Questions tagged [capitalization]
This tag is for questions about the use of capital letters in writing.
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What's the reason behind this common error?
Pretty frequently, I see someone Capitalize Every Word In Their Sentences Like This; (example) after seeing it so many times I'm intensely curious just what makes it so common.
It seems to be from ...
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1answer
37 views
Capital letter in the word City
When should a capital letter be used for the word city?
E.g
spark innovation in the city....
The city has an opportunity....
The city is growing...
Would I use a capital in any of the above ...
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0answers
26 views
In American English are the following three examples good to use for colon capitalization useage?
I know that a variant of this question has been asked before, and recalled what my Creative writing teacher told me about when to use capitalization after a colon, by using the following three example ...
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2answers
39 views
Capitalization of president in very specific sentence structure
I know the general rules about when to capitalize "president" but our opinion is divided on this example. It was a headline along these lines.
Trump meets new Kazakh President Nazarbayev in ...
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0answers
28 views
Using an hyphenating and en-dashing when referring to in-laws
Mother-in-law versus mother–in-law
Mother–in-law (en dash) refers more directly to the person—your spouse’s mother; it is akin to saying “My in-law mother”.
Mother-in-law (hyphenation) is a ...
-1
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2answers
41 views
Do you capitalize Lake when you are referring back to proper noun Tahoe Lake [duplicate]
If I state a proper noun such as Tahoe Lake, and then later in sentence refer to the lake, do I capitalize lake when it refers back to the proper name Tahoe Lake?
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3answers
56 views
Acronyms - Uppercase, Lowercase, or either
Is there a rule on acronyms being spelled out with the first letter of each word being uppercase or lowercase?
Example:
interim final rule (IFR)
Interim Final Rule (IFR)
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1answer
27 views
Capitalization With Hyphen in Length-Limited Title
Imagine a scenario where you had to write the following title:
A Scientific Breakthrough
However, you were limited in length and had to split it. Do you capitalize “through” even though the original ...
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1answer
34 views
Department or department? [closed]
I have been asked to review a document but I have a dilemma:
"D" in below phrase should be capital?
"It can flourish collaboration among the members of the Department"?
Or job title:
"The ...
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1answer
32 views
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1answer
22 views
Number and Capitalization of Phrase [closed]
At work we have what we call "environments" (groups of computers, essentially). Each environment has a number (e.g., Environment 1). I maintain a list of the environments. I am unsure how to ...
0
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1answer
23 views
Do I capitalize course concentrations? [closed]
We offer a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with concentrations in Graphic Design, Painting, Sculpture, Photography, or Crafts and a Digital Media Arts degree with concentrations in Video or Animation.
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0answers
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Capital letters in product composition?
I am trying to find out why I see product composition written with capital letters, such as 70% Polycarbonate 20% Silicone 10% Thermoplastic Elastomer. Why is that? Is there an official rule or is it ...
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0answers
22 views
Conversion of all-cap acronyms to first letter only; when did NASA become Nasa? [duplicate]
The BBC will often refer to well recognized organizations named by an acronym by capitalizing only the first letter. For example, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration written as all ...
43
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3answers
4k views
Why is quixotic not Quixotic (a proper adjective)?
Adjectives derived from proper nouns are known as proper adjectives, and are capitalized:
A piece of writing could be Shakespearean, not shakespearean.
A person may be Canadian, not canadian.
Even ...
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2answers
36 views
When I say 'She teaches high school English', do I use H and S as capital? (American English)
When I say 'She teaches high school English', do I use H and S as capital? (American English)
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0answers
17 views
“Battle of…” and “seige of…” capitalization
I edit a lot of military history articles, and I know that named battles use a capital "B" for "Battle", e.g. the Battle of Agincourt. However, when it's a siege rather than a pitched battle, most ...
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0answers
32 views
Is it command-line or command line and where to capitalize? [duplicate]
not sure if the word has a hyphen, and if I should write 'line' with capital letter if it does.
