I have a couple of questions about capitalization when referring to Bible verses/books. For example, if a character says he read the book of Colossians, verses 3-5, does the word "book" need to be capitalized? What about "verses?" Thanks in advance for any input you may be able to offer.
When citing the Bible
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I forgot to ask about chapters.
What if the character read "chapter one, verse three?"
Should you capitalize the word "chapter"?
What if the character read "chapter one, verse three?"
Should you capitalize the word "chapter"?
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"I've been reading from Colossians chapter one, verses three to five..."
or
"I've been reading from Colossians 1:3-5..." (This is the way I've usually seen it and I think it's easier on the eyes.)
or
"I've been reading from Colossians 1:3-5..." (This is the way I've usually seen it and I think it's easier on the eyes.)
Cap the name of the book, but not chapter or verse. And Pat's second syntax is more frequently used, but then we'll get into the discussion about can you speak numbers in dialogue! And if you can't speak numbers, can you speak colons? So I would use Pat's second form in narrative, her first in dialogue.
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