Questions tagged [capitalization]

This tag is for questions about the use of capital letters in writing.

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0 votes
0 answers
21 views

Not so good and Bangla [closed]

You must not have any question about the existence of GOD. Is this sentence is correct?
3 votes
2 answers
3k views

Should a stutter at the start of a sentence retain the capital letter?

When writing dialogue for characters that stammer or stutter over the first letter of the first word in their speech, should the first letter remain a capital or become lowercase when repeated? My ...
28 votes
8 answers
39k views

Should the words "internet" and "web" be capitalized?

There seems to be some inconsistency on whether people capitalize the words internet and web (as in World Wide Web) as proper nouns. What is the official ruling on when or if these words should be ...
0 votes
0 answers
49 views

Idioms with prepositions and CMS Capitalization

I am finding the CMS instructions confusing on whether one should capitalize the word under in a title when it is used as an idiom. For example, A Park under Threat.
21 votes
5 answers
4k views

When someone spells out letters in dialogue, should they be capitalized? "P-L-E-A-S-E" vs. "p-l-e-a-s-e"

I'm not finding the answer to this on the internet after searching. When writing dialogue, do you use capital letters to spell out words? Jamie said, "I said P-L-E-A-S-E please, and don't you ...
0 votes
3 answers
108 views

Can the capital 'Y' be rendered isomorphically? (i.e. as a bigger version as the lowercase one)

I sometimes find videos or educational websites that teach children to write the uppercase Y just like the lowercase one, but in a larger size; just like in this picture here: Is this correct or is ...
0 votes
0 answers
12 views

Correct Capitalisation of Hyphenated English Title [duplicate]

I have a presentation with one of the slides titled Results: limited-data in-the-wild semantic segmentation What would be the correct way to capitalise this title? https://capitalizemytitle.com/...
0 votes
0 answers
55 views

Should the first letter of a thought be capitalized?

Should the first letter of a thought be capitalized? Like for example in this sentence: Birds were chirping cheerful little song but I don’t hear them all I can hear is my thoughts where am I don’t ...
0 votes
2 answers
509 views

They're ready for you, doctor/Doctor

I know that "Doctor" is capitalized when their name follows, like Dr. Watson/Doctor Watson, but what about when addressing a doctor without mentioning their name? They're ready for you now, doctor. ...
21 votes
5 answers
135k views

Does the word after a question mark start with a capital letter? [duplicate]

Should I write it like this? Or perhaps like this? Should I write it like this? or perhaps like this? What about after an exclamation mark or semicolon?
0 votes
1 answer
119 views

How to structure the speech of one character when it consists of two linked but independent phrases

If you were writing a quote structured like this... 'You were right Izzy!', said Ted, 'there is something we can do.' … would be correct to have a fullstop after 'Ted' and a capital letter for 'there'...
0 votes
1 answer
44 views

East Coaster or east coaster? [duplicate]

When referring to a person or persons, do you capitalize which coast they are from? I’m editing a book and the relevant sentence includes “and the east and west coasters” - I think it’s awkward and ...
1 vote
2 answers
12k views

How to refer to a specific floor of a building

Are there any differences between "floor" and "Floor" when talking about areas of a building? For example, "The children book section is on the 4th floor" or "The children book section is on the 4th ...
1 vote
2 answers
106 views

Proper Noun Capitalization for Type of Thing

I'm writing a report. In the report we refer to program participants as either dedicated or auxiliary. Each has a unique situation in which they enter the program. Since they are a particular type of ...
5 votes
2 answers
22k views

Should "This" be capitalized in title case? [duplicate]

I have read that short words – that is, those with less than five letters – should not be capitalized. However, online sentence-to-title case converters capitalize the pronoun/adjective "this". What ...
0 votes
0 answers
44 views

Definite article, italics/quotations for a document name?

