When to Capitalize People’s Titles
When should you capitalize someone’s title? I get this question quite often so here are some guidelines:
Rule: Capitalize a person’s title when it follows the name on the address or signature line.
Examples:
Sincerely, Margaret Haines, Chairperson
Margaret Haines, Chairperson
1234 South Wallace St.
Portland, OR 97232
Rule: Capitalize the titles of high-ranking government officials when used with or before their names.
Do not capitalize the civil title if it is used instead of the name.
Examples:
The president will address Congress.
All senators are expected to attend.
The governors, lieutenant governors, and attorneys general called for a special task force.
Governor Connelly, Lieutenant Governor Martinez, and Senators James and Hennessy will attend the meeting.
Rule: Capitalize a title when used as a direct address even when the person is not named.
Examples:
Will you be holding a press conference, Madame President?
Please give us your opinion of this latest development, Senator.
We need your response quickly, Mr. President.
We need your response quickly, President Obama.
Will you help me with my homework, Dad?
Posted on Thursday, October 14th, 2010, at 10:35 am
119 Responses to “When to Capitalize People’s Titles”
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Pardon, but whenever referring to the President of the United States, one always uses a capital. When has this changed?
This blog follows the rules of The Chicago Manual of Style. According to Rule 8.1, “Proper nouns are usually capitalized, as are some of the terms derived from or associated with proper nouns. For the latter, Chicago’s preference is for sparing use of capitals–what is sometimes referred to as a “down” style. Although Brussels (the Belgian city) is capitalized, Chicago prefers brussels sprouts–which are not necessarily from Brussels (see 8.60). Likewise, President Obama is capitalized, but the president is not (see 8.18—32). (In certain nonacademic contexts–e.g., a press release–such terms as president may be capitalized.”)
Hello,
I am writing a business proposal and I need to refer to the title Personnel and Training Sergeant…”The personnel and Training Sergeant will oversee the project”.
Or is it the Personnel and Training sergeant will oversee the project”.
Can you please advise
Our blog Capitalization of Job Titles states, “When the appears in front of the job title, do not capitalize.” Therefore, write “The personnel and training sergeant will oversee the project.”
Hi Jane:
This is a perennial question around here: if you capitalize the names of departments, i.e., History Department, then how do you express the title of the department chair:
Joe Smith, chair of the History Department or
Joe Smith, chair of the history deparment
This becomes even more problematic when you’re dealing with titles like head of school vs head of School.
HELP!
As long as chair, chairman, chairwoman, chairperson, head of school, etc. are all considered job titles, simply follow the two rules:
Rule: Capitalize job titles immediately preceding the name when used as part of the name.
Rule: Capitalize job titles immediately following the name when the word the does not appear in front of the job title.
Therefore:
Joe Smith, Chair of the History Department, will be speaking to . . .
Joe Smith, the chair of the History Department, will be speaking to . . .
Mary Jones, Head of School, is asking all parents to . . .
Mary Jones, the head of school, is asking all parents to . . .
What about this? “The president of our country lives in the White House.”
There are two grammar rules which apply to your sentence. According to Rule 5 in the “Capitalization” section, “Capitalize the titles of high-ranking government officials when used before their names. Do not capitalize the civil title if it is used instead of the name.” Also, Rule 2 says, “Always capitalize a proper noun.” Since the word president is not used before a name, it is not capitalized. Because White House is a proper noun it should be capitalized. Therefore, “The president of our country lives in the White House.”
In a news release, is it John Smith, assistant FEMA admistrator for hurricanes- or – John Smith, Assistant FEMA Administartor for Huricanes
also
Joe Brown, U.S. Forest Service regional director – or – Joe Brown, U.S. Forest Service Regional Director
I would recommend following this rule from my blog “Capitalization of Job Titles.”
Capitalize job titles immediately following the name when the word the does not appear in front of the job title.
Therefore, John Smith, Assistant FEMA Administrator for Hurricanes and Joe Brown, U.S. Forest Service Regional Director would be correct.
