Does the first word in quotations need to be capitalized

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Table of Contents Show

Important notice
Parenthetical sentences
Direct questions
First word after a colon
First word after a question mark or exclamation point
Truisms and mottoes
Is It Correct to Capitalize the First Word in a Quote?
Are Quotes in the Middle of a Sentence Capitalized?
Do You Capitalize After a Comma in a Quote?
Capitalize After a Question Mark in Quotations?
How to Change a Case in a Quote
Other Rules for Direct Quotations
Learn How to Capitalize Quotations

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Follow the guidelines below in deciding when to capitalize the initial word in a word group.

Sentences

Capitalize the first word of a sentence or sentence equivalent:

There are no other constraints.
Come.
What a pity!
Why?
Exit
All rights reserved

Quotations

Capitalize the first word of a direct quotation that is itself a complete sentence:

The candidates said, "We are in favour of a free vote on the death penalty."

Do not use the upper case if the quotation is merely a sentence fragment or is worked into the structure of the sentence:

The candidates said that they were "in favour of a free vote on the death penalty."

In quotations where historical, legal, documentary or scientific accuracy is crucial, reproduce upper case letters as faithfully as possible.

Parenthetical sentences

Capitalize the first word of a complete sentence enclosed in parentheses when it stands alone, but not when it is enclosed within another sentence:

The speaker concluded by citing facts and figures to support her contention. (Details may be found on p. 37.)

but

The increasing scarcity of the species is attributable to overfishing (statistics will be found in the appendix), to acid rain and to other factors outlined in the report.

Direct questions

Capitalize the first word of a direct question within a sentence:

The question to be asked in every case is this: Does the writer express himself or herself clearly?

Consistently capitalize (or lower case) parallel sentence fragments used as questions:

Will farmers be taxed under this plan? Lumberjacks? Trappers?
Will farmers be taxed under this plan? lumberjacks? trappers?

Do not capitalize words that normally introduce questions (who, why, when, how) when they stand alone as verb complements:

He knew he had to meet the deadline. The question was how.

First word after a colon

Capitalize the first word after a colon if it begins a direct question (see above) or a formal statement, introduces a distinct idea, or is followed by more than one sentence:

There are several possibilities: For example, the Director General might resign.
The jury finds as follows: The defendant is guilty as charged on all counts.
Our position is clear: We will not permit new landfill sites in our region.
In conclusion, I answer the question asked at the outset: Revenues will be greater this year than in the past three years. However, they will not match expenditures.

First word after a question mark or exclamation point

The word following a question mark or exclamation mark may or may not be capitalized, depending on how closely the material it introduces is considered to be related to what precedes:

What a piece of work is man! how noble in reason! how infinite in faculty!
Progress where? or, even more fundamentally, progress for whom?
What factors contributed to the decline of Rome? Did the barbarian invasions play a significant part?

Truisms and mottoes

Capitalize the first words of truisms and mottoes run into text:

His watchword was Learn to write well, or not to write at all.
Her motto in life is Do unto others ... before they do unto you.

I, O, oh

The personal pronoun I and the vocative O are always capitalized in English; oh is capitalized only when it begins a sentence or stands alone.

Poetry

The first word of a line of poetry is traditionally capitalized, but some modern poets do not follow this practice. It is therefore best to check the original and respect the poet’s preference.

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We need quotation marks to quote other people, imply double meanings, and show titles. But is the beginning of a quote capitalized

In this guide, I’ll help you enhance your understanding of capitalization in quotes. Keep reading to learn how to use quotation marks in mid-sentences and how to change a case in quotes.

Is It Correct to Capitalize the First Word in a Quote?

Every complete sentence starts with a capital letter. But it can be more confusing when you need to apply capitalization rules in a quotation. Is the beginning of a quote capitalized?

Capitalization in quotes only occurs when you are quoting a complete sentence or starting with a proper noun

Example:

“We went to the hospital today,” Peter stated.

In this sentence, the quotation marks start at the beginning. “We” begins with a capital letter because the quotation is a complete sentence.

Here’s another example where the placement of punctuation is different.

Peter “went to the hospital,” but I saw him at John’s house.

“Went” starts with a lowercase letter because “went to the hospital” is an incomplete sentence or a partial quotation.

Are Quotes in the Middle of a Sentence Capitalized?

Seeing a capital letter mid-sentence might feel weird, but it’s possible.

A capitalization in mid-sentence is acceptable if the direct quotation is a complete sentence.

Example:

The golden rule of writing fiction is, “Show, don’t tell,” and it has been forever.

Here’s a different example:

When people started questioning the former President, Richard Nixon was firm in saying he was “not a crook” when people started accusing him.

The lack of capitalization in the quotation is because “not a crook” is a sentence fragment.

Do You Capitalize After a Comma in a Quote?

Yes. A verb of saying followed by a comma requires a capital letter for its following direct quotation. Some verbs of saying include:

Exclaims.
Says.
Announces.
Writes.
States.
Mentions.

Example:

Farmer Hoggett says, “That’ll do, pig. That’ll do.”

Capitalize After a Question Mark in Quotations?

No. It would be best if you didn’t capitalize after a question within quotation marks.

Example:

“Do you know where Mr. Gold is?” he asked.

How to Change a Case in a Quote

According to the APA style, “The first letter of the first word in a quotation may be changed to an uppercase or lowercase letter to fit the context of the sentence in which the quotation appears.”

Notice how the quotation above starts with a capital letter. Because the APA style says you can change the case, here’s an example of how to do so:

The APA style states we can change a word’s first letter to a capital or small letter “to fit the context of the sentence in which the quotation appears.”

Other Rules for Direct Quotations

The most general rule is to use double quotation marks for a single sentence of quotation.

Example:

Correct: “I wish you were here,” said Jess.
Incorrect: Jess said he “wishes you were here.”

The second example is incorrect since “wishes you were here” are not the exact words of Jess.

A block quotation after a verb and a colon requires the capitalization of the first letter of the first word.

Example:

Paolo Freire writes:

Implicit in the banking concept is the assumption of a dichotomy between human beings and the world: a person is merely in the world, not with the world or with others; the individual is spectator, not re-creator. In this view, the person is not a conscious being (corpo consciente); he or she is rather the possessor of a consciousness: an empty “mind” passively open to the reception of deposits of reality from the world outside. (historyisaweapon.com)

Quotations within quotations often lead to punctuation mistakes. Always use single quotation marks for the quotation within the quotation. Then, use double quotation marks to show the third level of quotation.

Example:

Sookie said, “Jackson told me: ‘It’s a one-day course at the “learning center.”’ Then, I gave him permission.”

Learn How to Capitalize Quotations

Now you know the answer to, is the beginning of a quote capitalized? Remember

Capitalize the first letter of the first word in quotations with complete sentences no matter their placement.
Use lowercase letters if the quotation only includes a sentence fragment.

Following these rules will help you communicate your messages more clearly.