Top Pages
Home
A-Z Glossary
Punctuation
A-Z Confused Words
Common Mistakes
(ordered by seriousness) Top Tip
Get a grammar checker
for your browser ESL Vocabulary Lists Parts of Speech Lists Tests and Games Awkward Plurals Sayings and Proverbs Twitter YouTube
(ordered by seriousness) Top Tip
Get a grammar checker
for your browser ESL Vocabulary Lists Parts of Speech Lists Tests and Games Awkward Plurals Sayings and Proverbs Twitter YouTube
Capital Letter after a Colon (with Examples)
This Page Includes...
Capital Letter after a Colon
A colon (:) is like an equals sign (=) in Mathematics. The information on the left of the colon equals the information on the right. For example:- My philosophy: Try twice and then find a different way.
- I demand one thing: loyalty.
Notice that the first example has a capital letter after the colon, but the second one doesn't. They are both correct.
Using a Capital Letter after a Colon
This infographic summarizes when to use a capital letter after a colon:
Printable and Sendable Test
When Do You Use a Capital Letter?
There are four justifications for using a capital letter after a colon:(1) You can use a capital letter if the text on the right is full sentence.
- Her blood was found in two rooms: Small drops were detected in the kitchen and the hall.
- Her blood was found in two rooms: small drops were detected in the kitchen and the hall.
- His blood was found in two rooms: A small pool was found in the kitchen. There was also a single drop detected in the hall.
- My philosophy: Try twice and then find a different way.
- As Nelson Mandela said: "It always seems impossible until it's done."
Here's the text:
A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing.
(Note that it starts with a capital letter.)
Here is the same text written as quotation:
- He said: "A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing." (Comedian Emo Philips)
If your quotation does not follow a colon and is used mid-sentence, do not use a capital letter:
- After his computer beat him at chess, Comedian Emo Philips boasted, "it was no match for me at kick boxing."
The Key Point
When the introduction on the left of the colon is short and the text is on the right of the colon is obviously the main point, you can start the text on the right with a capital letter. For example:- This is our mission statement: To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world.
- This is our mission statement: to bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world.
When Do You Use a Lowercase Letter?
Use a lowercase letter if you can't justify a capital letter with one of the four reasons above.- Her blood was found in two rooms: the kitchen and the hall.
- Her blood was found in two rooms: small drops were detected in the kitchen and the hall.
Help Us To Improve Grammar Monster
- Do you disagree with something on this page?
- Did you spot a typo?
Next lesson >