Hi Jane,
Just so I’m clear, I would write: ” As vice president of operations, John Doe is responsible for..” rather than “As Vice President of Operations, John Doe, is responsible for..?”
Thanks.
Since the title is not part of the name, it does not need to be capitalized as long as John Doe does not insist it be capitalized (the “ego rule”).
(The ego rule) Yes, I’ve noticed that, too!Numerous ‘higher titles’ have corrected me when I use lowercase on titles as you have described above. I’ve given up to the ‘ego rule.’
That is a wise thing to do in the workplace!
My daughter’s fourth-grade teacher insists that some proper names, such as Grandma or Dad, are not capitalized. For example, “Last week, grandma took us out for dinner.” Grandma is not capitalized, according to the teacher. In this example, isn’t Grandma considered a proper name, since it refers to a specific person?
Yes, you are correct. When the word Grandma is used as a proper name it should be capitalized. “Last week Grandma took us out for dinner.” If you were to say, “Last week my grandma took us out for dinner,” then it would not be capitalized. The same goes for Dad, Mom, and Grandpa.
I have a question similar to Linda’s. Working in a law office, I get conflicting instruction on the capitalization of the word plaintiff. My belief is when the sentence is something like, “As you can see, the plaintiff has no evidence of…” it is lowercase. But in this sentence, “As you can see, Plaintiff has no evidence of…”, it is uppercase. Is that correct? Or is plaintiff always lowercase as some of my colleagues suggest?
Your understanding of the grammar rules is correct, however, it is my understanding that there are specific rules for legal documents. I suggest consulting The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation, published by the Harvard Law Review Association.
Should we capitalize Boards and not independent directors, as follows? Thanks
“The Boards and the independent directors hereby determine…”
The Chicago Manual of Style says, “The full names of administrative bodies are capitalized. Adjectives derived from them are usually lowercased, as are many of the generic names for such bodies when used alone.” Therefore, “The boards and the independent directors hereby determine…”
I have a question about place names:
Yosemite National Park and Glacier National Park – these are all capitalized…but is it:
Yosemite and Glacier National Parks or Yosemite and Glacier national parks?
Yosemite and Glacier National Parks
Hello,
I was wondering if this capitalization is correct:
“Mrs. Jane Doe is the Dean of Students.”
or is it:
“Mrs. Jane Doe is the dean of students.”
Thanks!
Since it is not part of her name you do not need to capitalize.
Mrs. Jane Doe is the dean of students.
HI Jane,
I found your entry and your subsequent responses most helpful! Thanks!
I am glad you found our website valuable.
I am currently updating my resume. When I list my job experience, do I capitalize the titles of my positions held?
Example: Assistant Principal, Carter High School, Houston, TX
Also, under the objective, do I capitalize principal and high school in “Seeking a Principal position in a High School…” or “Seeking a principal position in a high school…?”
Thank you! Love your website!
In running text, Chicago Manual of Style lowercases titles but caps the names of departments: James Smith, director of Human Resources. On a résumé, business card, diploma, door plaque, or such, the title may be capped:
Michelle Walker, Vice Principal, Fairview High School, New York, NY
In your objective statement, since the words principal and high school are used generically, do not capitalize.
Also, since the word principal has several different meanings, I recommend rewording to:
Seeking a position as principal in a high school…
what about titles with “former”?
Former President George Bush or former President George Bush ?
thank you very much!
Unless the word former is at the beginning of a sentence, it should not be capitalized.
Do baby boomers, generation xers, and millennials get capitalized or remain lower cased?
The baby boomers are reaching retirement age. OR The Baby Boomers are reaching retirement age.
The generation xers/gen xers job hop. OR The Generation Xers/Gen Xers job hop.
The millenials work long hours. The Millennials work long hours.
What I do to one, I want to do to all as I am sometimes using all of them in the same sentence.
