Rules for Capitalization in Titles

Rules for Capitalization in Titles Rules for Capitalization in Titles Rules for Capitalization in Titles By Carla Lowe I used to think there were only two ways to use capitalization in a title: (1) Capitalize only the first word in the title (except for proper nouns), which I learned working for a local newspaper; and (2) Capitalize the principal and longer words and lowercase the minor, shorter words, which I learned was wrong. I also came to learn that the rules for capitalization in titles- like the rules for other areas of English grammar- are not set in stone; style guides and grammarians disagree on which words to capitalize in a title. In fact, there are really only two rules that are consistent across the board: Capitalize the first word of the title Capitalize all proper nouns Sentence case, or down style, is one method, preferred by many print and online publications and recommended by the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. The only two rules are the two rules mentioned above: Capitalize the first word and all proper nouns. Everything else is in lowercase. For example: Why it’s never too late to learn grammar (all words lowercased except â€Å"Why†- first word in title) Another method is to capitalize all words in a title. This one is considered simple because there’s no struggle trying to remember which words to capitalize and which ones to lowercase; they’re all capitalized. However, one could argue it’s the lazy man’s method or that it’s not very aesthetic. For example: Why It’s Never Too Late To Learn Grammar (all words capitalized) Title case, or up style, is another method. Whether or not you capitalize a word in a title depends on its part of speech. According to most style guides that use title case, the basic rules are as follows: Capitalize the first and last word in a title, regardless of part of speech Capitalize all nouns (baby, country, picture), pronouns (you, she, it), verbs (walk, think, dream), adjectives (sweet, large, perfect), adverbs (immediately, quietly), and subordinating conjunctions (as, because, although) Lowercase â€Å"to† as part of an infinitive Lowercase all articles (a, the), prepositions (to, at, in, with), and coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or) For example: Why It’s Never Too Late to Learn Grammar (all words capitalized except â€Å"to,† a preposition) That last rule for title case is upheld by some style guides, but not all. The Chicago Manual of Style follows that rule (except in cases in which an article, preposition, or coordinating conjunction is the first or last word in a title). However, The Associated Press would have you capitalize prepositions and conjunctions if they are four or more letters long. For others, the magic number is five rather than four. So, according to some guides, you have to worry not only about the part of speech, but also about the length of the words. There is another common- but incorrect- â€Å"method† of using capitalization in titles. I used to follow it myself (see my first paragraph). Many writers mistakenly believe that in a title, you should capitalize the principal and longer words and lowercase the minor, shorter words. For example, writers often lowercase all two- or three-letter words in a title because they’re short, and many articles, prepositions, and conjunctions- most of which should be lowercased- are short, as well. However, short words can be nouns, pronouns, and verbs, etc., which should be capitalized. Part of speech is more important than length when it comes to determining capitalization in titles. For example: Why it’s Never too Late to Learn Grammar (wrong) â€Å"It’s† is a contraction of â€Å"it,† a pronoun, and â€Å"is,† a verb, both of which should be capitalized; â€Å"too† is an adverb, which should also be capitalized. Regardless of which convention you’d prefer to follow (except for the last example), you need to be consistent. Pick one (or follow the style guide of your employer, school, or clients) and stick with it. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Math or Maths?Probable vs. PossibleNominalized Verbs

