# If an uncapitalized name begins a sentence, should it capitalized? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 11, 2017, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-uncapitalized-name-begins-a-sentence-should-it-capitalized/779578 "2017-02-11T20:20:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-uncapitalized-name-begins-a-sentence-should-it-capitalized/779578/21 "2017-02-11T22:51:08Z")
Sleep deprivation is the bane of my existence. Would a kindly moderator please fix my title? There is supposed to be the word ‘be’ after the word ‘it.’ ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-uncapitalized-name-begins-a-sentence-should-it-capitalized/779578/22 "2017-02-11T23:20:59Z")
> [@Washoe](#): > > But that’s exactly what I’m asking. If the author recognizes that a proper name is uncapitalized, is it in proper form to capitalize it if it begins a sentence? Apples and oranges. The rule that a word is capitalized at the beginning of the sentence is different from the rule that proper names are capitalized. If the author chooses not to capitalize a proper noun, I don’t see why that means it should be uncapitalized in all circumstances. The fact that bitcoin is uncapitalized as a proper noun is irrelevant to whether it should be capitalized at the beginning of a sentence. ---
**Author:** ![TSBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@TSBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TSBG)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2017, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-uncapitalized-name-begins-a-sentence-should-it-capitalized/779578/23 "2017-02-12T00:03:40Z")
So if the name bell hooks begins a sentence, do you style her Bell hooks? That seems weird. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2017, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-uncapitalized-name-begins-a-sentence-should-it-capitalized/779578/24 "2017-02-12T00:10:08Z")
Yes. For exactly the same reason that /'s/ is added to a proprietary name, altering it from is intended form to show that it is possessive. And the plural is bitcoins, ignoring the demand by its creator that it not be respelled. In some languages, bitcoin could take on a dozen different inflections to show case and number. And in German, it must be capitalized, as are all nouns. I have robins in my yard. Robins come in springtime. The robin’s eggs are blue. Met’s catcher Travis d’Arnaud is not hitting. D’Arnaud will be sent to the minors. Johnson will take d’Arnaud’s place in the lineup. By the way, just for good measure, dollar, euro, shilling, frank, and peso are not capitalized either. Do you start a sentence with “dollars can be exchanged at the airport”? ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2017, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-uncapitalized-name-begins-a-sentence-should-it-capitalized/779578/25 "2017-02-12T00:21:48Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Insisting that you have to right to alter someone’s name is bizarre. Is there any limit to this line of argument? If someone insists their name appear in a particular typeface, or color, or size, or otherwise, is everyone obligated to comply? ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2017, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-uncapitalized-name-begins-a-sentence-should-it-capitalized/779578/26 "2017-02-12T00:27:17Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > **Absolutely not.** The beginning of a sentence has no special meaning with regard to names as any other position. > > It would be comparable to enforcing making a person’s name _lower case_ if it appears elsewhere! > > Think about that for a second. > > Insisting that you have to right to alter someone’s name is bizarre. So I’m sure you always say 毛泽东 when talking about the founder of 中华人民共和国, the country whose capital is 北京市. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2017, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-uncapitalized-name-begins-a-sentence-should-it-capitalized/779578/27 "2017-02-12T00:29:28Z")
There is another side to this bicoin. As far as I know, every style guide agrees that you cannot start a sentence with a numeral, patently for the reason that the numeral cannot be capitalized. “Fifty-seven varieties made Heinz famous.” It is incorrect to write “57 varieties made Heinz famous”. To my knowledge, every language that uses the Roman alphabet requires the capitalization of the first letter in a sentence, but I’d be happy to hear of an exception. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2017, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-uncapitalized-name-begins-a-sentence-should-it-capitalized/779578/28 "2017-02-12T00:45:08Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Ftg has the right principle but is invoking it incorrectly. As noted, there is no special meaning with regard to names. So a name which normally begins with an uncapitalized letter, like ftg, is treated like any other word which normally begins with an uncapitalized letter, like as or so - and the **rule** is such words are capitalized when they’re the first word of a sentence. Whose rule is this and why does it apply to me? > [@Colibri](#): > > Apples and oranges. The **rule** that a word is capitalized at the beginning of the sentence is different from the **rule** that proper names are capitalized. If the author chooses not to capitalize a proper noun, I don’t see why that means it should be uncapitalized in all circumstances. The fact that bitcoin is uncapitalized as a proper noun is irrelevant to whether it should be capitalized at the beginning of a sentence. Whose rule is this and why does it apply to me? ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2017, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-uncapitalized-name-begins-a-sentence-should-it-capitalized/779578/29 "2017-02-12T01:30:14Z")