Thanx
Two of the most reputable reference books,The Chicago Manual of Style and The Associated Press Stylebook, recommend that terms denoting generations are best lowercased. CMOS, however, recommends that the single letter X, Y, Z, etc. should be capitalized. Therefore, baby boomers, generation Xers, millennials.
Jane, thanks for all the good counsel.
So, in “Jack Jackson, President of CEI, will address the senate,” “president” is properly capitalized?
Yes, capitalize job titles immediately following the name when the word the does not appear in front of the job title.
Hello, Jane.
I am translating documents (speeches) from French to English. The rules for capitalization are very different between the two languages. I would like to know if it is necessary to capitalize the generic titles at the beginning of a speech when used in the opening address, such as:
Representatives of the Ministry of Education, university presidents, excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, dear friends: We are gathered here today to…
or
Representatives of the Ministry of Education, University Presidents, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, dear Friends: We are gathered here today to…
Thank you for your help.
Generic titles are not capitalized in English unless they are being used as a direct address. Honorific titles and respectful forms of address (except sir and ma’am) are capitalized in any context.
Mayor John Doe is speaking and says, “as mayor, I will…”
Do I capitalize mayor in this sentence since the word ‘the’ does not precede the job title?
Since the word mayor is not immediately preceding his name, nor is it immediately following his name, do not capitalize.
When you do not know (or cannot remember) someone’s name, but wish to refer to that person with that person’s title, is the title capitalized?
For instance: Bill Summers, the artist, taught me….
The Artist I met taught me….
If I refer to my dad as “Dad”, that becomes his name, so it is capitalized, right? Does that apply to someone like, the artist above?
When reading the web-site, I see that Rule 3 almost applies to what I need, but not quite. Can you clarify, please.
Rule 3
Capitalize a person’s title when it precedes the name. Do not capitalize when the title is acting as a description following the name.
Examples:
Chairperson Petrov
Ms. Petrov, the chairperson of the company, will address us at noon.
Any help you can offer would be much appreciated.
Our blog “Capitalization of Job Titles” contains the rule “Capitalize job titles immediately following the name when the word the does not appear in front of the job title.” Since your example regarding the artist does not have a name and the word the appears in front of the job title, do not capitalize.
When the word Dad is used as a proper name it should be capitalized
Captain. I am not sure how to capitalize. I was a Marine, so my inclination is that the title of EVERY officer is capitalized – joke.
I assume Captain Jones is capitalized. What about the following examples: The captain is waiting. The captain just looked at him. Go see the captain. The captain was standing just out side the door. The captain sent me.
Thanks for your help.
The Chicago Manual of Style says, “As is the case with civil titles, military titles are routinely capitalized in the literature of the organization or government with which they are associated. Nonetheless, in formal academic prose, most such titles are capitalized only when used as part of a person’s name.” Therefore, your sentences with “captain” in lowercase are correct.
Should I capitalize the job titles such as vice president if the name of the company is in front of teh title, sam with the board?
would I say the ISS Vice President or ISS boad or simply ISS vice president and ISS board?
Thank you,
Sona
Our rules for capitalization of job titles are the same whether or not the name of the company or board is in front of the title. Rule 3 of capitalization states, “Capitalize a person’s title when it precedes the name. Do not capitalize when the title is acting as a description following the name.” Another rule in our “Capitalization of Job Titles” blog says, “Capitalize job titles immediately following the name when the word the does not appear in front of the job title.”
Examples:
Michael Baxter, ISS Vice President, will be the guest speaker.
Michael Baxter, ISS Board, will be the guest speaker.
ISS Vice President, Michael Baxter, will be the guest speaker.
Michael Baxter, the ISS vice president, will be the guest speaker.
Michael Baxter, the ISS board member, will be the guest speaker.
We publish several catalogs for noncredit programs that include biographies of instructors. Many of these include gratuitous capitalization, which I ruthlessly decapitate. I’d like your comment on the capitalization of master gardener, meaning a credential based on a program of education and practice, used thusly: “Jane Jones has been an active Master Gardener since 2011.” Since I lowercase professor emeritus, I am inclined to lc, but I am getting an argument.
