English Vocabulary

Headline's Capitalization

Sunny19

User since 2008
Posts: 121

5 Jan. 2009

PUT A CORK IN IT. A BRITISH NEWSPAPER ARTICLE (= GG)

How this headline is corectly written? Like this?
Put a Cork in it. A Britisch Newspaper Article.

2 comments

AhQ ['a: kiu]
User since 2006
Posts: 2715
8 Jan. 2009

I'd say that when prepositions are long enough to show a wealth of six or so letters, they deserve to be capitalized with their first letter. EX. Beyond, Behind,..
It goes with prepositions like with people: The wealthier, the more impressive.

The Man Behind the Lens
The Peace Is Beyond the War
I'd say that when prepositions are long enough to show a wealth of six or so letters, they deserve to be capitalized with their first letter. EX. Beyond, Behind,.. It goes with prepositions like with people: The wealthier, the more impressive. The Man Behind the Lens The Peace Is Beyond the War
AhQ ['a: kiu]
User since 2006
Posts: 2715
6 Jan. 2009

I was very interested in the issue you put forward because I wondered a lot how to write beforehand.
Using upper and lower cases in headlines and titles is of course a question of habit, of usage. And usages vary from one country to another, and from one time to another.
Nevertheless every languages have their own rules about that issue.
Keeping pointing out the English or American usage of nowadays I would report hereafter some headlines taken from the American press.

A Young Mayor Pushes Reform.
(If it would be said this way, I guess the article wouldn't have got a capital letter: Reform Pushed by a Young Mayor.)

Why Obama Must Go to China.
Is the Party Over?
A Rocky Landing in Yemen.
Terrorism in Mumbai.
The Rise of Black Market Data.
End of the Line for Islamabad.
Too Big to Fail;
Name That Economy.
The Scourge of Somalia's Seas.
I Had to Learn to Fight.

I notice in all those headlines that only articles and prepositions are lowercased in their first letter. As articles or prepositions are starting the title, they also get an uppercase. Among U.S. publishers, it is a common typographic practice to capitalize additional words in titles, according to the display of the headline on the paper.

How to Fix the World
If displayed on two lines becomes:
How to Fix
The World

Getting India to Act Its Size
will become
Getting India
To Act Its Size.

NB Most of the example are taken from the American zine Newsweek.

So, I would write your sentence this way:
Put a Cork in It.
A Britisch Newspaper Article.

NB Only "It" changed in my proposal.
I was very interested in the issue you put forward because I wondered a lot how to write beforehand. Using upper and lower cases in headlines and titles is of course a question of habit, of usage. And usages vary from one country to another, and from one time to another. Nevertheless every languages have their own rules about that issue. Keeping pointing out the English or American usage of nowadays I would report hereafter some headlines taken from the American press. A Young Mayor Pushes Reform. (If it would be said this way, I guess the article wouldn't have got a capital letter: Reform Pushed by a Young Mayor.) Why Obama Must Go to China. Is the Party Over? A Rocky Landing in Yemen. Terrorism in Mumbai. The Rise of Black Market Data. End of the Line for Islamabad. Too Big to Fail; Name That Economy. The Scourge of Somalia's Seas. I Had to Learn to Fight. I notice in all those headlines that only articles and prepositions are lowercased in their first letter. As articles or prepositions are starting the title, they also get an uppercase. Among U.S. publishers, it is a common typographic practice to capitalize additional words in titles, according to the display of the headline on the paper. How to Fix the World If displayed on two lines becomes: How to Fix The World Getting India to Act Its Size will become Getting India To Act Its Size. NB Most of the example are taken from the American zine Newsweek. So, I would write your sentence this way: Put a Cork in It. A Britisch Newspaper Article. NB Only "It" changed in my proposal.

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