Q. When writing a novel, if you label someone in a quote (e.g.) “You Mad Little Bugger,” is it capitalized?
A. Oh my goodness no. That would look as though the speaker were giving the person an award or an official title. Stick with lowercase.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. Can you please answer definitively whether miss should be capitalized in direct address? Let me help you with that, miss. Or, Let me help you with that, Miss.
A. Definitively? No. While it may be traditional to cap Miss in direct address, lowercasing is Chicago style.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. In a nongovernmental organization, are job titles ever capitalized in full or part when they include the name of a department? For example, Network Development is the name of a department; would we use lowercase when referring to a “network development specialist”? Thank you for any guidance.
A. It’s your choice, depending on meaning. If you want to identify which department the specialist belongs to, you would use the uppercased name of the department (a specialist in Network Development). If you are describing the type of work the specialist does (developing networks), you would use the lowercase generic form.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. There seems to be an increasing number of people who prefer their names in lowercase, and I was wondering when other capitalization rules trump this preference. It seems like the first letter of a sentence should be capitalized even if it happens to be a lowercased name (e.g., “Damali ayo is . . .” or “Ayo is . . .”), but could that look clumsy or incorrect, requiring all such sentences to be rephrased?
A. A capital letter does look best at the beginning of a sentence. An exception may be made for words that have a midcap like eBay or iPhone.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. Should professor be capitalized in this sentence? “He studied at Yale University and went on to become a professor.”
A. No. Because professor is a common noun, lowercase it just as you would if this Yale student went on to become a movie star, a chef, or a dog walker.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. I recently started working for an institution founded on the values of the Sisters of Mercy. I am working on our magazine, and I’d truly appreciate your skilled recommendation on whether or not to capitalize the word mercy in various tricky/gray areas. For example, we know mercy should be lowercase when used in the generic sense, as in “he begged for mercy” or “at the mercy of the court,” and capitalized when used in a proper name, as in Mount Mercy University or Mercy Hospital. The trick is in situations like “a mercy education,” “a mercy institution,” or “providing mercy care.” We are looking through many guides and checking with other mercy institutions to figure out best practice, but I would love a CMOS ruling!
A. You could try mentally substituting the name Sisters of Mercy when considering whether you mean the institution and its specific tenets or the more generic (lowercased) term. If it makes sense to use Sisters of Mercy, uppercase Mercy. For instance, does “mercy care” involve specific practices outlined by the Sisters of Mercy, or is it a kind of merciful care that anyone could provide?
You and your team see gray areas because you conflate your institution’s name and brand with one of its values. Anyone outside your perspective can easily see that “a mercy education” makes little sense. A professional editor could help you and your team put together a style guide with sample sentences and guidelines.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. These two examples are given in CMOS 6.77: “My name is Phyllis; that’s p-h-y-l-l-i-s.” “A proficient signer can fingerspell C-O-L-O-R-A-D-O in less than two seconds.” Why are the separated letters caps in one example but lowercase in the other?
A. Because both ways are commonly used, and both work well!
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. I am drafting an editorial statement for a journal that adheres to CMOS and I’m not sure how to sign it. What is the proper capitalization of my title, co-Editor-in-Chief? Should it be “Jane Doe, co-Editor-in-Chief” or “Jane Doe, Co-editor-in-chief” or no capitalization at all? Does co- adhere to CMOS, or should our editorial leadership be simply “Editors-in-Chief” (and in that case, how would each editor refer to her individual title)?
A. It’s up to your journal what names to give its leaders, but in the absence of other instructions in CMOS, we follow Merriam Webster, which spells your terms “editor in chief” and “coeditor.” It’s customary to cap a title in a display line—in this case, Editor in Chief or Coeditor in Chief. (Chicago’s guidelines for lowercasing are meant to apply to running text, not display type.) Please see CMOS 8.19 and 8.20 for general rules on capitalizing titles and offices.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. Hello, Chicago. I’m having a heck of a time with this one. Yes, I’m probably overanalyzing it, but . . . Chicago says to lowercase hell and heaven except in a purely religious context. I’m editing a romantic novel where the author makes several references to hell. I’m second-guessing myself on when to cap it. In an expression like “no way in hell,” I’d lowercase it. But in the next sentence, the heroine thinks she’s going to Hell. And what about words like hell-bound? Thanks.
A. By “purely religious context,” CMOS means “in a religious publication,” since readers of such publications may be offended by lowercasing. I’m guessing that this novel is not a religious publication. Lowercasing throughout should be fine.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. I’m editing a Regency-era romance, and there are several references to the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, shortened to Foreign Secretary in some places and Secretary in others. I’m aware of Chicago’s preference for lowercase in such circumstances. I find myself using lowercase for the prime minister with ease, but the secretary is giving me pause. I’m worried about creating confusion with the modern idea of clerical secretaries.
A. In a Regency-era romance where the full title and partial title of the secretary of foreign affairs appear in several places, you can probably trust readers to understand that this character is not an administrative assistant in the office of a modern start-up. (If not, capitalization should be the least of your worries.)
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]