More Writing Tips (Part 2 of 5)

Avoid the run-on, run-together, or fused sentence.

Although similar to the comma splice, these independent statements have no commas and thus they run together without any punctuation to indicate where the first ends and the second begins. Here's an example: The great white shark eats humans research shows that most sharks spit them back out. What is humans research? I'd insert a period or a semicolon after humans. Or add a conjunction: . . . eats humans, although research.

* Edgar Allan Poe is one of America's foremost poets he died in poverty. If you insert a comma and a conjunction, you've made the statement easily understood.

Careful writers avoid run-on or fused sentences 

by adding commas or conjunctions.

More Writing Tips (Part 1 of 5)

Get rid of the comma splice.

The term, comma splice, means that writers join (splice together) two complete thoughts that have no connection. Here is an example: Most of my classmates drink coffee, and caffeine keeps me awake. We know coffee contains caffeine, but there is no connection between the two statements.

* Windows are open to the warm morning air, the air conditioning units are off. To make good sense, you connect them to each other with more than a comma: Windows are open to the warm morning air, because the air conditioning units are off. Because joins the two thoughts.

* Most unindustrialized nations have high birth rates, most of their citizens are young. This would work if we wrote, Most unindustrialized nations have high birth rates and therefore, most of their citizens are young.

Careful writers avoid joining two unconnected thoughts 

with only a comma.

Capitalization Rules for Writers (Part 8 of 8)

(Kathy Ide wrote this eight-part series.)

Religious Terms

The Christian Writer’s Manual of Style has a comprehensive list of what religious terms should be capitalized. Here are a few examples:

* Bible and Scripture are capitalized, but biblical and scriptural are not. Similarly, capitalize the Almighty but not almighty God.

* Lowercase the apostles, the apostle Paul, Paul the apostle, and apostolic, but capitalize Paul’s title Apostle to the Gentiles and John’s the Beloved Apostle.

* Only capitalize the word Bible in phrases like “Bible study” and “vacation Bible school.”

* Noah’s ark and the ark of the covenant are lowercased.

* Lowercase baby in “the baby Jesus” and child in “the Christ child.”

* Lowercase body in “the body of Christ,” whether referring to the church or Jesus’ physical form.

Kathy Ide is a published author, ghostwriter, and freelance editor. She speaks at writers’ conferences, teaches online writing and editing courses, and mentors new writers. She’s the founder and coordinator of The Christian PEN: Proofreaders and Editors Network (www.TheChristianPEN.com) and the Christian Editor Network (www.ChristianEditor.com). Learn more at www.KathyIde.com.

Capitalization Rules for Writers (Part 7 of 8)

(Kathy Ide wrote this eight-part series.)

Small Caps

Earlier editions of the industry-standard guidelines suggested using small caps in certain instances, but the latest editions recommend not using them at all.

A.M. and P.M.

Instead of small-capped a.m. and p.m., use lowercase with periods (a.m. and p.m.).

B.C. and A.D.

Instead of small caps with periods (B.C. and A.D.), use full caps without periods (BC and AD).

NOTE: AD is placed before the date; BC after. Examples:

* 3000 BC

* AD 62

Abbreviations for Scripture Translations

Instead of using small caps for abbreviations of Scripture translations (KJV, NASB, etc.), use full caps (NIV, NKJV).

Kathy Ide is a published author, ghostwriter, and freelance editor. She speaks at writers’ conferences, teaches online writing and editing courses, and mentors new writers. She’s the founder and coordinator of The Christian PEN: Proofreaders and Editors Network (www.TheChristianPEN.com) and the Christian Editor Network (www.ChristianEditor.com). Learn more at www.KathyIde.com.

Capitalization Rules for Writers (Part 6 of 8)

(Kathy Ide wrote this eight-part series.)

Titles and Headings

Titles of books, chapters, songs, poems, etc. (as well as headings and subheadings) should follow these capitalization guidelines.

Capitalize:

* the first and last words of the title

* the first word following a colon or a dash

* all nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs
* subordinate conjunctions (when, if, as, so, that)

Lowercase:

* articles (a, an, the)

* prepositions (through, up, down, on, etc.)

* coordinate conjunctions (and, but, or, nor, for)

* the words to and as

Here are some examples:

* Four Theories concerning the Gospel according to Matthew

* Looking Up Directions, Writing Them Down, and Typing Them Out 

(Note: up, down, and out are used as adverbs here, not prepositions)

* Talking on Your Cell Phone in a Writers’ Conference Workshop

For hyphenated compounds in titles:

* Capitalize the first word in the compound phrase.

* Capitalize all other words except articles (a, an, the), prepositions (in, on, over, up, down, through), or coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or, nor, for). Example: Hard-and-Fast Rules for Writers

* If the first part of the word is a prefix that could not stand alone (anti, pre, etc.), lowercase the second part of the word (unless it is a proper name). Example: A Non-Christian’s Guide to Post-resurrection Philosophies

* Capitalize the second part of a spelled-out number or fraction. Examples: (1) Heather’s Twenty-First Chapter (2) A Two-Thirds Majority

Kathy Ide is a published author, ghostwriter, and freelance editor. She speaks at writers’ conferences, teaches online writing and editing courses, and mentors new writers. She’s the founder and coordinator of The Christian PEN: Proofreaders and Editors Network (www.TheChristianPEN.com) and the Christian Editor Network (www.ChristianEditor.com). Learn more at www.KathyIde.com.

Capitalization Rules for Writers (Part 5 of 8)

(Kathy Ide wrote this eight-part series.)