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1answer
25 views
Hyphens and capitalization [closed]
I am editing a document. The writer used the hyphenated form of "Company-Wide" in the article title. Note that the writer bot only hyphenated the word; the writer also capitalized "Wide." Is this ...
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1answer
47 views
capitalisation of 'mum' [duplicate]
Which reference to 'mum' in the following text shouild be capitalised, and which not capitalised? I'm confused...
...................................................................
What? Did you ...
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vote
1answer
70 views
When referring to the British Empire, should the 'e' be capitalised?
When referring to the British Empire, or any empire with a specific title, should the 'e' of 'empire' always be capitalised?
If so, does the rule also apply even if only 'empire' of full 'British ...
2
votes
1answer
50 views
Capitalization of “you are here” on maps?
I understand that capitalization "rules," aside from capitalizing the beginning of a sentence and so forth, are less steadfast rules and are more (somewhat arbitrary in my opinion) style guidelines ...
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2answers
107 views
Should the plural form of “daphnia” be used if there is more than one?
For my science fair, I am confused on if I should write, "daphnia", "daphnias", or "Daphnia" regarding to the species, especially multiple of them.
Is there a certain time to use the word in upper ...
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0answers
23 views
Correct capitalization when starting a sentence or headline with a parenthesized word
What is the correct way of capitalizing the following sentence?
(Most) people are good.
Should people also be capitalized? Or is it incorrect that most is capitalized?
Finally, does the same ...
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vote
1answer
41 views
Should DevOps be in pascal case?
What are your thoughts on the word DevOps? Most big brands in the field (Atlassian, Puppet) use pascal case for all instances of the word, even if it's in the middle of a sentence, as in: "The concept ...
0
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1answer
104 views
Do you capitalize yakuza?
When referring to the infamous Japanese criminal organization, which sentence would be correct?
The yakuza member picked up his glasses, scooped some of the jewelry and loose change into his ...
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2answers
36 views
Capitalization and hyphenation of proper name derived from a number sequence
I'm writing a sci-fi novel in which humans travel to a nearby star known by the catalog number Gliese 892, where they encounter a sentient species.
Listening to numerous videos about such stars, it ...
2
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1answer
25 views
Capitalization - Students with Disabilities
In a section, I am writing using statistics including Black, White, and Hispanic. In the same section, I also reference a statistic for Students with Disabilities.
Should Students with Disabilities ...
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2answers
46 views
After starting a sentence with a name, do you capitalize the next part of the same sentence?
For example, in the case of the following sentence, do you capitalize the "Good Morning!" and the next part "It..."?
Mr. Smith, Good Morning! It was a pleasure meeting you the other day.
Please ...
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votes
3answers
872 views
Capitalizing a word mid-sentence
I am creating an ad for a newspaper and want to emphasize a word. Can I use a capital for the word and follow with an exclamation point in the middle of a sentence?
Here is what I am saying:
CRC ...
2
votes
1answer
118 views
Should Chartered Accountant be capitalised in a professional profile or CV
I regularly prepare professional profiles for a client to use in proposals and on their website. They work in a sector where excessive capitalisation is endemic, so I often have to explain my reasons ...
1
vote
1answer
48 views
Capitalization of titles in an essay where the original work does not capitalize its title according to style (MLA)
In my essay (MLA), I talk about Kendrick Lamar's album titled good kid, m.A.A.d city (stylized like that). Which of the following ways would be the correct way to title my essay:
Kendrick Lamar's ...
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3answers
332 views
Can the word “staff” be written with capital S?
Can I use capital S in the sentence below? The word staff refers to a unit.
The Board of Directors and the staff of x company wish you a happy and peaceful New Year!
Thank you!
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1answer
37 views
Chemical elements spelled out are not capitalised but what about Natural Gas?
