Does one capitalize the first letter following a colon?

hmm. Interesting Q. I personally don’t capitalize it. But this grammar source says: “There is some disagreement among writing reference manuals about when you should capitalize an independent clause following a colon. Most of the manuals advise that when you have more than one sentence in your explanation or when your sentence(s) is a formal quotation, a capital is a good idea.” If you see the link I provided, it goes into further detail.

Hopefully one of the English/Grammar experts will reply with more information.

This one does not.

But my blackberry tries to make me. And I always fight it.

I capitalize as a matter of preference, depending on how the rest of the sentence/paragraph is structured.

If it is a list format, I would definitely capitalize.

If it is part of a sentence, perhaps not, but probably still would capitalize.

If it is a complete sentence that is appearing after the colon, I’d capitalize as well.

Capitalization Following a Colon: When Is it Appropriate?

In titles, but not in text. That’s what I always say.

I have never been taught that this is a rule that should be followed. A : colon is usually a designator that a list of items is about the follow. Usually the list is separated by commas.

Additionally a semi colon ; is usually used to seperate 2 slightly different thoughts in the same sentence without ending the sentence. The 2 thoughts would encompass a similar theme. But even in the case of a semi colon, the word following is not capitalized unless it is a proper noun.

I vote no on technical assumptions.
A colon isn’t the final punctuation mark that ends a sentence and, as watchman220, often precedes a list. List items aren’t typically standalone sentences.

So I don’t capitalize unless the item following the colon requires capitalization on its own merits (proper name….)

@Ezra; your English department surely has a Eng. Comp handbook with all the nit-picky stuff spelled out? I still have the ones from my college days and those from my kids’ schools.

Turn off the computer, look out the window once at the last vestige of foliage and start writing. Gail

From this excellent site:

One of the most frequently asked questions about colons is whether we should begin an independent clause that comes after a colon with a capital letter. If the independent clause coming after the colon is a formal quote, begin that quoted language with a capital letter.

Whitehead had this to say about writing style: “Style is the ultimate morality of mind.”
If the explanatory statement coming after a colon consists of more than one sentence, begin the independent clause immediately after the colon with a capital letter:

There were two reasons for a drop in attendance at NBA games this season: First, there was no superstar to take the place of Michael Jordan. Second, fans were disillusioned about the misbehavior of several prominent players.
If the introductory phrase preceding the colon is very brief and the clause following the colon represents the real business of the sentence, begin the clause after the colon with a capital letter:

Remember: Many of the prominent families of this New England state were slaveholders prior to 1850.
If the function of the introductory clause is simply to introduce, and the function of the second clause (following the colon) is to express a rule, begin that second clause with a capital:

Let us not forget this point: Appositive phrases have an entirely different function than participial phrases and must not be regarded as dangling modifiers.

There is some disagreement among writing reference manuals about when you should capitalize an independent clause following a colon. Most of the manuals advise that when you have more than one sentence in your explanation or when your sentence(s) is a formal quotation, a capital is a good idea. The NYPL Writer’s Guide urges consistency within a document; the Chicago Manual of Style says you may begin an independent clause with a lowercase letter unless it’s one of those two things (a quotation or more than one sentence). The APA Publication Manual is the most extreme: it advises us to always capitalize an independent clause following a colon. The advice given above is consistent with the Gregg Reference Manual.

I say, when in doubt, go with the Chi Manual of Style.

Thanks, Knot. Now I have to find out what an appositive phrase is, being a compulsive stylistic junky. (Notice that that is, I believe, a dangling participle.)

tsk tsk Knot. I already linked to the same site (and quote) in my answer :P

i wouldnt do it.

Oops, sorry, P. Two demerits and a resounding “boo” for me.

No, except in special cases. Simply introducing an independent clause is not enough reason: when the independent clause amplifies what precedes, it is properly introduced by a colon. There is no need or reason for a capital letter in the middle of this or any other kind of normal English sentence. This use of the colon is rarely seen or handled well in contemporary prose, but it is still an elegant construction when done right and not overdone.

However, there is currently a very annoying fad in publishing that insists on init. capping anything that can be construed as an independent clause following a colon, no matter what its relation to the foregoing text. For some reason, it must have suddenly seemed remiss to a lot of people to omit the caps, just as people conceived the notion that it was necessary to leave that little piece of blotting tissue in wedding invitations (placed there when the ink was wet), and now they are ubiquitous. I will be glad when the fad passes.

The special case is a situation in which the independent clause is not only grammatically but contextually an independent sentence; for example:

Every contestant will be expected to answer this question: What will you do to make the world a better place?