Titles such as president and secretary general can cause much confusion over whether or not to capitalize. However, The Chicago Manual of Style (CMS) contains explicit guidelines on the topic. For instance, consider the president of the United States. The following lists the correct usage of capitalization (or not):
-
The
president of the United States (unless used formally, such as in a citation or
an introduction)
-
President
Barack Obama
-
Barack
Obama, president of the United States
-
U.S.
president Barack Obama
Another variation might be “the president Obama,” although I doubt that particular phrase is ever used.
Now let’s look at
Captain Crunch (just for fun). If used as a substitute for Crunch’s name in a
direct address, “Captain” is capitalized, e.g. “Hand me the spoon, Captain.
We’re taking on milk.” But in general reference, he is simply “the captain.”
One aspect of the
online debate that generated some discussion was the question of parents, e.g.
when and if you should capitalize “mom” and “dad.” In the end, we agreed to
treat the terms as titles. By that standard, when “mom” or “dad” was used in
place of a person’s name in direct address, it should be capitalized. By
contrast, if a term was used in indirect reference, it should not be
capitalized.
-
“Hey, mom,
where did Sarah’s Dad go?” INCORRECT
-
“Hey, Mom,
where did Sarah’s dad go?” CORRECT
The CMS contains
several pages of examples that can answer most capitalization questions…and any
other usage and style questions you might have. The 16th Edition is
currently available from Amazon.com for less than $36 US. That just might be
the best $36 you spend this year.+of+Copy+of+BettyDobson.jpg)
5 comments:
Hi Betty,
Useful reminder post. You can also get a subscription to CMOS online which is really handy because you can save the pages and references you need most often for easy access. You can also search a database and ask direct questions.
Think you may still get a free month's trial too. Invaluable.
Non fiction writers are probably better with AP. Some rules are slightly different.
Great information. Thanks for the examples you've shared in the post.
Good post, Betty. While it might seem like a moot point, differences in approaches to capitalisation can cause all sorts of problems in editing, especially when compounded by international book releases. The editors of my latest novel are English for example, but many of my beta-readers were American, and picked up inconsistencies (some of them mine!) in the use of caps (her Mum being wrong for example - it should be her mum), and hyphens as well. The one thing that doesn't differ is the need for consistency through any book or piece of work, so knowing the rules, and knowing where there are alternatives, and then picking one rule and sticking to it helps.
Great post with helpful examples, Betty. I use the CMS and the APA when in doubt. If that doesn't work, I ask around! :)
Maggie, that's an excellent point to note - you must be consistent in your writing.
Karen Cioffi Writing and Marketing
Great info. Thanks
Post a Comment