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.
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?
Q. Should professor be capitalized in this sentence? “He studied at Yale University and went on to become a professor.”
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!
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?
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)?
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.
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.
Q. Is it okay to capitalize Modernist when speaking of the twentieth-century movement in English literature? Many sources favor the lowercase, but I’ve always done the opposite.
Q. My company has a handbook called The Standards and Expectations Handbook. We intend to call it “the handbook” for short. When written, should “the Handbook” be capitalized to denote that we’re talking about the specific book, or should it be lowercase?