Comments on: Go Easy on the Capitalization http://www.adamsdrafting.com/2009/12/22/go-easy-on-the-capitalization/ Tue, 31 Jan 2012 01:23:03 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc By: Ken Adams http://www.adamsdrafting.com/2009/12/22/go-easy-on-the-capitalization/comment-page-1/#comment-94984 Ken Adams Wed, 17 Mar 2010 18:00:08 +0000 http://www.adamsdrafting.com/?p=2002#comment-94984 Margaret: I'm not suggesting that one style guide would work for the various forms of English worldwide. But those of us in the U.S. and, perhaps, Canada ought to be able to make do with The Chicago Manual of Style. Ken Margaret: I'm not suggesting that one style guide would work for the various forms of English worldwide. But those of us in the U.S. and, perhaps, Canada ought to be able to make do with The Chicago Manual of Style. Ken

]]> By: M Marks http://www.adamsdrafting.com/2009/12/22/go-easy-on-the-capitalization/comment-page-1/#comment-94983 M Marks Wed, 17 Mar 2010 17:54:59 +0000 http://www.adamsdrafting.com/?p=2002#comment-94983 Yes, I take your point, Ken. In fact Hart's Rules and the Chicago Manual agree on this one, e.g. the secretary of state, but Secretary of State George C. MarshallStill, I think there is more than one set of guidelines so we can't all follow the same. For instance, it looks to me as if the pope is not capitalized in the Chicago Manual, but is in Hart's. Yes, I take your point, Ken. In fact Hart's Rules and the Chicago Manual agree on this one, e.g. the secretary of state, but Secretary of State George C. MarshallStill, I think there is more than one set of guidelines so we can't all follow the same. For instance, it looks to me as if the pope is not capitalized in the Chicago Manual, but is in Hart's.

]]> By: Ken Adams http://www.adamsdrafting.com/2009/12/22/go-easy-on-the-capitalization/comment-page-1/#comment-94977 Ken Adams Tue, 16 Mar 2010 18:11:27 +0000 http://www.adamsdrafting.com/?p=2002#comment-94977 Margaret: I'm not sure I see a principled distinction between saying "The school is inviting the Secretary of State," with initial capitals, and "Over the past 200 years the school has invited every secretary of state," no initial capitals. And more generally, when I'm dealing with general usage, instead of saying what I'd do, I prefer to cite an authoritative reference work, and The Chicago Manual of Style serves that function for me. It would be for the best if, instead of making our own judgments in these matters, we were to follow a reliable set of guidelines. Ken Margaret: I'm not sure I see a principled distinction between saying "The school is inviting the Secretary of State," with initial capitals, and "Over the past 200 years the school has invited every secretary of state," no initial capitals.

And more generally, when I'm dealing with general usage, instead of saying what I'd do, I prefer to cite an authoritative reference work, and The Chicago Manual of Style serves that function for me. It would be for the best if, instead of making our own judgments in these matters, we were to follow a reliable set of guidelines.

Ken

]]> By: M Marks http://www.adamsdrafting.com/2009/12/22/go-easy-on-the-capitalization/comment-page-1/#comment-94973 M Marks Tue, 16 Mar 2010 14:14:57 +0000 http://www.adamsdrafting.com/?p=2002#comment-94973 In the UK, Hart's Rules, or Hart's New Rules, from the OUP, is one common reference. It does have OUP idiosyncrasies, such as -ize, which I like, and the serial comma, which I also like, but many UK people reject them. We usually capitalize the important words in headers, in the US style, *only* in book titles, not in the titles of chapters and articles. So I don't think you can say there is one style for English. Just look at the headings at <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk" target="_blank">www.guardian.co.uk</a> - that is standard UK capitalization of headings. I would capitalize Secretary of State as a title or the reference to the current one. If it were generic - 'there have been X secretaries of state in the last 100 years' - then not capitalized. In the UK, Hart's Rules, or Hart's New Rules, from the OUP, is one common reference. It does have OUP idiosyncrasies, such as -ize, which I like, and the serial comma, which I also like, but many UK people reject them. We usually capitalize the important words in headers, in the US style, *only* in book titles, not in the titles of chapters and articles. So I don't think you can say there is one style for English. Just look at the headings at http://www.guardian.co.uk – that is standard UK capitalization of headings.
I would capitalize Secretary of State as a title or the reference to the current one. If it were generic – 'there have been X secretaries of state in the last 100 years' – then not capitalized.

]]> By: Alan Riley http://www.adamsdrafting.com/2009/12/22/go-easy-on-the-capitalization/comment-page-1/#comment-94575 Alan Riley Wed, 30 Dec 2009 20:10:29 +0000 http://www.adamsdrafting.com/?p=2002#comment-94575 Ken When one looks at old legal documents, one sees an abundance of capitalised terms, (e.g. "Conveyance", "Agreement") even though those terms have not been created as defined terms in the modern way. The old practice of capitalising perceived important words still carries through into some UK lawyers' written correspondence, so that Statement of Claim, Statutory Declaration, Grant of Probate etc. might all feature in the body of solicitors' letters, in a capitalised state, for no apparent reason. Modern drafting of legal documents encourages the application of ordinary rules of English grammar, so that unless a term has been formally defined in the agreement with capitals, or is at the start of a sentence, or is a proper noun, or is a term which is known in its capitalised state (e.g. High Court, House of Commons) the lower case should be used. But we don't have a legal drafting bible in the UK, and firms' practices can differ widely. There's a market for you... Alan PS Sorry about the s in capitalisation. Ken

When one looks at old legal documents, one sees an abundance of capitalised terms, (e.g. “Conveyance”, “Agreement”) even though those terms have not been created as defined terms in the modern way. The old practice of capitalising perceived important words still carries through into some UK lawyers’ written correspondence, so that Statement of Claim, Statutory Declaration, Grant of Probate etc. might all feature in the body of solicitors’ letters, in a capitalised state, for no apparent reason.