Regarding academic degrees, The Chicago Manual of Style says, “Spelled-out terms, often capitalized in institutional settings (and on business cards and other promotional items), should be lowercased in normal prose.” It seems that your catalog may fall under the category of “promotional items,” which may explain why you are getting an argument.
Hello Jane,
AREAA will meet members of congress. AREAA will meet members of Congress. Which sentence is correct? In one of your examples, “The president will address Congress,” the word is capitalized.
Thank you!
The Chicago Manual of Style recomends that the full names of legislative and deliberative bodies, departments, bureaus, and offices should be capitalized. The United States Congress, the US Congress, and Congress are all included in this list.
Hi, Jane:
Love your website. Its very helpful. I’m a nursing instructor and need some guidance. Should you capitalize the names of hospital departments. Are employees working in the Emergency Department or on the Maternity Ward for example? In another context, will the capitalization rule change: the patient was admitted to the emergency department. I want to capitalize this. It is the name of the place.
And as a last note, how would you say this: The Attending is Dr. Smith. Is Attending capitalized? In another context, it would look like this: Dr. Smith is the Attending. I think your rule says if ‘the’ appears then it should read: Dr. Smith is the attending.
Thanks for your help!
The Chicago Manual of Style says, “The full names of institutions, groups, and companies and the names of their departments, and often the shortened forms of such names (e.g., the Art Institute), are capitalized. A the preceding a name, even when part of the official title, is lowercased in running text.” Therefore, the emergency department and the maternity ward are correct or Loyola Emergency Department, for example, if no the is used. Regarding attending, since the word the is present, do not capitalize.
Jane –
Thank you SO MUCH for your website! I use it often (I hate to admit just how often!)
Please, can you give me guidance on capitalization in prayers? Specifically, I do know to capitalize all names of God, and pronouns such as He / His. Do you also capitalize You / Your, Thee, Thy, and Thine? I would think you might capitalize Your will, for example, but what about Your servant? And I’ve seen indications that it would actually be Your Will. Help!
The Chicago Manual of Style (8.94) says, “Pronouns referring to God or Jesus are not capitalized.” (Note that they are lowercased in most English translations of the Bible.)
Hello Jane.
Thank you.
I am wondering about punctuation for people with multiple titles. I run conferences where many of the speakers have several roles, which are pertinent to the subject matter. Do I simply pick one? If I can use multiple titles, how do I separate?
i.e. Joe Smith, President & CEO, Acme INC; Chair, Human Rights Org
Separate the titles just as you have done, using a semicolon to separate units of a series when one or more of the units contain commas. Avoid using abbreviations in formal writing (but you may have to use them if you do not have room in the printed conference program).
Joe Smith, President and Chief Executive Officer, Acme Incorporated; Chairperson, Human Rights Organization
I’m writing a script with someone. Occasionally we will have one character (A) call another character (B) “sir” or “ma’am” or “son”. I believe IF they are acting as proper names the first letter should be capitalized. My co-writer thinks not. Here is an example:
STATE TROOPER
Have you been smoking marijuana, Son?
My co-writer wouldn’t capitalize “son”, but I would.
Who is correct?
I agree with The Associated Press Stylebook and with your co-writer that these terms should not be capitalized.
It’s puzzling because all those Hallmark birthday cards when speaking to “Dad” capitalize dad. I did think that I learned in school that if you are calling your father, dad, then it gets the same treatment as a name, hence you capitalize the “D”.
Is this a different rule or does it still adhere to the same rule?
It is a different rule. Chicago Manual of Style’s rule 8.35 refers to this as a kinship name.
“Kinship names are lowercased unless they immediately precede a personal name or are used alone, in place of a personal name.”
Examples:
Let’s write to Aunt Maud.
Please, Dad, let’s go.
If “Dad” and “Mom” are capitalized when used instead of a person’s name, what about other family names like “son” or “daughter”? i.e., “I love you, Dad.” “I love you, too, Son”?
