Random, Erroneous, and Inconsistent Capitalization

[Ed]

Hi Writers,

If I had to write a book about submissions from the last two weeks, it would be "Random, Erroneous, and Inconsistent Capitalization."

Please always proofread your articles and short summaries for such errors. Common nouns are not capitalized. Proper nouns are. Adjectives are not capitalized unless they are a part of a title or proper name. Example: The Blue Danube

Please do not use capitalization for emphasis or to draw attention to an uncommon term or phrase. We have punctuation or italics for such purposes. Someone can "go green." Someone can go "green." No one Goes Green or goes Green.

We have swine flu and the influenza virus, but not Swine flu or the Influenza virus. If you are writing about roses, daffodils, and pansies, please do not talk about roses, Daffodils, and pansies. You may love Aunt Martha, but aunts are still common, as are uncles, though Uncle Bob may be the most uncommon uncle you've ever had. Teenage students go to high school, but you may have gone to Boonies Junior High. Your business plan is not made more important as a result of it appearing capitalized, but Google is still a proper noun, even if you use this search engine every day. You may find Republicans or Democrats full of hot air, but you must still show respect by capitalizing the names of their parties.

If you're ever in doubt, please look it up!

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/592/01/

Thanks,
Ed

[eek]

Ed, what about Latin names of botanicals? You didn't reject any of my articles for this, but in one article I submitted recently I was searching for a resource that would give more specific rules for names of plants. For instance, daisy is not capitalized but a couple of plants with "English" modifying them are: English daisy, English ivy. Or is that erroneous? Would that be like capitalizing French fries?
Thanks,
Emma

[Ed]

That's a good question. If the adjective is proper, then it's generally capitalized, though I can't find a definitive source that refers to flowers and plants, either. Lots of sources touch upon this issue and give some examples, but the explanations are generalized. I think you can count on the adjective being capitalized if it describes the plant as from a specific geographical location.

Japanese maple
Siberian iris
Russian sage

Not capitalizing french fry is an exception to the rule, and not immediately intuitive, in my opinion.

Here is a list (pdf) of some plant names, but many of these do not appear to be intuitive. (Capital L - Lady's mantle.)
http://www.jjc.edu/academics/divisions/ ... l-list.pdf

black-eyed Susan . . . but creeping jenny

Confused yet?
Ed



Ed

[Lor]

I was the daffodil culprit. Bad proofing, but I have the same question as eek with regards to botanical latin names as in R. rubiginosa or Rosa rugosa. These are usually capped. I've never seen otherwise.

Lor

eek .... I used the spelling California poppy. We need further discussion here, I think.

[eek]

Not finding a source, I resorted to canvasing sites which seemed to be well-versed in botanical language, and I noticed that Latin names are capitalized, but only the first word of a two-part Latin name. So yes, confused here, but willing to go on with life until we find a more definitive source. Or, are there any writers here with a degree in biology?
Thanks, Lor & Ed.

[Ed]

It appears that each flower follows its own rule, except when it's the basic flower name. An internet search doesn't really help, because it seems no one who is writing about flowers knows, either. I think consistency is one key to the puzzle, at least within your own article.

[Lor]

Good answer.

There are many latin names that are also the common names of plants. There are some latin names that include the common name in quotes and this is actually the complete name of the plant. There are lots of nuances to botanical names because in many instances, the plant variety may be a hybrid, so both parent plants are in the botanical name with an X. Full of oddities.