Revised as of 28 May 2021
It’s a question of capitalization — and the number of Sirs I see capped in text drives me up the wall, scratching and clawing, snarling and biting. And, no, the capped Sir is not the only problem child. To be honest, it makes sense for the most part that most authors confuse some of them, but there are too many others that just make me want to tear my hair out!! So, a bit of background first.
An Honorific is . . .
First, an honorific is how people address one another. It’s the generic title, the title of a profession, of military rank, of inherited nobility or a ruler, a civil title, one of endearment, of a personal title.
- Denoting a form of address showing high status, politeness, or respect
- An honorific title for addressing women
Noun: a title or word implying or expressing high status, politeness, or respect
And my explanation still hasn’t helped, has it? Not to worry, the table below should take away the mystery.
While there are always exceptions, a good basic rule is:
- Cap it if it’s a direct address.
- Lowercase it if it is referring to someone.
Formatting Tips started . . .
. . . as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with words that should have been capitalized or italicized, in quotes or not, what should be spelled out and what can be abbreviated, proper styling for the Latin names of plants, the proper formatting and usage of titles and more in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noir for you from either end. Consider sharing this style tip with friends by tweeting it.
| Honorifics | |||
| Formatting | |||
| Definition: A term used to respect, acknowledge, address, or denigrate another person or being.
General Rule: The general rule is to use lowercase unless the person is being directly addressed. When speaking directly to a person, generally, you would use uppercase — and don’t forget the rule of the comma and the vocative case when it comes to direct address! This being English, there are, of course, exceptions. When it comes to foreign honorifics, if the story is based in an English-speaking setting, then use English capitalization rules AND usage rules of the country for the honorifics. |
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| Capped | lowercase | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| The Substantive Generic Title | |||
| sir, my lady, señor, mademoiselle, my lord, miss, etc. | |||
| At the beginning of a sentence or as part of a direct address: | The default and when used without the person’s name: | ||
| Sir, will you excuse me?
Oh, Señor Ortega, I was thinking of you. My lord, there is someone at the door for you. Oh, Miss Smith, that is the loveliest dress. |
Excuse me, sir, may I get by?
I was thinking of you, señor. There is someone at the door for you, my lord. Oh, miss, that is the loveliest dress. |
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| BDSM Title | |||
| Rule: In the BDSM world, a submissive may be required to address her/his Domme/Dom as Sir Davitt). | |||
| Does Sir require me to . . . Yes, Sir . . . If Sir would prefer . . . |
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| Professional Titles | |||
| doctor, detective, lieutenant, maestro, professor, etc. | |||
| At the beginning of a sentence or as part of a direct address: | When not addressing the person directly: | ||
| Excuse me, Professor, what was the homework again?
So, I have to have surgery, Doctor? Detective, I can’t possibly sign this. |
Did you ask the professor about our homework?
The doctor says I have to have surgery. The detective wants me to sign this. |
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| Military Titles | |||
| Range from the highest ranks—The Adjutant General, the Inspector General, the Surgeon General, the Commander-in-Chief, the Admiral of the Navy, etc.—to the regular ranks—general, admiral, corporal, sergeant, etc. | |||
| Always cap the highest ranks before a name, after a name, or standing alone: | When used without a name and NOT in direct address: | ||
| Commander-in-Chief Supreme Allied Commander Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, etc. |
captain general admiral colonel lieutenant, etc. |
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| Lower ranks are capped only before a name or in direct address: | |||
| General Adams Lieutenant Steele |
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| Examples: | Examples: | ||
| Lieutenant, have the men shorten the spinnaker.
Did General McKinley sign off on this, sir? Sergeant, you’ll have to take command of the battalion. Have you spoken with the Supreme Allied Commander? |
Have the lieutenant tell the men to shorten the spinnaker.
Did the general sign off on this? Get the sergeant to take command of the battalion. |
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| Civil, Ruling, or Noble Titles | |||
| king, queen, or president; a lord or lady; the pope; emperor; and, the way in which any of these — and others — may be addressed directly. | |||
| Title is before the person’s name: | When referring to the person | ||
| An exception is Turkish titles as the title follows the person’s name, e.g., Kemal Pasha
One-of-a-kind titles such as Pope (* AP Style differs) |
It’s a general job description:
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| Directly to the person in speech/dialog: | |||
| Your Majesty Your Royal Highness Your Excellency Your Honor Your Grace, etc. When in their country, e.g., in the British Commonwealth, always refer to the Queen. |
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| Examples: | Examples: | ||
| Please, Your Majesty, if you would come this way?
But, Your Honor, I’m innocent! |
Her majesty insists it be done.
Yeah? Well, his honor can shove . . . The prime minister believes this is important. |
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| Terms of Endearment or Affection | |||
| The range for such terms is much wider and includes honey, sis, bro, bitch, sweetie, and more. | |||
| When used to begin a sentence: | Used within a sentence: | ||
| Honey, can you take out the garbage?
Sis, you are lookin’ good! |
Can you take out the garbage, honey?
You are lookin’ good, sis! Exceptions: Lookin’ good, Big Daddy Kane. Anybody seen Boy George? Is Mama Cass singing tonight? |
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| Personal, a.k.a. Family Titles | |||
| The most common of which are mom and dad, aunt and uncle, cousin. | |||
| Used in direct address or at the start of a sentence: | When referring to someone: | ||
| When did you say you’d be home, Mom?
Wait a minute, Dad . . . Hey, Mom, where are the sandwich fixings? |
My mom said she’d be home at five.
Her dad won’t let her go. Does anyone know where your mom is? When is his mother getting home? |
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| When the title is used as a name: | |||
| When is Mother getting home?
Do you think Father will help with my class project? |
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C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
Satisfy your curiosity about other Formatting Tips by exploring its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Word Confusions, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.
Resources for Honorifics
Davitt. Jane. (@janedavitt). Twitter. <http://www.twitter.com/janedavitt>.
Pinterest Photo Credits:
My own work.
True, but in BDSM stories, ‘sir’ is often ‘Sir’ as a mark of respect toward a Dom. So where it’d be correct for a butler to say, “Good morning, sir,” a sub would say, “Good morning, Sir.”
All the publishing style guides I’ve seen allow for this usage in this particular case. Not sure if it’s adopted across the board, of course.
Very true. And I’ve added that particular change to the entry on honorifics in my website with “if the honorific is used as a specific name or nickname for a particular person”. Hope you don’t mind that I’ve credited it to you…
Not at all! Thank you.