Discover the quirks of capitalizing titles as you step into the world of perfecting your writing style. Whether you’re crafting the next bestselling novel’s title or polishing up an academic paper, understanding which words to capitalize might have you scratching your head. One common stumper is the word ‘do’—does it get a capital letter? Unlock the mystery and get your titles looking tip-top with insights into style guides like Chicago, MLA, APA, and AP. With these tips, you’ll not only clean up your titles but also sharpen your overall writing game, one capital letter at a time.
In title case, the word ‘do’ is capitalized according to various style guides including APA, MLA, and Chicago. As a rule, all verbs, including ‘do’, are capitalized in a title, per these conventions. However, AP style dictates that ‘do’ should only be capitalized if it starts a sentence or if it’s part of an acronym.
Capitalizing words in titles can be tricky, but there’s a simple rule to remember when wondering if ‘do’ gets a capital letter. In most title capitalization styles, such as Chicago, MLA, APA, and AP, short verbs, including ‘do’, are capitalized. This is because verbs, no matter how short, carry important action in a sentence and deserve emphasis.
Understanding Title Capitalization
In title capitalization, you generally capitalize nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and subordinate conjunctions. Articles, coordinating conjunctions, and prepositions remain lowercase unless they start or end the title. The word ‘do’, being a verb, typically meets the criteria for capitalization.
Examples Across Writing Styles
Let’s take a look at how ‘do’ is capitalized in different title styles:
- Chicago Style: “What Do You Know About Science?”
- MLA Style: “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?”
- APA Style: “How Do We Address Climate Change?”
- AP Style: “To Do or Not to Do: That Is the Question”
In each example, ‘do’ starts with a capital letter because it serves as an action word in the title.
Short Words Can Be Important Too
Remember, size doesn’t measure the importance in titles. Even though ‘do’ has only two characters, it plays a key role. Always give verbs the spotlight they deserve by capitalizing them in your titles.
Conclusion
Wrapping up the main point, whether you capitalize ‘do’ in a title depends on the style guide you’re following. In APA, MLA, and Chicago styles, ‘do’ is indeed lowercase because it’s a short conjunction, preposition, or an auxiliary verb, unless it’s the first or last word in the title. The AP style would have you capitalize it as it has three or more letters, which is their rule of thumb. Remember these guidelines when crafting your next headline to ensure your titles are not only eye-catching but also correctly styled. Thanks for digging into the nuts and bolts of title capitalization!
Want to learn about more specific capitalization rules for words?
