Bible & Christian Terminology

Titles, Subtitles, and Headings

Capitalize:   

  • all nouns and pronouns (my, her, his, they, these, those, we, our, etc.) 

  • all verbs, adjectives, and adverbs (including is, am, was) 

  • prepositions 4 or more letters (with, from, about, into, etc.)   

  • interjections (Phew!, Ah!, Wow!, etc.)  

  • infinitives (to do, to be, to prepare, to see, etc.)  

  • determiners 4 or more letters (every, each, even, this, that, those, etc.)  

  • subordinating conjunctions 4 or more letters (after, because, although, before, when, where, once, until) 

Do Not Capitalize:   

  • prepositions 3 or less letters (to, in, for, of, at etc.) 

  • conjunctions (and, or, but)  

  • articles (a, an, the)  

  • subordinating conjunctions 3 or less letters (if, as, so, for) 

  

Basic rule of thumb: Capitalize most words 4 letters or more, and do not capitalize words 3 letters or less (“to” is the exception, as it has multiple uses) 

TIP: If you are not sure whether to capitalize a word, type into to google search, "what part of speech is __" and type your word. Then use the guide above to decide whether it should be capitalized or not. 

https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/mechanics/parts_of_speech_overview.html 

 

Capitalizing "How To" 

We do capitalize “How To…” because “how” is an adverb and “to” is usually followed by a verb, making it an infinitive.  

Example: How To Partner With God in Prayer or How To Be Courageous.  

We would also capitalize “Hold On…” because “on” is being used as part of the verb phrase.  

Example: How To Hold On in Difficult Times.   

 

Capitalizing "By" 

"By" can be used as an adverb, noun, adjective, preposition, or interjection.  

https://wordtype.org/of/by 

 

Capitalize "by" when it's used as an adverb, but not when it's used as a preposition

(Renner style) 

Example:

  • A Decision by a Small Boy to Partner With God (preposition) 

  • As Time Went By, I Grew Stronger (adverb) 

  • Honor the Lord By Doing What Is Right (adverb) 

Note: A preposition is used with a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase and gives direction, time, place, spatial relation, or introduces an object.   

https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/grammar/prepositions