Tomorrow, September 19th, the 18th edition of The Chicago Manual of Style will be released in print. On Monday, I shared some of its updated guidance. Today, I’ll break down a few more of its changes related to punctuation, capitalization, and numbers.
Punctuation
Commas Between Imperative Clauses
The Chicago Manual of Style will no longer require commas between imperative clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction unless the sentence needs a comma(s) for other reasons (such as a list of three or more clauses).
This has long been a contested topic, as the omitted subject “you” can arguably belong to both clauses, making them each independent, or the sentence can be read as having a single subject and a compound predicate.
Run-On Sentences
The 18th edition added guidance on run-on sentences and comma splices—namely, defining these sentence errors, clarifying how to correct them in formal writing, and stating that they may be allowed in conversational and creative writing when effective.
Pluralizing Capital Letters
An apostrophe is now used before “s” to form the plural of a single capital letter (as in A’s, B’s, and C’s). Previously, Chicago opted for no apostrophe.
Punctuating Lists
If a list consists of both complete sentences and fragments, each item should end in a period for consistency; however, revising the list to make each item either a complete sentence or a fragment is preferred when possible.
Capitalization
Complete Sentences Following a Colon
Now, CMOS states that the first letter of a complete sentence following a colon is capitalized. This is a departure from the previous guidance stating to only capitalize if two or more complete sentences followed. Still, if what follows the colon is not a complete sentence, it should be lowercase.
Formal Titles
Formal titles before a name are now capitalized even when they’re being modified by an adjective (e.g., “former President Clinton”).
Ethnic, National, and Regional Groups
The new edition clarified that the adjective “Indigenous” is capitalized when referring to people, as is “Black.” “White” may be capitalized if preferred by the author or publisher.
“Midwestern” and “Midwesterner” are also now capitalized, as are other regional terms.
Title Case and Sentence Case
“Headline style” is now referred to as “title case,” and “sentence style” is now “sentence case.”
Prepositions in Titles
Previously, CMOS advised to lowercase all prepositions in titles. Now, prepositions of five or more letters are capitalized in the title of a work (e.g., Talking About Detective Fiction).
Numbers
Beginning a Sentence
Previous editions of The Chicago Manual of Style stated that numerals should never begin a sentence and should either be expressed as words or the sentence should be reworded. Now, a year expressed as a numeral can begin a sentence.
Similarly, terms that consist of a combination of numerals and words, like 7-Up, can also now begin a sentence.
You can find the full list of updates, clarifications, and new additions here.
Remember, if you’re an author, you don’t need to worry too much about style guides. Your editor will handle all the little details.
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