Comments on: Capital Ideas

By: Tami

Tami — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 16:08:14 +0000

It is a specific song (or Song), if that helps. Prayersong is the same melody when sung by anyone, just as Truthsong is. (and when it is NOT the same is one of the plot twists, so we'll just whisk past that particular detail, eh?) .-= Tami´s latest blog post is Sounds Gross, Is Awesome – Kefir =-.

By: Kestrel

Kestrel — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 16:05:07 +0000

Absolutely, and I’m glad you brought it up! I do need to remember who I’m writing for, and why. “Generally speaking” doesn’t always cut it when I really mean, “Generally speaking, in speculative fiction…” for example.

However: Think of hymns. The word “hymn” isn’t capitalized, but the names of hymns (“Ave Maria,” “Faith of our Fathers,” etc.) are. So while “song” may not warrant a capital in every case in Song of Binding, “Prayersong” may well do so–unless, say, it’s a type of Song. But again, these are the things that authors and editors fight over.

By: Kestrel

Kestrel — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 16:00:17 +0000

That’s a great point, Tami, and I was thinking along those lines when I replied. Wish I’d been as eloquent about it as you were. I have an excuse though: It was after midnight, and I’d just finished a one-hour (at least) Heroic Oculus run. ugh.

By: Kestrel

Kestrel — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 15:58:55 +0000

Yeah, but it really screws up some native English speakers when they learn German: They then go back to English and start applying the German rule! *grin*

By: Tami

Tami — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 13:48:22 +0000

In addition to Kestrel’s reply, I think it’s worth noting that your capitalization use makes your blog posts MORE readable, because they convey personality, meaning, and fervor.

Not everyone is as adept in their capitalization use. Some folks should have their capslock key removed from their keyboard and hidden. XD
.-= Tami´s latest blog post is Writing Tip of the Week: Headphones =-.

By: Tami

Tami — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 13:46:19 +0000

Thhhhhbbbbt. If I didn’t know you love it, I wouldn’t ask. <3

Thanks! That follows with what we were assuming (including leaving wiggle room for an editor to go "no…no, I don't think Prayersong should be capitalized. Fix it everywhere."

By: Trizophenie

Trizophenie — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 10:11:00 +0000

Reading this post of yours, Kes, makes me somehow glad that over here in Germany, we just capitalize almost everything (basically your rules, but add all nouns to them) which makes it much easier to not miss capital letters.

By: Kestrel

Kestrel — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 07:20:33 +0000

El, those are good points; I knew I’d miss some things. Consider Math 101 as a title, and apply the rules accordingly. And yes, geographical distinctions are common, and can also be confusing. For example, we talk about the southern United States, but the South of France is a common usage.

I’d never heard of that usage for post-colon punctuation. It’s certainly an interesting variation. I’ll check and see what other sources I can find on this topic as well.

I should have mentioned that I am generally approaching these articles as an editor of fiction, rather than business or other formal (textbook) writing. So you won’t see me cite the AP Stylebook, or the Chicago Manual of Style (which is from the University of Chicago, not the Chicago Tribune, for the curious).

Oh…and I didn’t see any glaring grammatical errors in your comment. As we shall see as we go on, most of the rules are rather flexible, and if I don’t cover some of that flexibility myself, I’ll certainly link to some of those discussions.

By: Kestrel

Kestrel — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 07:14:27 +0000

But TJ, in your blog, on Twitter, and in other IM clients, caps are not only acceptable, but in most cases easier. However, when writing for (paid) publication, editors generally prefer italics. Obviously, there are exceptions, and some authors use both, to convey degrees of emphasis: shouting, for example, which usually is better transmitted through caps than italics.

Oh, and I’ve heard and seen you speak, TJ: I know you speak in ALL CAPS.

By: Elenaltarien

Elenaltarien — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 05:49:31 +0000

Some additional ones that I didn’t see mentioned.
*names of specific courses (such as Math 101)
*direction when used to refer to a specific geographical region. Example: “the South” to refer to the Southern USA, but not “I live on the south side of the city”

Additionally, my source book says that if one sentence follows the colon, then no capitals should be used. If two or more sentences follow a colon, then you should capitalize the first letter after the colon.

Source: The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation by Jane Strauss (10th edition)

This is a very helpful article. I found out some things that are not covered in my resources. As you continue your series on grammar, I hope you will address the different between i.e. and e.g. Far too often I see those used improperly. I was glad to see i.e. put to correct use in your article!

And no, I didn’t edit this comment for correct grammar. I probably have mistakes all over the place. :p
.-= Elenaltarien´s latest blog post is Addons: Power Auras =-.