0
Punctuation and Capitalization
Are you hooked on commas? Are you possessive about apostrophes? Do you think hyphens look dashing? This category is for questions related to the use of certain marks to separate words into sentences and clauses and capital letters in writing.
6,363 Questions
The general rule is that you capitalise only proper nouns. You do not capitalise "literature" unless the context requires it. For example:
I am taking English Literature in my first year of college.
I don't really like literature, but I need to fulfill my English credits.
There were no other literature classes that appealed to me except English Literature.
Should black as an ethnicity be capitalized in a sentence?
In most cases, no. Only if the word is the first word in the sentence, or it is a specific name for one specific thing, place or person. Mr. Justice Hugo Black would be capitalized, a black cat would not. The Black Hole of Calcutta or the All Blacks Rugby team of New Zealand would be, but black shoes would not.
Should rose be capitalized in a sentence?
Yes, "Rose" should be capitalized in a sentence when it is used as a proper noun, such as when referring to a person's name or a specific type of flower.
Is punctuation placed before or after a trademark symbol?
After.
Chicago Manual of Style, 16th Edition. 8.152 - Trademarks
...Although the symbols...(for registered and unregistered trademarks, respectively) often accompany trademark names on product packaging and in promotional material, there is no legal requirement to use these symbols, and they should be omitted wherever possible. (If one of these symbols must be used at the end of a product name, it should appear before any period, comma, or other mark of punctuation.) ...
Yes, "Chef" should be capitalized when used as a title or before someone's name. For example, "Chef Gordon Ramsay" or "Executive Chef Smith."
Is radiologist capitalized in the middle of a sentence?
Yes, "radiologist" should be capitalized in the middle of a sentence only if it is part of a proper noun or if it starts with a capital letter due to a specific style guide or naming convention. In general, it is not capitalized in the middle of a sentence.
Does the word hemisphere have to be capitalized in a sentence?
No, the word "hemisphere" does not need to be capitalized unless it is at the beginning of a sentence or part of a proper noun like "Western Hemisphere."
Should you capitalize the word president?
Not necessarily. For example, The candidate acted in a presidential manner.
But if it relates to the office or position of the President, then yes. For example:
We hung the Presidential Seal on the podium, but it crashed to the floor.
Should you capitalize the word southern states?
The term "southern states" should only be capitalized if it is used as part of a proper noun referring to a specific group of states, such as the Southern States of the United States. Otherwise, it should be written in lowercase.
In general, "humanities" is not capitalized unless it starts a sentence or is part of a formal title like "Bachelor of Arts in Humanities."
Do you need a comma after and?
I think you are thinking of a series comma. It is used when there are three or more things listed. Example: I bought the butter, milk, and eggs. The second comma is the series comma. I was taught that it is the preferred method, but many publishers do not use it, particuarly newspapers. No. In lists you can omit the last comma: the idea is that the comma takes the place of and anyhow. This method is more common in England. In America the use of the extra comma (called the Oxford comma) is more common. Like the above answerers have already explained, you don't necessarily need the last comma in a series of words/phrases. Whether you use it or not depends on where you learned English, who you learned it from, and personal preference. I think the extra comma helps the reader to understand what they are reading, but it really doesn't matter. <br /><br /> However, you may also be talking about using <i>and</i> in a compound sentence. For example, you would say, "George ran a mile, and he also practiced rim shots." Note the comma between the two complete phrases. You only put it there if the second phrase is insubordinate, or stand-alone (it needs a subject and a predicate). Without the comma, you would have to remove the subject like so: "George ran a mile and also practiced rim shots." <br /><br /> As a review, you DO use a comma if you have two or more STAND-ALONE (subject and predicate) clauses.
Is heaven capitalized in the middle of a sentence?
The word angels is a common plural noun. It is not capitalized unless the first word of a sentence.
Does constitution need to be capitalized?
It should only be capitalized if you are referring to a specific constitution. For example, the U.S. Constitution.
When did the twentieth century begin?
There was no year 0 AD. The first century began with year 1. One hundred years later was 100 AD. Therefore, unless the first century had only 99 years, 101 AD would have
been the first year of the second century, By logical induction, the 20 century began with
1901 and lasted through 2000. The 21st century began with 2001.
In a friendly letter what punctuation mark is plaed after the greeting?
A comma is placed after the greeting in a friendly letter.
Yes, "Victorian" should be capitalized when referring to the historical period known as the Victorian era, which took place during the reign of Queen Victoria in the United Kingdom from 1837 to 1901.
Do you capitalize the ancient in ancient people?
Yes, it is capitalized at the beginning of the sentence and when it is used as part of the proper noun.
Examples:
History of Ancient Civilization
The Ancient Civilization Museum is a world class museum.
What are the components of a sentence?
The only necessary parts of a sentence are the subject and verb, for example, "Tom ate", except in commands in which the subject can be left out, for example, "Sit down". However there are many other options that you can add in, including prepositional phrases and clauses ("in the kitchen"), adjectival phrases and clauses ("who doesn't have a dining room"), adverbial phrases and clauses ("because he was tired") and noun phrases and clauses ("where else to sit"). So the sentence, "Tom, who doesn't have a dining room, ate in the kitchen because he was tired and didn't know where else to sit" has both a subject and verb and many other clauses.
In fact a subject may not be necessary even where the mood is not imperative. Impersonal verbs (typically found in statements about the weather) do not have a subject. For example, in the sentence "It is raining", the word "it" is not technically a subject. The three words together constitute a verb.
What punctuation follows an abbreviation?
Traditionally, a full stop (also known as a period in the US) follows an abbreviation. However, where UK English is employed, such as the UK, Australia and New Zealand, placing any punctuation after an abbreviation is outmoded, and no longer required. For example, a word such as Dr or Mr has no full stop after it in Australia, but in the US it is still written as Dr. or Mr.
Should Congresswoman be capitalized?
Congress is not always capitalized. It is capitalized when referring to a specific congress, like the U.S. Congress.
Punctuation for as well as in mid sentence?
I had a cold. As well, I had a stomach virus.
She was a teacher for third grade students, but as well, she was an active pastor of a church.
The Appalachian Mountains contain the Pocono Mountains. As well, the Allegheny Mountain chain begin in the southern Pennsylvania section of the Appalachians.
At the beginning of the sentence and when it forms part of the proper noun.
Example: The Dinner Meeting (title of movie)
