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Berny
Capitalization after colon (:)
I read an article about the capitalization after the colon. It said the following: If the following phrase is a complete (independent) clause, you may choose to capitalize it or not. Does it mean It's up to me either I capitalize it or not? (In American English) Would you explain it, please?
Oct 2, 2018 2:34 PM
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Answers · 1
Yes, you can choose to capitalize it or not, but it must be a full sentence on its own, not just a partial sentence. For example:
"Apple is the world's most successful company: the iPhone is a major reason for Apple's success." or,
"Apple is the world's most successful company: The iPhone is a major reason for Apple's success."
However, you cannot capitalize the second phrase in this example:
"Apple is the world's most successful company: the iPhone is a major reason."
(because the second phrase is not a complete sentence)
You should also always capitalize a quoted phrase after a colon, e.g.:
She gave me an ultimatum: "Either he goes or I go!"
October 2, 2018
