Should you capitalize the primary letter after a colon?
Different citation styles (such as MLA, APA, Chicago, and AMA) have slightly different rules regarding whether to capitalize the primary letter after a colon. If it’s important that you simply follow one among these styles precisely, make certain to use the acceptable manual to seem up the rule.
`Here’s our suggestion: generally, the primary word following the colon should be lower-cased if the words after the colon form a subordinate clause (that is, if they might not stand on their own as an entire sentence). If the subsequent phrase may be a complete (independent) clause, you’ll prefer to capitalize it or not. Whichever approach you select, make certain to be consistent throughout your paper.
Example with a main clause, showing two different approaches to capitalization:
The commercials had one message: The geeks shall inherit the world. (correct)
The commercials had one message: the geeks shall inherit the world. (correct)
Example with a subordinate clause (which isn’t capitalized):
There are three perfect times to smile: when I’m with friends, when I’m alone, and when I’m with my dog. (correct)