Scientists have thus far been unable to determine whether the laws of physics dictate that such names be capitalized at the beginning of a sentence or not. Theologians have not revealed to us the will of God on this matter. In the absence of an answer from these authorities, all we have left to rely on are opinions. Which vary. ---
**Author:** ![Wallaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dc4da7/32.png) [@Wallaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallaby)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2017, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-uncapitalized-name-begins-a-sentence-should-it-capitalized/779578/30 "2017-02-12T01:35:56Z")
I think many people confuse/misuse the terms ‘rules’ and ‘conventions’. When writing, it’s a convention to use capital letters to begin a sentence. It’s an aid to helping the reader understand the speech pattern that the author intended. (eg - a pause between two distinct points of discussion). Capital letters are not used in vocal speech. They have a lot of different uses in written speech - sentence separation, emphasis, proper name identification. They are useful aids, and by convention, most people use the same rules - eg - if I write a piece of dialogue in capitals, the common interpretation is that the dialogue is at a loud volume. There is no reason why the author couldn’t use capital letters to indicate whispering - except that the convention is not to do so, and most readers would misunderstand. But these are not rules - they are merely aids to help people understand your communication. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2017, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-uncapitalized-name-begins-a-sentence-should-it-capitalized/779578/31 "2017-02-12T02:41:42Z")
> [@Wallaby](#): > > I think many people confuse/misuse the terms ‘rules’ and ‘conventions’. > > When writing, it’s a convention to use capital letters to begin a sentence. It’s an aid to helping the reader understand the speech pattern that the author intended. (eg - a pause between two distinct points of discussion). > > Capital letters are not used in vocal speech. > > They have a lot of different uses in written speech - sentence separation, emphasis, proper name identification. They are useful aids, and by convention, most people use the same rules - eg - if I write a piece of dialogue in capitals, the common interpretation is that the dialogue is at a loud volume. There is no reason why the author couldn’t use capital letters to indicate whispering - except that the convention is not to do so, and most readers would misunderstand. > > But these are not rules - they are merely aids to help people understand your communication. A rule is something that everyone is free to break when and how they please, provided they are prepared to accept the consequences of doing so. Breaking this rule will result in the consequence of people not understanding one, or calling, one illiterate or some other epithet which is unlikely to be complimentary. And yes, they are rules. But, if you wish to call it so, then it is the convention to not capitalize the names of units of currency, which is overridden by the convention of capitalizing first word of a sentence, which addresses the OP’s question. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2017, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-uncapitalized-name-begins-a-sentence-should-it-capitalized/779578/32 "2017-02-12T03:09:10Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Whose rule is this and why does it apply to me? While I basically agree with you that you can choose your own style (within limits), if you decide that your style doesn’t include capitalizing the first word of a sentence you will be regarded as illiterate. If you decide you’re going to write in this, sure you can, but no one will take you seriously. Why exactly do you capitalize your sentences and spell correctly? It takes more effort. We get lots of trolls on this forum who ask us why the normal rules of writing in English should apply to them. They don’t get a lot of tolerance.😉 ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2017, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-uncapitalized-name-begins-a-sentence-should-it-capitalized/779578/33 "2017-02-12T03:20:58Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > And yes, they are rules. No, they are not. The proof is that every style guide differs from every other style guide in hundreds of ways. You could argue that each state has a set of laws and all of them have legal force even though they vary from one another in hundreds of ways. But that argument fails because those rules have legal force behind them. Style guides have no such force. It’s like saying that there are rules for how weddings should be conducted. There must be a best man and a bridesmaid and the father must give the bride away and there must be a bachelor party and on and on for hundreds of pages. But those obviously aren’t rules. They are conventions, as Wallaby said and you acknowledged oddly, dozens or hundreds of different ones for different times and cultures, honored by some people in some ways at some times and freely tossed to the winds by others at other times. That is style. Calling styles rules is exactly and specifically wrong in trying to understand them. Colibri snuck in while I was writing this. > [@Colibri](#): > > if you decide that your style doesn’t include capitalizing the first word of a sentence you will be regarded as illiterate. All I can say is that I’ve stopped capitalizing names of people and companies at the beginning of sentences. I’m pretty sure that nobody finds my writing illiterate. The language has changed while you were trying to thwart it. Modern style by good writers (the class of basic professionals, not those with literary fineness) has been rapidly moving to write those names as given. I’ve joined them. You might not have, which is fine: there are many points of style I haven’t adjusted over time. But you’ll quickly find that a judgement of illiteracy on this issue will be met with the same derision as someone complaining of a preposition at the end of a sentence. That’s just the way language works. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2017, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-uncapitalized-name-begins-a-sentence-should-it-capitalized/779578/34 "2017-02-12T03:25:51Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > All I can say is that I’ve stopped capitalizing names of people and companies at the beginning of sentences. This makes no sense. Those names should be capitalized anyway, regardless of where they appear in the sentence. In any case your claim appears to be that there is not a general rule to capitalize the word at the beginning of a sentence. That’s utterly absurd. ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2017, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-uncapitalized-name-begins-a-sentence-should-it-capitalized/779578/35 "2017-02-12T03:27:55Z")
Totally off point, but I’ve taken to spelling the President’s name as “trump”, no capitals at all. I figure that we’ve seen it so many times with all five letters capitalized that I’m just restoring some balance. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2017, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-uncapitalized-name-begins-a-sentence-should-it-capitalized/779578/36 "2017-02-12T03:32:39Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > All I can say is that I’ve stopped capitalizing names of people and companies at the beginning of sentences. I’m pretty sure that nobody finds my writing illiterate. To clarify, I am saying that there is absolutely a general rule to capitalize the first word of a sentence. That’s true as far as I am aware in all western languages, even those that may not use the western alphabet. There may be _exceptions_ to this general rule according to particular style guides, or even personal preference. But to claim that no such rule exists doesn’t bear scrutiny. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2017, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-uncapitalized-name-begins-a-sentence-should-it-capitalized/779578/37 "2017-02-12T03:36:52Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Whose rule is this and why does it apply to me? You’re a professional writer. You know quite well that the first word in a sentence gets capitalized as a rule. You do it in your own posts. It’s not a law. You’re free to break the rule if you wish. But pretending the rule doesn’t exist is silly. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2017, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-uncapitalized-name-begins-a-sentence-should-it-capitalized/779578/38 "2017-02-12T04:05:52Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > You’re a professional writer. You know quite well that the first word in a sentence gets capitalized as a rule. You do it in your own posts. > > It’s not a law. You’re free to break the rule if you wish. But pretending the rule doesn’t exist is silly. Yes, \*I capitalize the first word - unless the first word is designed to be uncapitalized. \* There. That’s a style. I would - and do - write that: eBay screwed me on a purchase today. I would - and do - write that: jtur88 said something in his post I disagree with. joema, however, supported my view. I would - and do - write that: iPhone6 is terrible and I don’t use it. I would - and do - write that: e. e. cummings and bell hooks are famous writers, known for their orthographic eccentricities. Would I have done so ten years ago? No. I’ve changed because the language has. It’s a small, subtle change. Most people wouldn’t notice it because they expect that eBay and iPhone and usernames to be written uncapitalized. To the contrary, it would - and I believe does - look strange to see EBay and IPhone and Jtur88 and Joema. Which causes more surprise, or awkward stumbles, or annoyance? I maintain that the old style does. I’ll keep doing it. You feel free to judge. The Dope has no style sheet. You can find tens of thousands of badly written posts. Mine ain’t any of 'em, and you know that. You’ll get used to the new ways after a while. Except for apostrophe’s in plural’s. Hanging offenses, each and every one. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2017, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-uncapitalized-name-begins-a-sentence-should-it-capitalized/779578/39 "2017-02-12T04:15:11Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Insisting that you have to right to alter someone’s name is bizarre. But is the capitalization style an inherent part of someone’s name? Is changing it more like altering its spelling or punctuation, or more like altering its font or color? ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2017, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-uncapitalized-name-begins-a-sentence-should-it-capitalized/779578/40 "2017-02-12T04:53:21Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > e. e. cummings and bell hooks are famous writers, known for their orthographic eccentricities. I think I’ve pretty much accepted the argument that E. E. Cummings had never intended his _name_ to be uncapitalized. He wrote poetry uncapitalized, but it was his publisher who uncapitalized his name as a matter of decoration for the book cover. He wrote his own signature with capital letters — [https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/EE\_Cummings\_signature.svg](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/EE_Cummings_signature.svg) So it amounts to insisting that SONY or DODGE must be spelled with all capitals because the SONY or DODGE logo uses all capitals. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-uncapitalized-name-begins-a-sentence-should-it-capitalized/779578.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-uncapitalized-name-begins-a-sentence-should-it-capitalized/779578.md?page=3)