The below text is an extract from a document titled Technical Specification 13 Meter Harbor Tug. Is it sufficient to have the title capitalized or do I need to put it into italics/quotes when ...
3 votes
4 answers
2k views

Capitalizing a lower case screen name at the beginning of a sentence

When starting a sentence with a lower case pseudonym, such as a screen name of a user account on a website, should it be capitalized? Or are there different cases where it would and would not be ...
1 vote
1 answer
80 views

How to use capitalization when name is unknown [closed]

When using a vague descriptor for a character, like the man or the silhouette, should I capitalize any part of these terms? EG: The shadowy figure walked across the room. They picked up their hat and ...
2 votes
1 answer
155 views

Tech-related: should I capitalize the word 'Git' in this context or not?

Which one is proper: the one with 'Git' capitalized or the one without? Configure git commit signing. or Configure Git commit signing.
8 votes
6 answers
81k views

Proper use of "TV"

It seems "TV" is always preferred when used as an abbreviation for "television" in informal writing, but is "tv" ever acceptable? (The capitalization seems to me to place undue emphasis on it.)
3 votes
2 answers
1k views

Should the first word after a dash used as self-interruption be capitalized?

When writing dialogue, a dash can be used to denote interruption. For example: “Hello, can I ask you about—” “No.” If a character is interrupting themself, should the first word of the interruption ...
-2 votes
2 answers
16k views

If a sentence starts with an 'a' should the 'a' be capitalised? [closed]

If you were to start a sentence with an 'a' would it be capitalised? Because when an 'a' is on its own its lower case. But letters at the start of sentences should be capitalised.
0 votes
1 answer
33 views

Is "state" capitalized in lieu of the name? [duplicate]

When referring to the "politically organized body of people usually occupying a definite territory" in lieu of the proper name, should state be capitalized? Example: He will liaise with ...
0 votes
3 answers
119 views

Should there be a space after an em dash if the dash is used to cut off the end of a sentence and a new sentence begins afterwards?

Usually an em dash is used without any spaces on either side, especially when the punctuation is in the middle of a sentence. However, how should it be used if it were used at the end, such as when it'...
0 votes
0 answers
27 views

Capitalization. How do "-based" suffix behave when used on titles? [duplicate]

I'm writing an academic article title, and, for matter of capitalizations, I would like to know: if "-based" is appended to a word, is "-based" treated as another word and should ...
5 votes
6 answers
33k views

When should types of cheese be capitalized?

Does this recipe call for Cheddar cheese or cheddar cheese? Does pizza have mozzarella or Mozzarella on it? Heck, I'm not even sure if this sandwich contains Swiss cheese or swiss cheese. Is there a ...
3 votes
0 answers
61 views

Should I capitalize a quoted transliteration?

Consider the following: "Saranghe" not only means "I love you," but it also means "Let's be together till we die." In Telugu, "Intiki veltunnava?" means "...
0 votes
0 answers
39 views

When is a genus name without an initial capital letter acceptable in formal (but not necessarily in a scientific context) English? [duplicate]

In biology, the scientific name of a species (known as the "binomial name" or just the "binomial" or sometimes even just the "binomen") is written as a pair of words in ...
44 votes
3 answers
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 ...
3 votes
1 answer
4k views

Should I capitalize 'western' when it anticipates 'culture'?

The following sentences are from the transcription of a BBC podcast> In the Western culture, we have got a bit of an uphill – I would say - struggle because pre-conceptions around eating insects ...
5 votes
3 answers
3k views

Correct capitalisation of "Machiavellian"?

Does the adjective Machiavellian always have a capital letter? For example: The Machiavellian Iago manipulates Othello into believing his wife, Desdemona, had an affair. Not sure if this is ...
1 vote
1 answer
39 views

Word to describe the case-sensitivity of a word [closed]

This question is very related with software development. I would like to know if there is a word to refer the way that a word is written. For example somebody has written "HasChildren" for a ...
16 votes
7 answers
133k views

What do all capital letters typically refer to in writing?

In many error messages and conversations, I come across words in all capital letters, as demonstrated in the examples below. ERROR: Please type your e-mail address. or ME: I can't make it SHE:...
0 votes
1 answer
89 views

How to write s/he at the beginning of a sentence? [closed]

In a document I want to use the gender form of personal pronouns. But if I use "s/he" at the beginning of a sentence, are both "s" and "h" to be written in capitals? It ...
-1 votes
3 answers
163 views

Which one is more correct, "White-eye Man" or “White-Eye Man”?

