Is up capitalized in a title? Take a look at some important information below, and make sure you follow title capitalizing rules of English grammar!
You spend most of your time writing in sentence case. Therefore, it can be a challenge to move to title case. There are a lot of rules to follow, and you may be flipping through your style guides, wondering what you should do. For example, is up capitalized in a title?
The answer is that it depends. Up is a short preposition. Therefore, it is usually not capitalized in title case; however, if you use up as an adjective or adverb, then it needs to be capitalized. There are several other situations where you need to capitalize “up” as well.
So, what do you need to know about these title capitalization rules? Learn more about capitalizing the word “up” and other words below!
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Title Capitalization Rules in the Stylebook
If you are trying to write correctly in title case, you’ve probably studied many style guides, trying to figure out the answer.
There are lots of examples including the New York Times, the Associated Press, the American Psychological Association, and even the Chicago Manual of Style. Regardless of whether you are following the MLA handbook, AP style, or APA style, title capitalization rules should be relatively straightforward. This includes rules for the word “up.” To get this correct, you need to understand the difference between major and minor words.
Want to learn more? Read our article about style guide templates. It’ll help you pick the right one.
We also explain how to write a style guide for a business.
The Rules: Major and Minor Words
The first step in figuring out which words you need to capitalize involves the parts of speech of the word you are dealing with. Some parts of speech are capitalized in title case while others are not.
Major words always need to be capitalized. Examples of major words include nouns, pronouns, proper nouns, adjectives, adverbs, adverbs. Furthermore, any word that has four letters or longer needs to be capitalized no matter where it falls in the title and regardless of its part of speech.
On the other hand, minor words should not be capitalized. Examples of minor words include articles, short prepositions, subordinating conjunctions, and coordinating conjunctions. Because “up” is a preposition, it should not be capitalized; however, there are some situations where “up” should be capitalized in a title.
Capitalize Up – Sometimes
Even though “up” is a preposition, it should be capitalized if you are using it as an adjective or an adverb. Here are two examples of “up” in title case:
- Capitalize “up” in this title: John Looked Up a Term
- Do not capitalize “up” in this title: Mary Sprinted down a Hill
You need to think about the manner in which you are using “up” to figure out if it needs to be capitalized.
In addition, there are several other situations where you should capitalize the word up. These include:
- You need to capitalize the first word of the title and the last word of the title, no matter how long or short the word it is.
- You should always capitalize both words in a hyphenated compound, such as in the term “Follow-Up.”
- You should capitalize the word if it follows end punctuation. This includes periods, questions marks, and exclamation marks.
Therefore, if you are using the word “up” in any of these situations, then you need to capitalize it accordingly.
Final Word on Is Up Capitalized in a Title?
Ultimately, there are a lot of capitalization rules. You may have a difficult time figuring out when you should use uppercase and lowercase letters. Ultimately, if you are wondering when you could capitalize the first letter of a word, think about the part of speech. If you are using “up” as an adjective or an adverb, then you need to capitalize it.
There are other rules regarding title capitalization as well. So, it may be helpful for you to use a title converter that can help you get title case right. The more often you see title case, the better you are going to get at it.
Need help with fixing capitalization issues in your sentences? A good grammar checker is ideal. It’ll help you find and fix odd capitalization issues fast.
To find out more, read our Grammarly review
FAQs About Is Up Capitalized in a Title?
What part of speech is the word “up?”
In general, up is a preposition. On the other hand, there are situations where this term can be used as an adjective or an adverb. You need to take a look at how the world is being used in the sentence to accurately identify its part of speech.
What parts of speech need to be capitalized in title case in headings and subheadings?
There are a lot of rules surrounding title case, but you should always capitalize words that are nouns, pronouns, proper nouns, adjectives, adverbs, and verbs. There are situations where you capitalize other words as well.
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