"It's a satire on people with creative writing degrees." ~ Coati
Having trouble with "lose" vs. "loose" and are unsure of what the difference between past and present tense is? This just may be the book for you.
This incredible work of art sports s...
Goodness gracious, this one bothers me loads and piles.
Do you know when to capitalize titles such as "dad, miss, grandpa?" What about proper nouns such as countries, languages, and places? Yes? No? Maybe? Regardless, it's nice to have a refresher every once in a blue moon.
Pre-quiz: Correct or Incorrect?
1. I escorted the young Miss home.
2. "I'm coming, dad!" she yelled.
3. "He goes by Officer Henry."
4. "Yes, chief," I said with a salute.
5. Do you speak spanish?
P.S. Please excuse the lack of creativity in these sentences.
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Alright, let's get down to business!
For those who do not know, nouns can be broken into two major categories: common and proper.
Common nouns are just... well, objects. Grass, water, food, lemons, grasshoppers, mashed potatoes. You name an object, and it's likely a common noun. Cool, right?
Proper nouns are the dressy ones. They require specific environments to survive (ok, maybe not, but you get the point). Proper nouns are nouns that need to be capitalized. Nouns such as countries (France, Spain, Brazil), names (Kendall, Franklin, Gorlock the Destroyer), titles (Miss, Dad, Patches the cat).
Easy enough, right?
Well, yeah, but it gets a tad trickier. A noun (such as "dad") can be either a common or a proper noun. See the sentences below:
I argue with Dad all the time.
He's the best dad in the world!
Can anyone spot the difference in the use of the word, "dad" in these two sentences?
The first one is being used as the object of a prepositional phrase and is also used to re-name Dad himself. It's a direct replacement of his name.
The second one is a predicate noun, renaming the subject of the sentence, which is "He." While you could put Dad's actual name into the sentence, it would be awkward (He's the best Henry in the world!).
Make sense?
Moving on to titles...
If you use a title such as "king" along with the name, it should be capitalized (i.e. King Henry). If used to describe/re-name Henry, it will not be capitalized (Henry is the king).
As you can see, titles are not proper nouns unless they directly replace a name. This goes for most titles (miss, chief, officer, teacher, king). If you call a person, "Teacher" in place of their name, you need to capitalize the title. If it's used in a different way, it's a common noun.
Not all proper nouns, however, can switch sides. A person's name is always a proper noun. "Henry" will always keep the capital letter no matter how you use the name. The same applies to countries and other places such as cities and states. Languages should be capitalized as well (English, French, Belarusian).
What about seasons? Yeah, that's one that trips people up too. They are common nouns. "I'm excited for winter!" is a correctly written sentence. However, if a season is used as a name or in a title, it needs to be capitalized. If it is personified, it also needs to be capitalized, and when it's used to begin a sentence (obviously).
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Answers:
1. I escorted the young Miss home. Incorrect
2. "I'm coming, dad!" she yelled. Incorrect
3. "He goes by Officer Henry." Correct
4. "Yes, chief," I said with a salute. Incorrect
5. Do you speak spanish? Incorrect
If you have questions on these answers, do feel free to reach out!
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