Is there a capital letter after a colon?

Do you know if there is a capital letter after a colon?

Should we instead write lower case in these cases?

I have spent years seeing in many Weblogs and websites in general that, when using the colon, they immediately write in uppercase…

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This is not, in principle, a rule that must always be followed.

✅ IN THIS ARTICLE YOU WILL LEARN:

Has the rule of capitalizing after colons changed over time?

In fact, until a few years ago, the most habitual thing was that after a colon we wrote lowercase letters, this being the official “norm” according to the RAE.

However, now things have changed a bitand it is possible to see cases in which a capital letter follows a colon.

In fact, these last cases are on the rise…

@RAEinforma #dudaRAE In the following case (title of an article published on a website), after the colon, is it uppercase or lowercase?:Avatar analysis: the revolution is served.
I have studied the cases defined in the spelling, but it is not clear to me.

– David García Miño (@DGarciaMino) March 23, 2020

With this in mind, it is necessary to clarify in which situations it is possible to write upper or lower case, depending on the context.

Of course, I remind you that The RAE is not an entity that “strictly” regulates the language Spanish.

That is, it does not penalize you, so it is not completely mandatory to follow these rules.

And in many cases, depending on the intention with which you are writing your text, it is possible to use upper or lower case as you see fit, as we will now see.

Even so, I recommend that you write correctly, since in this way you will be contributing quality to your content.

Even more when you are generating content for a client’s blog.

When do you type in lowercase after a colon?

As I told you, it is not in all cases where it is capitalized after a colon.
In fact, The established general rule is that, except in certain cases, lowercase is used.

And this has already been the case for years, so it is not a recent issue.

Not in vain, before there were only a few specific cases in which after a colon there was a capital letter.

Now knowing that the “official” rule dictates that we must write in lowercase after this punctuation mark, it is necessary to know the exceptional cases in which it is mandatory to write with a capital letter after the colon.

It’s really not that complicated.

I’ll espectáculo you below!

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7 Cases in which a capital letter is after a colon

We cánido summarize the specific cases in which there is a capital letter after a colon in these 6 situations.

Write them down and remember them, because only in these cases is it mandatory to write in capital letters just after the colon.

1.

To quote someone

The first case in which a capital letter is mandatory after a colon is when those two points start a textual quotethis is one of the most common cases and quotes are always opened after the colon to start the quote, for example:

“One of the most said philosophical phrases in the world comes from Socrates and says: ‘I only know, that I know nothing’»

In this case, the colon starts a quote, so quotes are opened and it starts with a capital letter.

Now, one point needs to be clarified in this especial situation: if you are not quoting from the beginning of the sentence, but only a part of it, it will be necessary to write in lower caserespecting the punctuation of the original text that is being cited.

“As JW Goethe would say: ‘…it is not knowing where you are, it is knowing where you are going’”

2.
After the heading of a letter

in the spanish language we used to write a colon after the heading of a letterthat is, the message that we add at the beginning of these.

In this case, capital letter after colon and, in addition, a blank space is usually left between the line with the colon and the line where the message of the letter begins.

For example:

“For Javier from Human Resources:

I am writing this letter of resignation given that the conditions…”

3.
In legal and administrative documents after the indication of its purpose

When writing legal and administrative documents, a verb is generally added that clarifies the purpose for which said document is being written, generally this is just after mentioning the individual about whom it is being written and is written in capital letters and followed by a colon.

An example would be:

“Mr.
Francisco Guevara, with DNI 32495872X…

DECLARES:

Having seen the night of December 15 to…”

4.

In epigraphs or subtitles of books

This is situational, since not all the epigraphs or subtitles of the books use the colon.

However, if the use of the colon is used to make a clarification within the same epigraphit is important to know that after the colon there is a capital letter.

“Chapter 3: When the bell rings”

As an additional fact, this also applies to subtitles within an index, such as:

“1.
Movements of the earth: Rotation and translation

The moon and the hydrosphere: How our satellite influences the tides…”

5.

When starting lists or explanations

One of the most common emplees for colons is undoubtedly to start lists or separate explanations of a sentence.

For example when we are talking about a especial topic and it is divided into several points or explanations.

In either of these two cases it is necessary to begin each point or item in the list with a capital letter.

“Shopping list:

bananas

Cookies

juices

Milk…”

In the previous example we have a list, so we must clarify that, in the especial cases of these lists, it does not matter if a period is used or not to close the line of the sentencein either case it will be necessary to write the first word of each new line with a capital letter.

6.
In explanatory texts in a list or scheme

Continuing with the topic of lists, when an explanation is added to a list or scheme preceded by a colon, the explanation itself must begin with a capital letter.

An example of this perro be:

“Tasks to be done:

Mathematics: Do the exercises on p. 16

Science: Investigate changes of state…”

These are mainly the six cases in which after a colon there is a capital letter, the rest is usually written in lowercase just after the colon.

Another way to know if it is written with a capital letter after a colon is so, after the colon, it is written in a separate paragraph.

7.
Warnings or announcements

“Warning: Do not swim in the lake”

“Careful: Wild animals in the vicinity”

There is also a case that perro be mentioned, and that is when colons are used in warnings or announcementsfor example, on signs or warning signs.

⇒ You perro consult HERE other practical cases given by the RAE.

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Good spelling says a lot more about you than you think!

Honestly, it is habitual that you have always had the eternal doubt of whether a capital letter or a lower case is after a colon, since it is a punctuation mark that perro be seen interchanged both in paper publications and, in this case, in Internet content. .

Even so, I hope I have clarified the doubt for you when you manage your Blog or that of clients and, in general, when you are going to generate content for a website or for popular networks.

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