Is for Capitalized in a Title?
According to title case styles, prepositions and conjunctions are lowercased. The word for can take up the function of a preposition and a conjunction. Thus, the word for is lowercased in titles and headlines.
The following examples demonstrate the above;
Preposition
• Opened for the Festive Season
Conjunction
• Sam Drunk Some Water, for He Was Thirsty
However, there are exceptional cases as discussed in the following section;
First Word
The first word in a title is always capitalized.
- For Your Education Only
Last Word
It is probable for a title to end with the preposition for.
Example
- What Are You Prepared For?
In the above case, for is called a stranded preposition. Thus, its capitalization depends on the style guide you are using:
AP, Chicago, MLA, New York Times, and Wikipedia capitalizes the last word of a title.
- The Money We’ve All Been Working For
On the contrary, Bluebook, APA, and AMA don’t have such a rule, so the preposition for remains in lowercase even if it is the last word:
- Moments to Be Nostalgic for
Adverb
When for is used as an adverb, it is capitalized.
- Learned For in School
- Reimbursed For from Scholarship Funds
The unavailability of a noun or pronoun to act as the object of for is a clear indicator it is not a preposition but an adverb.
Preposition Replacing a Verb
If you are using the New York Times style, you should know that this style has a unique rule. If for is used instead of a verb with the meaning “supports” or “advocates,” then it must be capitalized:
• Minister For Sports and Wellness
Conclusion
When for is used as a preposition or conjunction, it is not capitalized. However, for is only capitalized when it is the first or last word in the title case or used as an adverb. Also, capitalize for when using as a verb with the meaning of support, in only New York Times Style.
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