Verbs are capitalized in titles when they appear as the first or last word, or when they follow a modifier that isn't an article. This rule applies to most major style guides, including APA and Chicago.
Title capitalization rules vary by style guide, but most agree on key principles. Verbs are typically capitalized unless they're short and follow certain rules. For example, in the title "The Cat in the Hat," only "Cat" and "Hat" are capitalized because "the" is an article and "in" is a preposition.
The Chicago Manual of Style recommends capitalizing the first and last words of titles, along with all major words. Verbs count as major words, so they're usually capitalized. The APA style guide follows similar rules but specifies that verbs are capitalized unless they're short conjunctions or prepositions.
Title capitalization depends on the type of word. Here's a breakdown:
| Word Type | Capitalization Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
| First or last word | Always capitalize | The Quick Brown Fox |
| Verbs | Capitalize unless short | Jumping Over the Moon |
| Nouns, pronouns, adjectives | Always capitalize | Beautiful Sunrise |
| Articles (a, an, the) | Lowercase unless first/last word | The Little Engine That Could |
| Conjunctions (and, but, or) | Lowercase unless four+ letters | War and Peace |
| Prepositions (in, on, at) | Lowercase unless four+ letters | Life on Mars |
Title capitalization is important in academic writing, publishing, and digital content. It ensures consistency and professionalism. For instance, journal articles, book titles, and blog posts all follow these rules to maintain readability.
Most style guides agree on the basics, but specifics vary. The Chicago Manual of Style is often used in publishing, while APA is standard in social sciences. MLA, another common guide, also capitalizes verbs in titles.
Many people mistakenly lowercase verbs in titles, especially short ones. For example, "the cat in the hat" would be incorrect under most style guides. The correct version is "The Cat in the Hat."
Another mistake is capitalizing short prepositions or conjunctions. For example, "War And Peace" is incorrect-it should be "War and Peace."
Let's take the sentence "the dog ran fast" and turn it into a properly capitalized title. According to Chicago style, it becomes "The Dog Ran Fast." The first word ("The") and the verb ("Ran") are capitalized, while the short verb ("ran") is also capitalized because it's part of the title structure.
If we follow APA style, the title would still be "The Dog Ran Fast." Both styles agree on capitalizing verbs in titles, making this an easy fix.
I once had to format a research paper with multiple titles. Following Chicago style, I ensured all verbs were capitalized, even short ones like "is" or "are." This small detail made the paper look polished and professional.