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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
How quotations should fit a sentence?
You put quotations in when someone is talking, or when you are state something that is not really something.
Here is an example: "That is so hard! How do you do that?!" Screamed Sally. Another example: "You better get your chores done, Michael." Said Michael's dad unhappily. Like an example would be: I jumped in my "bed". If you call a bed a blanket and a pillow.
A business letter's salutation should be followed by a colon. For example, "Dear Mr. Smith:" or "To Whom It May Concern:".
Except for languages, such as English, French and Japanese, the names of academic disciplines are not proper nouns and should not be capitalized. This includes references to disciplines in major and minor fields of study.
Do not capitalize:
He is a music major.
He had a major in Biology and a minor in chemistry.
He studied biology, political science, paper science and Psychology.
Academic degrees are capitalized only when the full name of the degree is used, such as Bachelor of Arts or Master of Social Work. General references, such as bachelor's, master's or doctoral degree, are not capitalized.
Do not capitalize:
He earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1989.
He earned a bachelor's degree in 1989.
Why do writers use punctuation?
Essentially, punctuation assists with clarity. It uses a variety of marks, each with a specific role, to create structure and organize language. It also assists when reading out loud by indicating pauses. What's more, punctuation can change the meaning of sentences. Sometimes this is overt; compare "let's eat, Grandma" with "let's eat Grandma". The first sentence is someone suggesting to Grandma that they eat, whereas the second is someone suggesting that they eat Grandma! On other occasions it can be more subtle:
"Alex didn't want to go the park today. We had been yesterday." - the full stop indicates they are two distinct assertions.
"Alex didn't want to go the park today, we had been yesterday." - the comma groups the two phrases suggesting they are related. That is, both phrases give reasons for why people don't want to go.
"Alex didn't want to go the park today: we had been yesterday." - the colon suggests the second phrase is the explanation for the first. That is, Alex didn't want to go the park because "we" went yesterday.
When does one capitalize Von or Van?
Usually it shouldn't be. It is Dutch or Flemish and it means 'from'. It comes logically enough before the placename from where the family has its origins. In English this is often disregarded. Mr. van Beneden means the man from below ie downstairs.
Do you capitalize the north in norh of Kagoshima Bay?
No, except at the beginning of a sentence because it is
n
ot a proper
n
ou
n.
How do you punctuate don't know he shouted you must know?
The correct punctuation for this sentence would be: "Don't know!" he shouted. "You must know." The exclamation point after "Don't know" indicates emphasis in the speaker's shouting, and the period after "You must know" signifies the end of the sentence.
What punctuation are put around a spoken word?
Quotation marks are used around spoken words to indicate dialogue in written text.
What punctuation mark is used in the sentence the sun is?
A period is used in the sentence "the sun is" to indicate the end of a statement.
When do you capitalize the titles employee or customers?
The titles "Employee" and "Customer" are capitalized when they are used as part of a formal title or as a specific identifier, such as "Employee of the Year" or "Customer Service Representative." In other contexts where they are used generically, they are typically not capitalized.
It depends on the context. In letters or notes, it should be capitalized at the end.
What punctuation is used to set off material that interrupts?
Parentheses or dashes are typically used to set off material that interrupts the flow of a sentence.
Should the nativity be capitalised?
When you are referring to the birth of Jesus then the word "nativity" should be capitalized.
When I read I don't notice the punctuation so why is it important?
It is a good question. When you read, there are many things that you don't notice, but that doesn't mean that they are not informing you. A lot of punctuation is superfluous, but as you read language that is more complex in structure, the absence of all punctuation could easily cause ambiguities and serious misunderstandings. If you could see such material prepared with no punctuation and no upper case letters at all, you would either be stopped by occasional confusing problems, or worse you would make quick interpretations that would sometimes be wrong. If I can locate a site or some material to test, I will add a link below.
Do you capitalize parent when you address them on a label?
Yes, because in this case, pare
nt is used as a
name.
Why does WikiAnswers hate punctuation?
WikiAnswers does not hate punctuation. For software reasons, we can't yet allow some types of punctuation in questions... and of course, not all of our users know how to use punctuation appropriately, but we still want them to be able to contribute. Anyone who would like to jump in and help correct punctuation or spelling... or anything else, is more than welcome. :)
Does the narwhal whale have to be capitalized in the middle of a sentence?
No, "narwhal whale" does not need to be capitalized in the middle of a sentence unless it is part of a proper noun or title.
Do you need to capitalize the word spreadsheets in a sentence?
No, because it is
n
ot a proper
n
ou
n.
Does the word history when used as a college major have to be capitalized?
Yes I'm pretty sure all college majors are capitalized
Do you capitalize 'from' in a title?
In a title, it is generally not necessary to capitalize the word "from" unless it is the first word of the title or is being used as part of a proper noun.
Should toys in sentences be capitalized?
No, toys in sentences should not be capitalized unless it is at the beginning of a sentence or part of a proper noun.
No, except at the beginning of a sentence because it is
n
ot a proper
n
ou
n.
