capitalization competency

Capitalization Competency: More Capital Ideas

Capitalization rules are easy; it’s the exceptions that drive us crazy. 

 

Which is correct?

These reports were provided by the city of Jackson. 

OR

These reports were provided by the City of Jackson.

 

Isn’t this a great question? And, get ready for a lot of twists and turns with the answer. This question exemplifies why capitalization rules are simple—but the exceptions drive us crazy.

 

Correct: These reports were provided by the city of Jackson. 

Capitalize the word city only when it is part of the corporate name of the city as in Kansas City or Mexico City. Otherwise, it is proper to write the city of Overland Park or the city of Madison.

 

So far, so good. Now let’s address the word state. Capitalize the word state only when it follows the name of a state:

 

New York State is a popular destination for international tourists.

Washington State is the nation’s top apple producer.

The state of Mississippi is known for its burgers, blues, and barbeque.

Political candidates flock to the state of Iowa in the month’s leading up to the primary elections.

 

Now, here’s where it gets tricky: Do not capitalize state when used in place of the actual state name.

 

Lesley is an employee of the state.

She is a state employee.

 

However, people working for state government write it as State. Often with internal governmental correspondence, the names of countries, national divisions, and governmental groups, the common noun IS capitalized when replacing the full name. In other words, when the government rather than the actual place is the intended meaning, the word state is usually capitalized.

 

The motion was filed by the State yesterday.

 

Well, this is about as clear as mud. I use four primary style guides as references, and all four books list slightly different rules. Indeed, many of the capitalization rules in the Associated Press Stylebook contradict rules listed in other grammar guides. My recommendation: Refer to the rules I’ve distilled for you above, and be consistent. Be consistent not just within the document but within your entire organization. 

 

To customize a keynote or professional development session that will have your audience laughing and learning, contact Mandi Stanley.

Certified Speaking Professional Mandi Stanley works with business leaders who want to boost their professional image by becoming better speakers and writers through interactive high-content keynotes, breakout sessions, workshops, technical writing seminars, and fun proofreading classes. 

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Photo by Pieter van de Sande on Unsplash

capitalization

Capitalization Competency: A Capital Idea

Are department names supposed to be capitalized? Do we submit something to the Administration and Finance Department or the administration and finance department? Does it make a difference if it’s the Department of Administration and Finance or the department of administration and finance?

 

What about job titles? How do we know when to capitalize someone’s job title in a sentence?

 

Let’s all test our capitalization competency with a quick quiz on capital letters.

 

Jackson Lawrence, immediate past [Chief Executive Officer/chief executive officer] of the Eagle Leadership Institute, gave the keynote address.

 

Thompson Padgett, [Diversity Officer/diversity officer] for the College of Business and Industry, is leading an initiative devoted to creating a culture of belonging.

 

Shannon Pierce, [President/president] of the Rotary Club, facilitated a strategic planning session for the new year.

 

Answers:

 

Jackson Lawrence, immediate past chief executive officer of the Eagle Leadership Institute, gave the keynote address.

 

Did this one surprise you? It’s the most frequently overcapitalized tendency. The rule I hope you take away from this exercise is this:

 

The only time we capitalize the first letters of a person’s job title is when the title precedes the person’s proper name. When a job title is used as an appositive, it is not capitalized in the sentence.

 

In the pop quiz question above, the job title of chief executive officer is an appositive for Jackson Lawrence; therefore, it remains lower case.

 

Thompson Padgett, diversity officer for the College of Business and Industry, is leading an initiative devoted to creating a culture of belonging.

 

Diversity officer is an appositive for Thompson Padgett. It remains lower case.

 

Shannon Pierce, president of the Rotary Club, facilitated a strategic planning session for the new year.

 

President is an appositive for Shannon Pierce. Even the word president remains lower case in this instance.

 

We’ll discuss the capitalization of departments next week.

 

To customize a keynote or professional development session that will have your audience laughing and learning, contact Mandi Stanley.

Certified Speaking Professional Mandi Stanley works with business leaders who want to boost their professional image by becoming better speakers and writers through interactive high-content keynotes, breakout sessions, workshops, technical writing seminars, and fun proofreading classes. 

You might also like:

Prefer Performance to Chronology in Your Résumé

It’s Interview Time: What’s the One Detail Most Interviewees Forget?

Wacky Word of the Week: Purge this Particular Word

Photo by Suzy Hazelwood

Further or Farther

How Do You Know When To Use Further or Farther?

Learning 365 new words a year is one of my perennial grammar goals.  Read more

Is It Home In or Hone In? Fun with Words Week 2

This photo is of one of the walls in the conference center at the #AloftSeattleRedmond. I was honored to facilitate a three-day Advanced Communications Program for a cohort of emerging leaders for one of my clients, and we all got a kick out of the creative artwork throughout the meeting area. But, can you tell what the wall is composed of? Look closely.

 

 

In fact, we’ll use this photo to introduce our #GrammarforGrownups question this week. Which word is correct?

If you [home in, hone in] on this photo, you can tell the entire wall is composed of old keyboard keys.

Scroll for the answer.

 

 

 

 

 

Answer: home in

If you home in on this photo, you can tell the entire wall is composed of old keyboard keys. 

I have always said hone in similar situations.

 

I have always been wrong.

 

To home in means to get closer to something such as an object or a goal or the truth. Picture a homing pigeon (why haven’t I realized that before).

To hone means to sharpen something—and you don’t hone in on anything.

My son honed his test-taking skills in preparation for the ACT.

And, I’m certainly honing my vocabulary this month.

 

Can you think of other examples of words you have been using incorrectly without realizing it?

 

 

To customize a keynote or professional development session that will have your audience laughing and learning, contact Mandi Stanley.

Certified Speaking Professional Mandi Stanley works with business leaders who want to boost their professional image by becoming better speakers and writers through interactive high-content keynotes, breakout sessions, workshops, technical writing seminars, and fun proofreading classes. 

You might also like:

Prefer Performance to Chronology in Your Résumé

It’s Interview Time: What’s the One Detail Most Interviewees Forget?

Wacky Word of the Week: Purge this Particular Word

How to Pluralize Last Names for Christmas Cards

As we finish addressing our cards and stamping the envelopes, let’s wrap up our discussion of how to pluralize last names with tricky, sticky spellings. Read more

How to Pluralize Family Names with Tricky Spellings

This week we’re polishing off the last of the turkey sandwiches, hanging lights, taking our decorations out of the attic—and addressing our cards. Let’s continue our discussion of how to pluralize our family names with tricky spellings. Read more

Confident Christmas Cards: Answers to Apostrophe Pop Quiz

Last Wednesday we asked a series of pluralization questions regarding apostrophes and last names so we can sign off on our Christmas cards with confidence.

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Grammar Grappler #33:  We Arrived at the Seminar Wearing the Exact Same Jacket

This actually happened to me when I was facilitating a continuing education class for 200 accountants in Charlotte, North Carolina, a few years back. An audience member and I were wearing identical outfits.  Read more

Grammar Grappler #32: We Completely Eliminated the Problem

This is another example of language we can send to the Redundancy Department of Redundancy. Yet, we do hear people say:

“We completely eliminated the problem.” Read more

Grammar Grappler #31: Really, Mom, I Was Out Studying Until 3 a.m., in the Morning

This has been a crowd favorite, so to speak. So many of you have shared examples of how often you hear people say, “I have to leave for the airport at 4 a.m., in the morning.” Read more