Modern drafting of legal documents encourages the application of ordinary rules of English grammar, so that unless a term has been formally defined in the agreement with capitals, or is at the start of a sentence, or is a proper noun, or is a term which is known in its capitalised state (e.g. High Court, House of Commons) the lower case should be used. But we don’t have a legal drafting bible in the UK, and firms’ practices can differ widely. There’s a market for you…

Alan

PS Sorry about the s in capitalisation.

]]> By: Ken Adams http://www.adamsdrafting.com/2009/12/22/go-easy-on-the-capitalization/comment-page-1/#comment-94411 Ken Adams Wed, 23 Dec 2009 15:26:18 +0000 http://www.adamsdrafting.com/?p=2002#comment-94411 Mark: Unsurprisingly, I think it makes life simpler to have one style guide that's generally accepted. Ken Mark: Unsurprisingly, I think it makes life simpler to have one style guide that’s generally accepted. Ken

]]> By: Mark Anderson http://www.adamsdrafting.com/2009/12/22/go-easy-on-the-capitalization/comment-page-1/#comment-94410 Mark Anderson Wed, 23 Dec 2009 14:38:24 +0000 http://www.adamsdrafting.com/?p=2002#comment-94410 Ken, I am not sure there is a standard text that everyone goes to, for UK English. Perhaps the closest to a standard text is The Complete Plain Words, originally by Sir Ernest Gowers, and originally published by Her Majesty's Stationery Officer, later by Penguin. My copy of the 1987 edition (from a quick look on Amazon it seems the latest edition is from 2004) devotes half a page to capitals, including the key phrase: "The only difficulty is with words that are sometimes written with capitals and sometimes not. Here there can be no general rule; everyone must do what he thinks most fitting." Gowers goes on to recommend using the capital for the particular and a small letter for the general. He also recommends being consistent. My impression is that people in the UK tend to follow a general approach of what other people are doing, rather than any formal bible of style. Journalists on the [London] Times newspaper are expected to follow their paper's style guide, and this probably filters down into the practice of readers of that newspaper. In your examples above, I would probably have capitalised the official titles, eg Secretary of State. Ken, I am not sure there is a standard text that everyone goes to, for UK English.

Perhaps the closest to a standard text is The Complete Plain Words, originally by Sir Ernest Gowers, and originally published by Her Majesty’s Stationery Officer, later by Penguin. My copy of the 1987 edition (from a quick look on Amazon it seems the latest edition is from 2004) devotes half a page to capitals, including the key phrase:

“The only difficulty is with words that are sometimes written with capitals and sometimes not. Here there can be no general rule; everyone must do what he thinks most fitting.” Gowers goes on to recommend using the capital for the particular and a small letter for the general. He also recommends being consistent.

My impression is that people in the UK tend to follow a general approach of what other people are doing, rather than any formal bible of style. Journalists on the [London] Times newspaper are expected to follow their paper’s style guide, and this probably filters down into the practice of readers of that newspaper.

In your examples above, I would probably have capitalised the official titles, eg Secretary of State.

]]> By: Ken Adams http://www.adamsdrafting.com/2009/12/22/go-easy-on-the-capitalization/comment-page-1/#comment-94406 Ken Adams Wed, 23 Dec 2009 13:53:54 +0000 http://www.adamsdrafting.com/?p=2002#comment-94406 Willem: In English, unlike other European languages, it's standard to use initial capitals in headings. I suspect it's just a matter of what you're used to. Ken Willem: In English, unlike other European languages, it’s standard to use initial capitals in headings. I suspect it’s just a matter of what you’re used to. Ken

]]> By: Willem Wiggers http://www.adamsdrafting.com/2009/12/22/go-easy-on-the-capitalization/comment-page-1/#comment-94404 Willem Wiggers Wed, 23 Dec 2009 13:13:23 +0000 http://www.adamsdrafting.com/?p=2002#comment-94404 Apologies Ken, I was referring to initial caps (where all caps is even worse). As regards headers, I would *#!@- headers such as: "Choosing Between Discretion and Prohibition for an Action Subject to Consent". Willem Apologies Ken, I was referring to initial caps (where all caps is even worse).

As regards headers, I would *#!@- headers such as: “Choosing Between Discretion and Prohibition for an Action Subject to Consent”.

Willem

]]> By: Ken Adams http://www.adamsdrafting.com/2009/12/22/go-easy-on-the-capitalization/comment-page-1/#comment-94403 Ken Adams Wed, 23 Dec 2009 13:03:52 +0000 http://www.adamsdrafting.com/?p=2002#comment-94403 Willem: I was thinking about overuse of initial capitals, but yes, needless use of all capitals is a particularly U.S. habit. It makes text a chore to read and is <em>not</em> required in order to make text "conspicuous" under the Uniform Commercial Code. See <em>MSCD</em> 15.37. Willem: I was thinking about overuse of initial capitals, but yes, needless use of all capitals is a particularly U.S. habit. It makes text a chore to read and is not required in order to make text “conspicuous” under the Uniform Commercial Code. See MSCD 15.37.

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