Chicago Manual of Style’s rule 8.35 refers to this as a kinship name. “Kinship names are lowercased unless they immediately precede a personal name or are used alone, in place of a personal name.” Therefore, capitalizing “Son” is correct in your sentence
I am attempting to submit a follow up letter to an interview and I can’t tell whether I should state the sentence as:
. . . hope I am selected as a candidate for the next phase of the interview process.
or
. . . hope I am selected as a candidate for the next phase in the interviewing process.
The term interview process is more commonly used than interviewing process. A better choice in your sentence might be hiring process.
I hope I am selected as a candidate for the next phase of the hiring process. OR
I hope I am selected as a candidate for the next phase of the interview process.
I work for a church and am often asked to add a sentence to our bulletins such as the one that follows: “the flowers are presented by the Smith family.” Should the word “family” be capitalized after the surname?
This has been bugging me and I’d like to print it correctly! Thanks so much.
The word family should not be capitalized after the surname.
I am proofreading a book and the word laird came up. Is this capitalized eg She sat in place of honor beside the laird. OR if you say the ‘laird of the McTavish clan’would it be capitalized?
Thank you in advance for yor reply
No, it would not be capitalized in either case.
I believe you are missing a rules of capitalization. The word “God” is capitalized as are references to God, as in “In the beginning the Word was God.” In fact I find some sources capitalize the preceding “The” as well, as in “In the beginning The Word was God.” Perhaps this could slip in under capitalizing titles but I feel it should rightly be more specific.
Thank you for your suggestion. The Chicago Manual of Style’s rule (8.90) states, “Names of deities, whether in monotheistic or polytheistic religions, are capitalized.
Allah
Astarte
Freyja
God
Itzamna
Jehovah
Mithra
Satan (but the devil)
Serapis
Yahweh”
Rules 8.91 and 8.92 go on to say, “Alternative or descriptive names for God as supreme being are capitalized.
Adonai
the Almighty
the Deity
the Holy Ghost or the Holy Spirit or the Paraclete
the Lord
Providence
the Supreme Being
the Trinity
Words for transcendent ideas in the Platonic sense, especially when used in a religious context, are often capitalized.
Good; Beauty; Truth; the One”
In a user manual that documents who is responsible for each procedure:
The City Manager will . . .
or
The city manager will . . .
Our recently-departed editor maintained that if a title was held by more than one person it was never capitalized. But if only one person held the title, (Senior Vice President of Customer Service) it was always capitalized. I can’t find this rule anywhere so far.
Your ex-editor was referring to job titles that are used generically. The rule in our blog Capitalization of Job Titles states, “When the appears in front of the job title, do not capitalize.”
What are the rules for capitalizing job titles when they are accompanied with the official department name (in a user manual)?
The Minnesota Department of Public Safety probation officer and the Department of Justice office coordinator shall respond to inquiries within 24 hours.
Would probation officer or office coordinator ever be capitalized?
Our blog Capitalization of Job Titles says, ” “When the appears in front of the job title, do not capitalize.” Therefore, your sentence is correct as written.
A question. In the sentence “I was named Chair of ….” the Chair would be capitalized? And in “as chair, I…” chair would not be capitalized. Is that correct?
The rules in our blog Capitalization of Job Titles read “Capitalize job titles immediately preceding the name when used as part of the name,” and ” Capitalize job titles immediately following the name when the word the does not appear in front of the job title.”
Examples: We asked Chairperson Leong to join us at the meeting.
Ms. Leong, Chairperson, will join us at the meeting.
Ms. Leong, Chair, will join us at the meeting.
Since your examples do not fall under these rules, do not capitalize the word chair.
From what I read above, I understand that since these titles become before the name that they are capitalized. Is this correct?
Floyd Arts Community Member, Radford University Art Professor and Nationally-Known Artist, Liam Johnson, will discuss the objectives of the meeting.
