Capitalization of First Word Inside Quotation Marks
The Quotation Mark
Rulebase Summary
Capitalize the first word inside quotation marks if it begins a grammatically complete sentence or stands for a complete thought. Do not capitalize the first word if it begins a fragment that does not represent a complete thought — the fragment is part of the surrounding sentence.
Examples
A. She looked at me and said, "go ahead and file it."
A. She looked at me and said, "Go ahead and file it."
Complete sentence inside quotes — capitalize the first word.
Q. You described the vehicle as "Badly damaged"?
Q. You described the vehicle as "badly damaged"?
Fragment inside quotes — no capital; it is part of the sentence.
Transcript Notes
In transcript work, attorneys often quote partial phrases from prior testimony. If the quoted portion is a fragment woven into the attorney's sentence, keep it lowercase.
Style Guide References (2)
BGGP
BGGP