Capital letter after the colon?

Question

Capital letter after the colon?

Answer 1

Not unless otherwise called-for. Like a name. It is still the same sentence, afterall.

Answer 2

I usually use a capital after a colon.  I believe a colon is equivalent to a period.  After a semicolon, you use lower case letter, of course.

Answer 3

Yes, you should generally use a capital letter after a colon.

Edit: Okay, I'm wrong.

Answer 4

It depends on how the colon is used.

Be sure to bring the following on the trip: backpack, sleeping bag, flashlight, and snacks.

The following quote is the best from the American Revolutionaries:  "Give me liberty, or give me death."

So basically, if what follows the colon is just a list, then no; it what follows is a sentence/complete thought, then yes.

Answer 5

Not unless the colon is followed by a proper noun, no. I know what you mean though; I've seen others do it to start a list.

Answer 6

You "do not capitalize the first word after a colon if the material that follows cannot stand alone as a sentence" unless the word that follows is a proper noun. Example given - "Two courses are required: algebra and English."

There is an exception to the rule - "don't capitalize if the first word of an independent clause after a colon explains, illustrates or amplifies the thought expressed in the first part of the sentence." Example given - "Essential and nonessential elements require altogether different punctuation: the latter should be set off by commas; the former should not."



You do capitalize the first word of an independent clause "only if it requires special emphasis or is presented as a formal rule, as an illustration in the Gregg Ref. Man., tenth edition it gives this - "Let me say this: If the company is to recover from its present difficulties, we must immediately devise an entirely new marketing strategy"

Answer 7

No. Unless it's something that needs to be capitalized, like someone's name.

Answer 8

Nah, I don't use one in general.