I believe that two of the titles in your sentence could fall under the grey area of “descriptive” titles rather than actual job titles. The Chicago Manual of Style‘s rule (8.29) says, “When preceding a name, generic titles that describe a person’s role or occupation—such as philosopher or historian—should be lowercased and treated as if in apposition.” Certainly Radford University Art Professor is a job title and should be capitalized. Floyd Arts community member and nationally-known artist sound more like descriptive titles. I recommend not capitalizing those terms. Of course, the ego rule described in our blog Capitalization of Job Titles could affect your decision.
Regarding comma use, our Rule 1 of Commas says, “To avoid confusion, use commas to separate words and word groups with a series of three or more.” Therefore, use commas to separate all three titles. Also, the rule in our blog Commas with Appositives states, “When an appositive is essential to the meaning of the noun it belongs to, don’t use commas.” Therefore, you do not need commas before or after Liam Johnson.
Floyd Arts community member, nationally known artist, and Radford University Art Professor Liam Johnson will discuss the objectives of the meeting.
Which is correct:
SGS’s director of accreditation or SGS’s Director of Accreditation
The rules in our blog Capitalization of Job Titles state, “Capitalize job titles immediately preceding the name when used as part of the name.” and “Capitalize job titles immediately following the name when the word the does not appear in front of the job title.” Therefore, if the title is used in either of those instances, it should be capitalized.
Examples:
SGS’s Director of Accreditation, Jennifer Jackson, will be the keynote speaker.
Jennifer Jackson, SGS’s Director of Accreditation, will be the keynote speaker.
Jennifer Jackson is SGS’s director of accreditation.
When wrinting the minutes of a meeting, should the title of a company official be capitalized when it follows a personal name?
Example:
The minutes were taken by Bryan Victorson, Secretary.
The minutes were taken by Bryan Victorson, secretary.
Our blog Capitalization of Job Titles states, ” Capitalize job titles immediately following the name when the word the does not appear in front of the job title.”
The minutes were taken by Bryan Victorson, Secretary.
How about when writing dialogue? As in:
“So what should we do?” asked the President.
“I don’t know,” replied the Secretary of Defense.
Should President and Secretary of Defense be capitalized?
Our Rule 5 of Capitalization states, “Capitalize the titles of high-ranking government officials when used before their names. Do not capitalize the civil title if it is used instead of the name.
Examples:
The president will address Congress.
All senators are expected to attend.
The governors, lieutenant governors, and attorneys general called for a special task force.
Governor Fortinbrass, Lieutenant Governor Poppins, Attorney General Dalloway, and Senators James and Twain will attend.”
The same rule applies when writing dialogue.
“So what should we do?” asked the president.
“I don’t know,” replied the secretary of defense.
I edited the titles to lowercase; I’m glad to know I followed the style correctly.
Your site is great. Thank you so much!
I am glad that our site was helpful.
My question is this:
If you go on Wikipedia and see the heading: how should it be capitalised?
A good one is Focal character. That’s the grammar of it.
For me, I would write it Focal Character, as it’s a adjective but referenced as a proper noun because technically it’s a name of something being explained.
Am I correct?
Wikipedia appears to follow the practice of capitalizing only the first word of the heading and any proper nouns that may be part of the heading. Focal character is not a proper noun. The word focal is an adjective describing the common noun character.
Please guide me regarding the usage of capitals in this sentence -
I visited the national park in Mumbai.
Question:Will it be National Park or national park?
Unless you specifically name the national park, do not capitalize it.
I visited the national park in Mumbai.
I visited Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Mumbai.
When ending a sentence with chair indicating a chairperson does it need to be capitalized. Such as
If you should have any questions please contact the chair.
Our blog Capitalization of Job Titles contains the rule “When the appears in front of the job title, do not capitalize.” Since the word the appears before the word chair, do not capitalize.