A quick google shows that natural gas is generally capitalised whereas the rule for chemical elements seems to be that they are not. I am writing a text that includes Natural Gas (I cannot replace ...
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vote
2answers
70 views
Using capital case on every word of a title [duplicate]
I have to write a post for my college website and it is the format of a "listicle". An introduction followed by short paragraphs with each paragraph getting a heading. My question is regarding these ...
0
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1answer
65 views
How to emphasize the word I in a sentence?
So usually if I want to emphasize a word in a sentence (casual conversation not professional writing style) I'll capitalize it. Or maybe bold if that formatting option is available. But the word "I" ...
3
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3answers
99 views
Capitalization of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
An epithetical question: Should ALL of Rudolph "the red-nosed reindeer" be capitalized? Why or why not, and where do we draw the line?
This was inspired by some seasonal discussion on this question ...
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2answers
107 views
Should repeated words after an ellipsis be capitalized?
I've searched everywhere, including questions about whether to capitalize after a stutter (no), capitalize after an ellipsis (no if it's a continuation of a sentence, yes if it's a new sentence), but ...
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1answer
20 views
Capitalize name of document section when used in text sentence?
I file briefs with appellate courts. Each brief has a section called a "Table of Contents" and one called a "Table of Authorities," where the "C" and the "A" are capitalized because those phrases are ...
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1answer
212 views
Proper noun capitalisation: “The Union” or “the Union”? [duplicate]
When capitalising a proper noun that has a “the” prefix, should the “the” be capitalised?
Eg:
“This puts the Union at risk”
or:
“This puts The Union at risk”
0
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1answer
35 views
To capitalize, or not to capitalize inside the quote
I'm getting myself all sorts of confused since Google is both a proper noun and a verb. Which option is correct?
A). This time, Google "Best natural skincare lines."
B). This time, Google: best ...
2
votes
3answers
72 views
Should I use a capital letter after a code example? [closed]
I often write documentation related to code and it is normally in a similar format to the following:
You will be able to run this code:
<code>
<moreCodeyStuff>
.....
2
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1answer
90 views
POW, MIA and KIA
When should you use title case? Why would anyone use title case in these sentences?
He was a Prisoner of War (POW).
OR
He was a prisoner of war (POW).
He was Missing in Action (MIA).
...
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1answer
226 views
Why is “State” spelt with a capital, but “federal” is not? [closed]
They both mean the same noun, yet one is spelt with a capital?
0
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1answer
17 views
When do you capitalize a reference to a specific instance of a general concept?
This question generally pertains to the legal context in the US. Reviewing this page I gather that capitalization is used to refer to a specific instance of an item whereas capitalize is not used when ...
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2answers
100 views
Capitalization of letters from non-Latin scripts in English
I couldn't find any clear rules/guidelines regarding this, so I'm asking the question here: If an otherwise English sentence begins with a word that is written in non-Latin script (e.g. Greek letters),...
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0answers
112 views
Hardware Modes: Prepositions, Articles, Capitalization
I have a lot of uncertainties regarding how to address hardware modes, when it comes to computers, cell phones, circuit boards, etc.
Google provides all kinds of contradicting thoughts and answers ...
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0answers
65 views
When do you need to capitalize “the” in the name of a journal?
I am writing an article and it just occurred to me that I do not know if I need to capitalize "the" in the name of a journal, be it in the reference section or when written in text. I am using APA ...
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2answers
229 views
When is 'Old Man' capitalized, if ever?
Not really a nickname so it doesn't have the clear cut proper noun usage. I believe when referred to as a third party it wouldn't be capitalized, e.g.
"My old man is turning 70 this year!"
But how ...
1
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1answer
39 views
Are there any guidelines for proper use of “creative” capitalization within in a technical report?
I am trying to edit a report that seems to have a lot of common nouns capitalized. My job is to edit for consistency of this style, which I am not familiar with. Does anyone have experience with what ...
