Ever stumbled upon the question of whether ‘our’ gets a capital letter when it pops up in a title? It’s a little puzzle that can trip up even the most eagle-eyed writers. The choice boils down to understanding the rules that seem like a secret code. There’s a method to this madness, tied closely to different style guides—like Chicago, MLA, APA, and AP—which have their own take on title capitalization. Get ready to unlock this mystery together, but keep in mind, knowing when to use that Shift key can be the small detail that polishes your title from ordinary to professional.
When writing a title, the word ‘our’ is usually capitalized. This is in line with both Chicago and MLA styles which suggest capitalizing the first and last words of the title, as well as all major words in between. The APA and AP styles follow similar rules.
Wondering about whether to capitalize the word ‘our’ in a title? In title case, certain rules make it easy to decide. If ‘our’ is used as a possessive pronoun or part of the title’s core idea, you should capitalize it. However, in most style guides, smaller words, like conjunctions, articles, and short prepositions, are not typically capitalized unless they start the title. With ‘our’ though, the rules can differ slightly based on the style guide you follow.
Chicago Manual of Style (CMS)
In CMS, ‘our’ is meant to be capitalized regardless of its position in the title. Since ‘our’ is a three-letter word and CMS suggests capitalizing words with four or more letters, ‘our’ is kind of an exception. Examples include, “Our House” or “Dreams of Our Fathers.”
Modern Language Association (MLA)
MLA style follows similar rules as CMS, capitalizing ‘our’ in titles. In MLA’s guide, all major words in titles, including both nouns and pronouns, are capitalized. So, titles would be written as, “Our Journey Begins” or “Changing Our Fate.”
American Psychological Association (APA)
APA style is a bit different. Only capitalize the first word of the title, proper nouns, and the first word after a colon or dash. ‘Our’ is capitalized if it’s the first word, but not when it’s in the middle. For example, “Our understanding of the Universe” versus “The limits of our understanding.”
Associated Press (AP)
The AP style is similar to APA, where simplicity is key. Only the first word and proper nouns are typically capitalized, so ‘our’ would not be capitalized unless it’s the first word in the title. An example is “Our best practices in journalism.”
Remember to stay consistent with the style guide you are using for your title. Each guide has its rules, but no matter which one you choose, paying attention to details like the capitalization of ‘our’ can make your writing more professional.
Conclusion
In conclusion, whether ‘our’ gets a capital letter in a title depends on the style guide you’re following. Most of the time, style guides like APA, MLA, and Chicago suggest capitalizing words that are longer than three letters. Since ‘our’ has only three characters, it generally stays lowercase. However, the AP Stylebook is different. It says to capitalize all words in a title that are four letters or more, so ‘our’ would not get a capital letter. Remember, to make your titles look their best, always check the specific rules of the style guide you are using. Your attention to these details will make your writing shine. Thank you for reading, and excel in your title capitalization efforts!
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