My son loves a kind of bird called white-eyes, very much. He wants to call a character in his storybook 'white-eye man,' similar to 'spider man' or iron man. He also wants to use the name as his book'...
0 votes
2 answers
256 views

On the capitalization of familial honorifics

We all know that Mom and Dad are capitalized when used in dialogue as a substitute for a name. But is it the same for big sister, big brother, big sis, and big bro? One example of the sentence would ...
2 votes
3 answers
844 views

Should "aunt" be capitalized in this sentence? [duplicate]

Should "aunt" be capitalized in this sentence? Jan's aunt Cindy took a ceramics class. Should it be - Jan's Aunt Cindy or Jan's aunt Cindy?
1 vote
2 answers
4k 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 ...
0 votes
1 answer
134 views

Capitalization after an ellipsis beginning a paragraph midway in a multi-paragraph quotation

If midway in a multi-paragraph quotation, a paragraph begins with one or more prior paragraphs omitted, and the line starts mid-sentence with preceding words omitted, is the line capitalized after the ...
1 vote
3 answers
215 views

Capitalization rules for shortened / metonymic versions of proper noun building names

If you refer to a building or place ("Westminster Abbey", "Dodger Stadium", "Cedars Hospital", "Library of Alexandria") whose name is a proper noun which ...
1 vote
1 answer
73 views

Are mixed case like IaC or GoF in acronyms normative or allowed? [duplicate]

In IT (Information Technology) there are a lot of acronyms with mixed case: GoF: Gang of four, the oldest I found. IaC: Infrastructure as Code, very common nowadays I understand the logic behing ...
1 vote
1 answer
34 views

Capitalising Abbreviations in Titles

Could you, please, tell me whether it is mandatory to capitalise lowercase abbreviations in titles (e.g., viz., vs., i.e.), or it's completely wrong, or it's just a matter of preference? Kittens vs. ...
2 votes
0 answers
31 views

Capitalising minor words in titles [closed]

I once learnt that we do not capitalise minor words in titles (articles, conjunctions (a bit ambiguous), and prepositions (a bit ambiguous, too)). However, I later came up with a question: don't we ...
-1 votes
2 answers
314 views

Is it appropriate to write mixed capped abbreviations and acronyms in all caps for headers, etc?

When using an abbreviation or acronym that has a mix of lowercase and capital letters, such as mmWave or dBm, in a heading or line that is formatted in all caps, is it appropriate to use all caps - or ...
1 vote
1 answer
129 views

Capitalisation of "Führer"

Could you, please, say why we capitalise the not-English word "Führer", which, literally translated into English from German, means "Leader" and is, for some strange reason, used ...
0 votes
3 answers
12k views

Is capitalizing "master" and other honorifics appropriate?

In BDSM relationships, a dominant male is often referred by his submissive counterpart as a "master", "sir" or by some other honorific. Some in the BDSM lifestyle insist that words referring to the ...
10 votes
3 answers
2k views

When quoting poetry, is it appropriate to place [sic] after a lowercase 'I'?

I am quoting one of Rupi Kaur's poems. Kaur purposely writes using all-lowercase letters for the pleasing aesthetic of her poetry. However, this may make it a bit difficult to quote. In one of her ...
3 votes
2 answers
143 views

Is there a word for letters that are shaped the same when capitalized or not?

The letters c/C, o/O, s/S, v/V, w/W, x/X, z/Z Are roughly congruently shaped from uppercase to lowercase. Depending on the font, there can be some serif differences but generally they have much less ...
5 votes
2 answers
49k views

Capitalization of "the Company"

I am writing a business plan. It is lengthy, so instead of always mentioning the company by its full name, I will write, "the company provides...". Another writer wants me to capitalize "The Company"...
1 vote
2 answers
287 views

Should a sound be capitalized or punctuated with "!" in the middle of a sentence?

He ran fast as the wind out of the cave when the rock went "clunk" on his head. I am not sure how to write clunk here. ...went "Clunk!" on his head. ...went "clunk" on ...

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