Should i capitalize after a semi colon

To tell the truth, I think people who use semi-colons, especially those who use them often, are just pretentious writers. They are trying to show their writing skill rather than letting their writing show the skill. I agree. Only those who think they are superior try to use punctuation like this.

There are usually better ways to write the same thing without using a colon or a semi-colon. First rule: Do not use semicolons. They are transvestite hermaphrodites representing absolutely nothing. I beg to differ. In school up to , we had to use punctuation marks. Use of a semi-colon was never viewed as a mark of intelligence or level of education. I find it really necessary, and I never had the slightest feeling that I would be impressing anyone with the use of a semi-colon.

We cannot assume that we interpret the actions of everyone accurately; that could be being judge-mental. Believe I used it appropriately here. I could have utilized it earlier also I think. Notice how easily I write a lot? OK, but judgemental should not be written with a hyphen. I appreciate this information on the proper use of the colon and semi-colon. It is this type of judgmental thinking that has taken this world to the hate filled place that it is. I agree with Lana. Good points here in favor of using semi-colons.

Capitalizing a sentence after a colon is generally a judgment call; if what follows a colon is closely related to what precedes it, there is no need for a capital. Oh well, I always capitalize the first letter after a semicolon, by reason that the semicolon has a full stop in its symbol. My feeling is that if you cannot capitalize after a semicolon without changing the sense, then a colon would have done anyway!

You slow down, then stop at the end of the second sentence. When listing points 1 I like your website 2 Grammar is very tricky 3 I wish I would have paid more attention in my grammar class.

We do not see a colon in your example. We assume there will be an introductory sentence that includes a colon. If only one sentence follows the colon, it is often not necessary to capitalize the first word of the new sentence. Your list contains more than one sentence. Therefore, capitalize the first word and end each sentence with appropriate ending punctuation. We recommend using a space after the parenthesis in each point.

Example: I came to some conclusions after visiting your website today: 1 I like your website. In a title for example, can you use the colon this way? Poetry and the development of oral fluency: a study using poetry in EFL instruction. Reading the rules it indicated to capitalize the first letter after the colon. Or the one I am not sure that can be used is this way.

The rules in this post apply to sentences. Your example is a title, not a sentence. The colon is used to separate the main title from the subtitle. If the title belongs to a book, it should be italicized. If it is an unpublished work or an article, use quotation marks. Garlic is NOT used generously in Italian dishes in Italy; it is used generously in supposedly Italian-looking dishes across the world all right, admit that sometimes Italian restaurants catering to foreigners submit to their expectations.

We Italians make a very sparing use of garlic, and actually most people avoid it like the pest because of the smell it leaves on you. Bob bring me that book? Would it look like this…. Bob, Bring me that book? Indicate the kind of orientation an individual requires to adjust with the process of social change: A Progressive B Conformist C Traditionalist D Confrontationist. Learning refers to: A change in belief system B change in aptitude C change in behaviour D change in retention. On the above two questions after the colon, serial numbers are in the way; which one would be better Capitalising or in lowercase??

The Chicago Manual of Style gives the following advice regarding vertical lists containing multiple-choice questions:. In this way, multiple-choice tests are styled much like unnumbered vertical lists.

If the question is a complete sentence following a colon, it is up to the writer to decide whether to capitalize the first word. Is it proper to capitalize the first letter for the definition, or is it rather a part of an ongoing list? A-weighted decibels: dBA are an expression of the relative loudness of sounds in air as perceived by the human ear.

Many regulatory noise limits are specified in terms of dBA, based on the belief that dBA is better correlated with the relative risk of noise-induced hearing loss. Accident: the National Safety Council defines an Accident as an undesired event that results in personal injury or property damage. The examples you sent could use some tightening up. In the first, why is dBA in parentheses after the colon? We suggest either putting it before the colon, removing the parentheses, or repeating the abbreviation as follows A-weighted decibels dBA : dBA are an expression of … Also, we notice that your first two definitions are complete sentences and the last one is not.

We suggest you choose a method and remain consistent throughout the document. In a sentence that includes a pause in the middle followed by … Is the word following the … capitalized or lower case? You are referring to an ellipsis. Unless the word following the ellipsis is a proper noun, it is not capitalized. Please see our rules for ellipses and our post Ellipsis Marks for more information. To leave options to writers is to leave confusion to learners. If the case is to give freedom to the writer, then why not to have freedom in all grammatical structures?

There are several areas in English grammar in which there is no absolute rule. In those cases we recommend that the writer exercise consistency. Thus you have demonstrated judgment in your own writing. Hello Guys, please for this phrase, am I supposed to capitalise World class or not Local expertise:world-class solutions or Local expertise: World-class solutions.

Is it correct to place a comma in front of a verb that precedes a complete thought? The truth is, he is very tall. Please see our reply in the post Commas, Part 6.

If each point is a complete sentence, capitalize the first word and end the sentence with appropriate ending punctuation. Otherwise, there are no hard and fast rules, except be consistent. Please see our Rules for Capitalization. I am not a native in English, and for a long time I thought capitalization after a colon : was mandatory because I was or I thought I was taught that it is the correct way of capitalization, but I guess I was wrong for the whole time.

Well, my lament aside, here is my question:. I am currently writing a medical report that consists of something like this in the middle of other things , for example:. Where the items before the colons are specific markers, should I capitalize the sentence fragments or should I not? This appears to be as much a matter of style as rule. Capitalization and punctuation are optional when using single words or phrases in a vertical list.

Please see our post Colons with Lists. The below example would be in an email or document. Also just confirming I would NOT capitalize the first letter of each point, correct?. Thank you! What are some ways to shape our culture? Leave a Comment or Question: Cancel reply. Please ensure that your question or comment relates to the topic of the blog post.

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Your email address will not be published. Capitalization After Colons Have you run across the situation where one sentence ending with a colon is followed by another sentence? Rule: Do not capitalize the first word of a list after a colon.

Pop Quiz Answers 1. As a reminder, independent clauses, also known as restrictive clauses, contain a subject and a verb and can act as a sentence without additional information; e. Independent clauses present the essential information in a sentence. Dependent clauses, also known as nonrestrictive clauses, may also contain a subject and a verb, but they are incomplete sentences that need an independent clause to make sense, e.

A dependent clause provides non-essential information, and if removed, the remaining sentence would still make sense.

Together, independent and dependent clauses create descriptive sentences: The sun is shining, which is a pleasant surprise.

American Psychological Association. Publication manual of the American Psychological Association 7th ed. Harnett, C. Crofton-area road closed by washout; Trans-Canada traffic flowing.

Times Colonist.