Facts and Figures on Christians of the Middle East

Facts and Figures on Christians of the Middle East The Christian presence in the Middle East dates back, of course, to Jesus Christ during the Roman Empire. That 2,000-year presence has gone uninterrupted since, especially in the countries of the Levant: Lebanon, Palestine/Israel, Syria- and Egypt. But its been far from a unified presence. The Eastern and Western Church dont quite see eye to eyehavent for about 1,500 years. Lebanons Maronites split off from the Vatican centuries ago, then agreed to return to the fold, preserving to themselves rites, ​dogmas, and customs of their choice (dont tell a Maronite priest he cant marry!) Much of the region either forcibly or voluntarily converted to Islam in the 7th and 8th centuries. In the Middle Ages, the European Crusades attempted, brutally, repeatedly but ultimately unsuccessfully, to restore Christian hegemony over the region. Since then, only Lebanon has maintained a Christian population approaching anything like a plurality, although Egypt maintains the single-largest Christian population in the Middle East. Here’s a country-by-country breakdown of Christian denominations and populations in the Middle East: Lebanon Lebanon last conducted an official census in 1932, during the French Mandate. So all figures, including total population, are estimates based on various media, government and non-government organizations’ numbers. Total population, including non-Christians: 4 millionPercent Christian: 34-41%Maronite: 700,000Greek-Orthodox: 200,000Melkite: 150,000 Syria Like Lebanon, Syria has not conducted a reliable census since French Mandate times. Its Christian traditions date back to the time when Antioch, in present-day Turkey, was early Christianity’s center. Total population, including non-Christians: 18.1 millionPercent Christian: 5-9%Greek-Orthodox: 400,000Melkite: 120,000Armenian-Orthodox: 100,000Small numbers of Maronites and Protestants. Occupied Palestine/Gaza the West Bank According to the Catholic News Agency, â€Å"In the last 40 years, the Christian population in the West Bank has slumped from about 20 percent of the total to less than two percent today.† Most Christians then and now are Palestinians. The drop is a result of the combined effect of Israeli occupation and repression and a rise in Islamic militancy among Palestinians. Total population, including non-Christians: 4 millionGreek Orthodox: 35,000Melkite: 30,000Latin (Catholic): 25,000Some Copts and a small number of Protestants. Israel Israel’s Christians are a mixture of native-born Arabs and immigrants, including some Christian Zionists. The Israeli government claims 144,000 Israelis are Christians, including 117,000 Palestinian Arabs and several thousand Ethiopian and Russian Christians who migrated to Israel, with Ethiopian and Russian Jews, during the 1990s. The World Christian Database puts the figure at 194,000. Total population, including non-Christians: 6.8 millionGreek Orthodox: 115,000Latin (Catholic): 20,000Armenian Orthodox: 4,000Anglicans: 3,000Syrian Orthodox: 2,000 Egypt About 9% of Egypt’s population of 83 million are Christians, and most of them are Copts- descendants of Ancient Egyptians, adherents to the early Christian Church, and, since the 6th century, dissidents from Rome. For more details about Egypt’s Copts, read â€Å"Who Are Egypts Copts and Coptic Christians?† Total population, including non-Christians: 83 millionCopts: 7.5 millionGreek Orthodox: 350,000Coptic Catholic: 200,000Protestant: 200,000Small numbers of Armenian Orthodox, Melkites, Maronites and Syrian Catholics. Iraq Christians have been in Iraq since the 2nd century- mostly Chaldeans, whose Catholicism remains deeply influenced by ancient, eastern rites, and Assyrians, who are not Catholic. The war in Iraq since 2003 has ravaged all communities, Christians included. A rise in Islamism diminished Christians’ security, but attacks on Christians appear to be receding. Nevertheless, the irony, for Iraqs Christians, is that on balance they were far better off under Saddam Hussein than since his downfall. As Andrew Lee Butters writes in Time, About 5 or 6 percent of Iraqs population in the 1970s were Christian, and some of Saddam Husseins most prominent officials, including Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz were Christians. But since the American invasion of Iraq, Christians have fled in droves, and constitute less than one percent of the population. Total population, including non-Christians: 27 millionChaldean: 350,000 – 500,000Armenian Orthodox: 32,000 – 50,000Assyrian: 30,000Several thousand Greek Orthodox, Greek Catholic, and Protestant. Jordan As elsewhere in the Middle East, the number of Jordan’s Christians has been declining. Jordan’s attitude toward Christians had been relatively tolerant. That changed in 2008 with the expulsion of 30 Christian religious workers and an increase in religious persecutions overall. Total population, including non-Christians: 5.5 millionGreek Orthodox: 100,000Latin: 30,000Melkite: 10,000Protestant Evangelical: 12,000