Colons

Question

When using a colon in a sentence ex:  My understanding of this letter is as follows:  do you capitalize the next word after the colon?

Maverick88 · Accepted Answer

Colon isn't a letter and you don't capitlize the letter preceded by the colon.

Anonymous · Answer

0 "00If the explanation that follows your colon makes a complete sentence, you may capitalize the first word after the colon. This is a choice unless you’re introducing a rule. Then you must capitalize the first word. Most people capitalize all sentences after a colon to be consistent throughout their writing."02br
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00From 01a05000 02a0230hrefhttp://www.csusm.edu/professionalwriters/Making%20Grammar%20Work%20for%20You.htm

Clive · Answer

0Hi,02br
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01font00"If the explanation that follows your colon makes a complete sentence, you may capitalize the first word after the colon. This is a choice unless you’re introducing a rule. Then you must capitalize the first word. Most people capitalize all sentences after a colon to be consistent throughout their writing."02font02br
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00The people who wrote on the link you provided may have excellent grammar and linguistic qualifications, or they may not. I don't know, as is often the case with things you find on the Internet. 00Anyway, I don't agree with what they have written here. Here are a couple of their examples.02br
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01i00Example: My job as a facilitator requires me to be proficient in three areas: reading, writing, and talking.02i00 00Starting a sentence with the word 'Example' like this is not good prose. For example, you should never write this way in an essay. Instead, say 01i00'For example,. . .'02i02br
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01i00What I want to convey in this workshop is simple: Writing is about making choices.02i00 Here, I simply disagree with the capitalization of 'writing'.02br
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00To me, the flaw in the above rule is that it is written on the assumption that colons separate sentences. They don't. What precedes and follows a colon in prose is all part of the same sentence. 02br
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00Best wishes, Clive0-

Colons

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