When you’re putting together a title, every word counts. You might wonder about small words like ‘during’ and whether they deserve a capital letter. The answer might not be as straightforward as you think because it all depends on the writing style you’re using. Some styles have specific rules that change how you might see a title. Dive into the details to discover how to make your titles shine and ensure every word is in its perfect place, whether it’s capitalized or not.
In your writing endeavors, you’ll find that the word ‘during’ is not typically capitalized. In most title case rules, including Chicago, MLA, APA, and AP styles, only the first word, last word, and major words are capitalized. Prepositions like ‘during’ aren’t considered major words, thus remain lowercased.
Wondering about capitalizing the word ‘during’ in titles? When styling titles, capitalization rules can be tricky. But fear not, the answer is simple!
Capitalization in Titles
Major style guides agree that prepositions with fewer than five letters should not be capitalized in a title, unless they start or end the title. Since ‘during’ is a preposition with six characters, you capitalize it in titles. This rule stands whether you’re following Chicago, MLA, APA, or AP styles.
Examples in Different Styles
Let’s take the title “Walking During The Sunrise”. According to Chicago and MLA, it would be “Walking During the Sunrise”. APA would style it as “Walking during the Sunrise”, because APA recommends capitalizing words with four or more letters. The AP style would be “Walking During the Sunrise” since AP capitalizes prepositions of four or more letters.
Remember, consistency is key. Stick with your chosen style guide throughout your work.
Conclusion
Know this, when you’re choosing whether to capitalize ‘during’ in a title, think about the style guide you’re following. In APA, MLA, and Chicago styles, you don’t capitalize small words like ‘during’ unless it’s the first word in the title. However, AP style says you should capitalize all words with four or more letters. So, with its six characters, ‘during’ would be capitalized in AP. Remember these simple rules, and you’ll nail title capitalization every time. Thank you for reading and keep on polishing those titles!
Want to learn about more specific capitalization rules for words?
