Which words in the following title ought to be capitalized? This is how I was intending to capitalize it: To not only Look Inside Oneself but also Reach out to Others. I already knew that one is supposed to capitalize the first word, the last word, and all other "important" words. However, what qualifies a word as being "important enough" to be capitalized?
Only the first word and any proper nouns in a sentence should be capitalized.
In your sentence, only the T on the first word needs to be capitalized.
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/capitals.htm
If that's a title, it's very long.
That's a title?
Yes, I agree with Ms. Sue -- it's awfully long. =(
thank you
In standard title capitalization, you are correct that the first word, the last word, and all other "important" words should be capitalized. However, it might not always be clear which words should be considered as "important" in a title.
A common rule of thumb is to capitalize all nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. Prepositions, conjunctions, and articles (unless they are the first or last word) are usually not capitalized.
Based on this rule, the title "To not only Look Inside Oneself but also Reach out to Others" would generally be capitalized as follows:
To Not Only Look Inside Oneself but Also Reach Out to Others
Here's a breakdown of the capitalization:
- To (capitalized as it is the first word)
- Not (considered important as it is an adverb)
- Only (considered important as it is an adverb)
- Look (considered important as it is a verb)
- Inside (considered important as it is an adjective)
- Oneself (considered important as it is a pronoun)
- But (not capitalized as it is a conjunction)
- Also (considered important as it is an adverb)
- Reach (considered important as it is a verb)
- Out (considered important as it is an adverb)
- to (not capitalized as it is a preposition)
- Others (considered important as it is a pronoun)
Keep in mind that different style guides and organizations may have specific rules for title capitalization, so it's always a good idea to consult any relevant guidelines.