"Do You Capitalize It?" Gameshow

https://www.dictionary.com/e/video/capitalize-it-gameshow/?param=slideshow-email&click=7id75z&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Weekend%20Best%20Of%20Email%202019-10-19&utm_term=Daily

These contestants are going to show us their capitalization skills. Are you ready?

TRANSCRIPT

No matter what your political affiliation is, sometimes it’s a head-scratcher if you should capitalize “the president.”

And sure, a title like Moby-Dick is simple enough to format when you’re writing a book report: There’s only one word, and it’s a proper noun . . . but what happens when the title gets a bit longer? Suddenly, formatting Go Tell it on the Mountain becomes a bit harder …

Well, you’re not alone. These contestants are going to show us their capitalization skills. Are you ready?

[Host] - Surprise, surprise—the Starbucks barista spelled my name wrong on my grande white chocolate mocha.

That’s just me venting … the real question here is:

Do you capitalize “white chocolate mocha”?

[host] - While you might prefer to only get your white chocolate mochas at Starbucks, these overly sweet delights are sold at coffee shops all across the country.

Since “white chocolate” and “mocha” aren’t Starbucks trademarks, you don’t have to capitalize them. However, you would have to capitalize something Starbucks officially trademarked—like a Frappuccino Blended Creme. Mmm.

[Host} - Moving on … If you worked in the White House and I were to ask you to “Tell the President his approval ratings would go up if he got a puppy.”

Would you you capitalize “president”?

[host] - When referring to a specific leader by a title—be it the President, the Prime Minister, the King of Pop—you should capitalize it. The same rule would apply to the First Pet.

If you’re talking about the general office, though—like a president—no capital letter is needed.

[Host} - Speaking of politics … Everyone going to that 50s theme office party tomorrow is going to be dressed up as a beatnik or a communist.

But here’s the real question: Should  you capitalize communist?

[host] - This is tricky: when writing about a political party, use title case: Democrats, or the Republican Party.

However, when you refer to someone’s political belief or philosophy—like “liberal,” “conservative,” or, in this case, “communist”—no capitalization is required.

[Host] - OK, enough about communists … and onto my friend Richelle. Because Richelle just panned Everything Is Illuminated on Goodreads with a one-star review.

Harsh. But, the question we all want know is: Which words do you capitalize in the title: Everything Is Illuminated?

[host] - “Is” might be a short verb, but it’s still a verb. It’s capitalized in titles, even though it’s short.

We’ve arrived at the bonus questions. It’s a bonus because it’s about corgis … and that’s a win for everyone.

Whenever I see a corgi on the street, I immediately yell “Let me pet that Corgi, stat.”

But, if I were to write that down … should I capitalize corgi?

[host] - If a breed name comes from a proper noun—a Scottish fold or a Yorkshire terrier—it’s capitalized.

If a breed name is a general noun, like golden retriever or corgi, no title case is needed.