Regional Terms

Regional terms that are considered proper names should be capitalized. Adjectives and nouns are not. Here are some examples of capitalized terms:

* Central America

* the Continent (Europe)

* the East/North/South/West

* Eastern/Northern/Southern/Western Hemisphere

* Eastern culture

* Middle East(ern)

* the Midwest (US)

* North/South Pole

* the Orient

* an Oriental

* the Pole

* the Northwest/Southwest

* West Coast (US)

* Western world

Northern and Southern California are capitalized, but this does not extend to other US states.

Here are some examples of lowercased terms:

* central Europe

* eastern, easterner

* eastern seaboard (US)

* the equator

* northern Africa

* oriental culture

* polar regions

* the south of France

Topographical Names

Names of mountains, rivers, oceans, and islands are capitalized. When a generic term is used descriptively rather than as part of the name, or if it is used alone, it is lowercased. Examples:

* the California desert

* the Hudson River valley

* the Hawaiian Islands

* the island of Hawaii

* the Kansas prairie

* the valley of the Mississippi

Capitalize the generic term when it applies to two or more names preceding it. For example:

* “… the Illinois and the Chicago Rivers.”

Kathy Ide is a published author, ghostwriter, and freelance editor. She speaks at writers’ conferences, teaches online writing and editing courses, and mentors new writers. She’s the founder and coordinator of The Christian PEN: Proofreaders and Editors Network (www.TheChristianPEN.com) and the Christian Editor Network (www.ChristianEditor.com). Learn more at www.KathyIde.com.

Capitalization Rules for Writers (Part 4 of 8)

(Kathy Ide wrote this eight-part series.)

Pronouns for God

Today, most book publishers, even religious ones, prefer that pronouns referring to God or Jesus be lowercased. Several Bible versions lowercase pronouns for deity, including most of the newer translations. Therefore, capitalizing such pronouns can make a book seem old-fashioned and may give modern readers a sense that the book is irrelevant to their daily lives.

Some authors resist this trend, feeling that capitalization of deity pronouns shows respect for God. But in the English language, capitalization is mainly used to distinguish specific things from general things. We capitalize both God and Satan, Gandhi and Hitler, because they are all proper names, not because we respect them.

In general, capitalize pronouns for deity if:

* you want your book to have a deliberately old-fashioned tone,

* you quote extensively from a Bible version that capitalizes deity pronouns, or

* you’re writing for a publisher who currently uses the capitalized style.

If you have a strong preference that differs from the publisher’s, ask if they’ll allow it. Be prepared to decide whether this is going to be a deal-breaker for you. 

Whichever style you choose, make sure you are consistent throughout the manuscript.

NOTE: If you capitalize pronouns for deity, do not capitalize who, whom, or whose. But do capitalize You, Your, Yours, Me, My, and Mine.

Kathy Ide is a published author, ghostwriter, and freelance editor. She speaks at writers’ conferences, teaches online writing and editing courses, and mentors new writers. She’s the founder and coordinator of The Christian PEN: Proofreaders and Editors Network (www.TheChristianPEN.com) and the Christian Editor Network (www.ChristianEditor.com). Learn more at www.KathyIde.com.

Capitalization Rules for Writers (Part 3 of 8)

(Kathy Ide wrote this eight-part series.)

Academic Subjects, Courses, and Degrees

Academic subjects are lowercased unless they form part of a department name or an official course name. Examples:

* I majored in contemporary literature.

* I pursued graduate studies in philosophy of science.

Official names of courses are capitalized. Example:

* I registered for Basic Manuscript Editing.

Degrees listed on a résumé, business card, diploma, directory, etc. are capitalized. But in running text, names of degrees should be lowercased. Examples:

* a master’s degree

* a bachelor’s degree

* master of business administration

Kathy Ide is a published author, ghostwriter, and freelance editor. She speaks at writers’ conferences, teaches online writing and editing courses, and mentors new writers. She’s the founder and coordinator of The Christian PEN: Proofreaders and Editors Network (www.TheChristianPEN.com) and the Christian Editor Network (www.ChristianEditor.com). Learn more at www.KathyIde.com.

Capitalization Rules for Writers (Part 2 of 8)

(Kathy Ide wrote this eight-part series.)

Professional Titles

Civil, military, religious, academic, government, and professional titles are capitalized when they immediately precede a personal name and are thus part of the name. Titles are lowercased when following a name or used in place of a name. Examples:

* President Washington; the president General Patton; the general

* Cardinal Richelieu; the cardinal Professor Jones; the professor

* Governor Johnson; the governor John Kerry, senator from Massachusetts

In promotional or ceremonial contexts (such as a list of donors or corporate officers), titles are capitalized even when following a name. Example:

* Cristina Lopez, Manager of International Sales

A title used in place of a personal name is capitalized in such contexts as a toast or formal introduction, or when used in direct address. Examples:

* Ladies and Gentlemen, the Prime Minister.

* But Captain, that man’s a stowaway.

* Hello, Mr. President.

* What’s the prognosis, Doctor?

Terms of Respect

Honorific titles should be capitalized. But general terms of respect are not. Examples:

* His/Her/Your Majesty

* His/Her/Your Excellency

* His/Her/Your Honor

* my lord, my lady

* sir, ma’am

Kathy Ide is a published author, ghostwriter, and freelance editor. She speaks at writers’ conferences, teaches online writing and editing courses, and mentors new writers. She’s the founder and coordinator of The Christian PEN: Proofreaders and Editors Network (www.TheChristianPEN.com) and the Christian Editor Network (www.ChristianEditor.com). Learn more at www.KathyIde.com.