What is the capitalization rule for the word “gentlemen” if you are using it to directly address a group of men in a dialogue? I know that the Chicago Manual of Style says the words “sir” and “ma’am” are not capitalized, and it seems to me that the rule for “gentlemen” and “ladies” would be the same (respectful forms of address). However, there is an example in CMS under 8.19 that is confusing to me. That rule states, “A title used alone, in place of a personal name, is capitalized only in such contexts as a toast or a formal introduction or when used in direct address.” One of the examples given is: “Ladies and Gentlemen, the Prime Minister.” I believe “Prime Minister” is the example “of a title used alone, in place of a personal name. . .in such contexts as a . . .formal introduction”.
Having said that, it is noted that in the example given, “Gentlemen” is also capitalized, and I would not think that it should be. Please explain whether “gentlemen” should be capitalized in the following example:
“Please sit down, gentlemen,” said the vice president.
Thank you for your assistance.
Our rule 6 states, “Capitalize any title when used as a direct address.” Our blog When to Capitalize People’s Titles goes on to say, “Capitalize a title when used as a direct address even when the person is not named.”
Chicago Manual of Style’s Rule 8.32 says, “Honorific titles and respectful forms of address are capitalized in any context.” The words sir and ma’am are listed as exceptions to this rule. Since the word gentlemen is not listed as an exception, it should be capitalized.
In my novel, a sister, speaking to her brother, will say something like “Where did you get that idea, kiddo?” Or “Hey, little brother, …”
Kiddo or kiddo?
Little Brother or little brother?
And what about addressing royalty? “Yes, your grace.” “Yes, my lord.” Or should those titles always be capitalized?
Your site is fabulous! Thank you for sharing the rules and providing some great examples.
Words such as “kiddo” and “little brother” are often called terms of endearment or pet names. The following question and answer about the capitalization of these names can be found in the Q&A section of the Associated Press Stylebook:
Q. Would you capitalize terms of endearment such as Sweetie, Pumpkin, etc.? What about calling someone “young man”? – from Anderson, Ind. on Wed, Feb 22, 2012
A. Informal terms of address are lowercase. Same for young man.
Therefore, do not capitalize these names.
The Chicago Manual of Style’s Rule 8.32 says, “Honorific titles and respectful forms of address are capitalized in any context.” They do, however, list the following exceptions to the rule:
sir, ma’am
my lord, my lady
When addressing an envelope to a family do you capitalize the word “family” or leave it lower-cased?
i.e. ~
The Larsen family or The Larsen Family
Capitalize family in an address on an envelope, but not when used in a sentence.
Examples:
The Larsen Family
114 Main Street
Anytown, New York 10055
We saw the Larsen family at church on Sunday.
I love this blog. Thank you for this!
Question: When a character in fiction is referred to solely by a title or honorific preceded by the definite article, should that be written in lowercase? And in translations of allegorical short stories or fairy tales should “The Princess” or “The King ” also be in lowercase?
Examples:
(I.) The family stood in awe of “the Lady.” The Lady was was refined. The Lady was the arbitress of taste. The Lady tempered all conversation, regulated all social events. In short, the Lady was a crashing bore. (Should “the lady” be lowercase?)
(II.) The Colonel lived on an inadequate pension, but suited up each day in full regimentals and processed through town, touching his brim by way of salutation, or removing his hat and smiling expansively whenever the Widow Esther approached. (Should “the colonel” and “the widow” be lowercase?)
(III.) The Emperor banished Sister Bright Jade from the realm. But the Emperor was cursed thereafter. (Should “the Emperor” be lowercase if the tale is entirely about him?)
I’m also reminded of Nicholas Nikleby in which one of the child actors is humorously referred to as the Prodigy in multiple chapters.
The Chicago Manual of Style’s rule 8.34 states,”In references to works of drama or fiction, epithets or generic titles used in place of names are normally capitalized.” Therefore, write the Princess, the King, the Lady, the Colonel, the Widow, the Emperor, and the Prodigy.
How does one capitalize and hyphenate “vice-president” in the list of officers on letterhead?
Which is it:
Vice-President
Vice-president
Vice President
Vice president
It should be written “Vice President.”
