We are taught to capitalize proper names. But should other forms of address be capitalized? Well, yes and no. Let’s discuss various titles and when they should and should not be capitalized.
Polite Forms of Address
Polite forms of address, or courtesy titles, should be capitalized in the salutations of letters and emails, as well as within sentences if they are followed by a proper name. Examples are Mr., Mrs., Ms., and Miss.
Example:
Before name: We asked Mrs. Morgan for her famous chili recipe.
Nobility Titles
Honorifics, such as nobility titles (Dame, Duke, Earl) and royal titles (Queen, King, Princess) are additional forms of address that require capitalization when followed by a name.
When these same titles and forms of address are used generally in a sentence, capitalization is not needed.
Examples:
General use: The duke and duchess were interviewed on the evening news.
Before name: Duke William of Normandy was better known as William the Conqueror and later became king of England.
Professional Titles
Professional titles such as Dr., Reverend, Judge, and Professor are included in this rule. General titles such as intervention specialist, psychologist, lawyer, or scientist are not required to have a capital letter in any situation.
Examples:
General use: He begged the reverend for mercy.
Before name: The lawyer walked up to the bench to address Judge Judy.
General use: By order of the judge, the wife was evaluated by a psychologist to determine competency for trial.
Family Titles
Why would family titles need to be capitalized? Well, there are special cases when this is needed. If you are directly referring to the family member in writing or are using their title as a name in a sentence, you need to capitalize it.
Examples:
General use: Yesterday, my dad and I talked on the phone for an hour.
Use as a name: I’m thinking about going down to Georgia to visit Mom and Dad.
General use: My aunt and uncle are both attorneys in New York City.
Use as a name: My neighbor retained Aunt Margaret as her attorney.
The rules are not as difficult as it seems. When descriptively referring to a role or job title in a sentence, often preceded by the word the, a, or my, it does not need to be capitalized. If using the direct form of address as a name in a sentence, the title must be capitalized.
Heather Malone writes children’s books that focus mainly on Montessori education, special education, and nonfiction. She also dabbles in fiction. Her nonfiction book, Montessori from A to Z, was published in 2023, and her blog on homeschooling students with disabilities using the Montessori method can be viewed at spedmontessorisolutions.com. Her passion is education, which is evidenced by spending over twenty-five years in the field before leaving the classroom to now provide technical assistance to school districts. She lives with her husband and son in Ohio and enjoys traveling to new places in her free time.
No Comments