Writing

Questions tagged [capitalization]

Ask Question

This tag should be used for questions about when to capitalize words, such as trademarks or as a stylistic device, for example in character speech.

18 questions
Newest
Active
Bountied
Unanswered
Filter by
Sorted by
Tagged with
5
votes
2answers
115 views

Is it acceptable to punctuate and capitalize a dialogue tag like a separate sentence?

When a piece of writing has a quoted sentence followed by a dialogue tag, the sentence is usually ended with a comma (inside the quotation marks) and the dialogue tag is in sentence case, like this: ...
2
votes
1answer
45 views

What are the rules for beginning a block quotation halfway into a quoted sentence?

I'm interested in the rules set by the Chicago Manual of Style. If I take a block quotation that starts with the following sentence: "To simplify: math and geometry are such and such" And if I ...
2
votes
1answer
72 views

Autocapitalize/correct two connected words?

Let's say I have a character in my story simply called "Slime Monster". With every instance of these two words, I want both words to be capitalized and to be corrected as a pair, so if I mistype it to ...
5
votes
1answer
39 views

Capitlization of A Named Experiment

I have an experiment which we call 'the krypton experiment'. In referring to the krypton experiment, should it be capitalized? e.g. The Krypton Experiment was used as a source of benchmark data. or ...
7
votes
2answers
545 views

Other than trademarked names, should recipe ingredients in a cookbook be capitalized?

Re: editing a cookbook Other than trademarked names, should ingredients in the recipe lists be capitalized? Thank you in advance.
7
votes
4answers
180 views

Capitalization after use of colon?

This is a sentence from a current writing project detailing how people in jail feel about reading. It provides an escape from the reality of what lies before them: time. Should "time" be capitalized?...
1
vote
1answer
230 views

Would I use a capitalization for vampire?

I have been writing a fantasy story, but I am not sure if I should use capitalization on "vampire" or not. In the first example it's talking about a single vampire, but not specific one. Example: "...
2
votes
3answers
133 views

Are human sounds capitalized like other sounds in the action line?

Such as: Bathsheba SNEEZES. Margaret SNORES loudly. Katrina SIGHS
1
vote
1answer
58 views

Capitalization: Taylor guitar

If you refer to a Steinway piano or a Taylor guitar, do you capitalize piano and guitar? I couldn't think how to word a search for this information.
2
votes
3answers
112 views

Should capitalization be used for emphasis for a character's tone?

Capitalization in a text has been something heavily debated in the writing community due to its nature as being preference based, and finding a hard set answer is fairly difficult. However, should ...
1
vote
2answers
326 views

Capitalization after interrupted dialogue

I'm confused about proper punctuation, spacing, and capitalization when a character is speaking and is interrupted by actions without continuing dialogue. "Maybe we could—" My phone rang. "Maybe we ...
5
votes
3answers
247 views

Capitalize 'it' when referring to a strange being?

I have a being with a name. I capitalize its name when I mention it. But mostly, I refer to it as "it". I use "it" a lot in dialogue, as characters talk about this being. Should I capitalize "it", ...
6
votes
2answers
4k views

Dialogue interruptions — using em dashes

This is my first time in writers, so I apologise if I make a mistake. I've searched for this, but I can't find a concrete and complete answer. Please forgive me if I've somehow missed it and it had ...
2
votes
1answer
125 views

Capitalisation after punctuation in dialogue

I've seemed to have a problem with getting this right and doubting myself. In regards to writing dialogue, do you follow up with capitalisation after punctuation marks? Can someone tell me which is ...
4
votes
2answers
500 views

in English, is it necessary to capitalize after a colon?

I've seen that each language has its own rules when using the colon. In Spanish, it's not needed to capitalize: Los elementos incluyen: secado, lavado, etc. In French is the same, and even they put ...
0
votes
1answer
54 views

Capitalize and/or hyphenate “the Start Your Own Business project”?

I have come across a situation which drives me mad, and I cannot find any satisfying answer in the Oxford Guide to Style, which I tend to follow. The problem concerns the phrase "Start Your Own ...
24
votes
4answers
34k views

Referencing figure in text - capitalize the word “Figure” or not? Why?

I see it quite a lot. It looks a bit like this: It can be seen in Figure 3 that... My gut feeling is that there is no reason to scream in the middle of a perfectly calm sentence. I would like to ...
1
vote
3answers
4k views

It is unprofessional to use double exclamation marks and CAPS in a product or service?

I'm developing a website: http://alexchen.info/brianfunshine/ My customer wrote the following in the front page: Hi, I’m Brian “Funshine” Alexander. I offer professional Music, Voices, and ...