Can you please address the use of commas in titles for business card use, i.e. our VP requests in the line under his name that I remove the comma between Vice President and Business Development, so it is simply Vice President Business Development rather than Vice President. Business Development. Is this a new or acceptable style for business cards? I cannot find a source to address this format question. And when I apply this format to other titles, it seems more obviously wrong, i.e. Director Recruiting instead of Director, Recruiting. Thanks for this helpful website.
Correction: …so it is simply Vice President Business Development rather than Vice President, Business Development.
Although I have not been able to find any coverage of business cards in the leading style manuals, perhaps I can draw upon the principle of consistency as well as the “ego rule” mentioned in my blog, Capitalization of Job Titles. I have commonly seen such titles in the form “Vice President of Business Development.” A comma could be considered a replacement for the word of. My preference would be “Vice President of Business Development” or “Vice President, Business Development.” However, our ego rule generally applied says that you may have to ignore some rules in real life. If someone in your office (as in your boss) wants his or her title written in a certain way, then do so. For consistency, however, it would be best if your company decided on a format and stuck to it.
Do you capitalize Ron Goodman, The Treasure of Senior Class for a high school student?
When the word the appears in front of a title, do not capitalize. Senior class should not be capitalized unless a specific senior class is named, making it a proper noun.
Ron Goodman, the treasurer of senior class
Ron Goodman, Treasurer of Washington High Senior Class of 2013
Which is the correct form when addressing royalty in writing: “Yes, my King.” or “Yes, My King.” Your site is a font of information, and I hope you can help.
After performing an internet search for “how to address royalty in writing,” I have concluded that this is an area of specialized expertise about which I am not qualified to give advice. What I did find in common on a couple sites was the recommendation to use “Your Majesty.”
Iam having trouble in this sentence Do you think he will be our next Vice President? Why is vice president capitalized?
Since the title is not part of a name, it should not be capitalized.
Do you think he will be our next vice president?
I’m writing a screenplay where one of the character’s names is the number 251. What would you do in this situation? What should I do when the name 251 is at the beginning of the sentence? I know this kind of encompasses the rules with numbers but there is no where to as a question on that page.
There are no grammar rules for numbers as names. Our Rule 16 of Writing Numbers states, “Write out a number if it begins a sentence.” That does not seem like a good idea if the number is a character’s name since that would essentially be changing the “spelling” of the name. Since you are the author of the screenplay, you can set your own rule and be consistent. For instance, how does this person pronounce his/her name? Is it two hundred fifty-one or two five one? At the beginning of a sentence, you can decide whether to write the name out in either of these two ways or as 251. Just be consistent throughout the screenplay.
Im writing a paper about Governor Bobby Jindal & I am not sure if I need to capitalize “This is the governors last term and ……….
Thanks in advance. PS I’m thinking that it should be lower case but I am just not sure.
Our Rule 5 of Capitalization states, “Capitalize the titles of high-ranking government officials when used before their names. Do not capitalize the civil title if it is used instead of the name.” Therefore, do not capitalize “the governor’s last term . . .”
As Principal-in-Charge of the chemical engineering portion of this project, Bill will ultimately…
Would you capialize “Principal-in-Charge”?
Since the job title is not used as part of a name or as a direct address, do not capitalize.
In a press release, when writing John Doe has been promoted to Executive Vice President – is that title initial capped or not?
Since the job title is not used as part of a name or as a direct address, it would not usually be capitalized. The Chicago Manual of Style does, however, note in their Rule 8.1 that “In certain nonacademic contexts—e.g., a press release—such terms as president may be capitalized.”
I cannot find a source for this question about the capitalization of titles in direct discourse. “Thank you, detective” or “Will I survive, doctor?” We would capitalize in these case: “Hello, Senator,” and “Yes, General.” But what about the first two instances here?
Thanks! I’m glad I found this site.
Our Rule 6 of Capitalization states, “Capitalize any title when used as a direct address.”
Example:
Will you take my temperature, Doctor?
Therefore, write the following:
Thank you, Detective.
Will I survive, Doctor?