the first word of the new sentence. It tells the reader that youre at the end of a thought, but that theres another part to it. Grammar at a glance i bet you thought grammar couldnt get any more quick and dirty than it did in the previous pages, but heres the quickest grammar of all, culled from lengthier explanations found elsewhere in this book. Writers should replace a construction like any manwoman with any man or woman in their finished work. Punctuation semicolons, colons, parentheses, dash, brackets. With the exception of newspapers, most publications use the serial comma, because it helps writers. One book discusses capitalization, another partially discusses punctuation, and so on. Should you capitalize the first word of a sentence after a colon. The items are not capitalized except for proper nouns. Capitalization rules can be extremely difficult to master, and there are a number of common capitalization errors that our proofreaders and editors come across time and time again. The colon is used to separate two independent clauses when the second explains or illustrates the first. Vanilla, chocolate, strawberrywe offer these flavors. One of the most common uses of the colon is to announce information that elaborates something that has gone before, often a rule, moral or statement of principle.
Francis april 6, 2016 january 2, 2017 comments off on semicolon, colon, or comma. There may indeed be a sentence after the colon, but the original sentence has not ended yet. Colons, semicolons, and periods grammar in your pocket book. Sep 11, 2018 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 girl s quick and dirty tips for better writing. Do not capitalize the first item after the colon unless its a proper noun.
Books by mignon fogarty author of grammar girls quick and. A colon can be used as a separator in references, ratios, times, and titles. Learn when to use a colon english grammar revolution. When to capitalize after a colon heres something you probably never have to worry about. Serial commas and serial semicolons by erika suffern serial commas. A number of other punctuation marks are used less frequently, but still play important roles in english writing. Semicolons punctuation rules the blue book of grammar. A semicolon or colon joining two independent clauses signals a connection between them. Keith houston, who has authored several books on punctuation, explained the origin of the colon in his article the mysterious origins of punctuation published on sept. Finally, lets talk about whether you capitalize the first word after a colon or a dash.
Colon worksheet please place a colon where it belongs in each. One of the mailing lists i am on is computerrelated i think we have already pretty well established my tendency towards geekiness, and the folks mostly. Grammar girl high school would be capitalized because its a speci. Use a colon after an independent clause to introduce a list, quotation, definition, explanation, etc.
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. Capitalize proper nounsand adjectives derived from proper. If you dont know whether to capitalize a noun, see if it names a speci. Do not capitalize the civil title if it is used instead of the name. Like a semicolon, a colon can connect two independent clauses, but it has several other uses as well. The colon comes at the end of an independent clause a spot where you could put a period, except that whats in the clause has left something unanswered. Perhaps no mark of punctuation ruffles feathers more than the serial comma also called series comma, oxford comma, and harvard comma. Paula did well in two subjects hence she will have a high average at the end of the year. In british english, we do not normally use a capital letter after a colon. She learned how to rollerblade when she was a child. Do not capitalize ordinary words after a semicolon. Grammar girl breaks down when and how to use colons, including when formatting lists. Thus, i call it the most powerful of punctuation marks. The rule is that a complete clause must precede the colon.
Grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing by. 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. Chapter 4 colon this article is about chapter 4 colon enjoy your reading. She was willing to run the fiftymile race after she soaked in her jacuzzi for two days. Hacker discusses common misuses of the colon in a canadian writers. Notice in the previous sentence that the second high school isnt capitalized because it isnt the name of a speci. The governors, lieutenant governors, and attorneys general called for a special task force. A word is not capitalized after a semi colon as well. This book uses the building block method to help you brush up on your grammar skills. In reference to books sabin 195 the new age parent. After that, it looked like the author was trying to make a book out of an essay. Mignon fogarty has 14 books on goodreads with 12538 ratings. In a title or heading, a colon is often used to introduce a subdivision of a subject. The speaker ofthe house began with the following words ladies and gentlemen.
Grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing book. This handout explains the most common uses of three kinds of punctuation. 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. In american english, colons are more often followed by capital letters. This comma precedes the final item in a list or series, before the word and or or. Denise prefers to eat chicken or fish, im a vegetarian. Semicolon, when to capitalize after a colon posted in blog no comments. Most of the grammar books i own only partially address vertical lists. Raising a confident child capitalization after a colon sabin 196199 two documents arrived. The train is scheduled to arrive fortyfive minutes late. It offers information on grammar, sentence structure, style, usage, punctuation, and mechanics and it features a 10question quiz in every chapter to show readers where they need the most help. 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.
Semicolons the semicolon looks like a comma with a period above it, and this can be a good way to. Capitalize the first word after a colon if the information following the colon requires two or more complete sentences. Ive tried educating myself in the past, cramming books on grammar into my tortured brain, but id forget what id learned just hours after trying to. My mother is a basketball fan thus she has not missed a single home game in. In my essay editing work, i make a lot of corrections where people mix up the use of the comma, semicolon and colon. You treat the first word after a dash the same way youd treat it if it followed a comma. Jul 17, 2018 the word colon comes from the greek term kolon, meaning a part of a verse or clause, or more literally, part of a limb, particularly a leg. If youre unsure, check a dictionary or style guide. The writer used the semi colon to tell us that these two sentences are connected. Oct 19, 2015 if the each line item in the list logically ends what comes before the colon, or if each line item is a complete sentence, place an end mark after each not commas or semicolons. You can use a colon to introduce a single thing when you want to emphasize it. When a colon introduces a list of of things, do not capitalize the first word after the colon unless it is a proper noun.
Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading colons, semicolons, and periods grammar in your pocket book 12. Stick the colon on and then give us the answer, whether that answer is a single word, a phrase, a list, a quote, or another full independent clause. Colons punctuation rules the blue book of grammar and. Posted in commas or semicolon after a colon, flierflyer, semicolons and commas at 10. Dont add anything else to a sentence after youve finished introducing the elements. Semicolons, colons, and parentheses purdue writing lab. The colon can also be used to introduce a grammatically independent sentence. Capitalize the first word of a document and the first word after a period.
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