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Of kings and capital letters

Yet another one for the Swedish guy. I know you capitalize "the King of Something," and I know you don't capitalize "a king from some country called Something." If your story is in the kingdom of Something, and you make reference to its leader without using his full title, is he "the king" or "the King"? I'm seeing inconsistent answers all over the Internet, some of them quite bizarre.
 
I found this from the University of Wyoming English Department. Capitalization | Style Guide | Eighteenth-Century Life | College of Arts & Sciences According to that site, you would capitalize "king" if it is a title. For example, you would write King Robert Baratheon, King of Westeros. If you are addressing a specific person, but are addressing them by only their title, then you capitalize it. However, if you are not addressing a specific person and are speaking in more general terms, you do not capitalize the titles.
 
I found this from the University of Wyoming English Department. Capitalization | Style Guide | Eighteenth-Century Life | College of Arts & Sciences According to that site, you would capitalize "king" if it is a title. For example, you would write King Robert Baratheon, King of Westeros. If you are addressing a specific person, but are addressing them by only their title, then you capitalize it. However, if you are not addressing a specific person and are speaking in more general terms, you do not capitalize the titles.

Just to make sure I understand: if the narration is referring to a specific king, does not call him by name or say what he's king of, and is addressing whoever narration addresses (the reader?), you don't capitalize?
 

skip.knox

toujours gai, archie
Moderator
How about giving us the line in question? I'm picturing something like this:

The ruler of Mythica, King Skip, was a wise and victorious king.

You want to know if the second instance is capitalized, yes?
 
Just to make sure I understand: if the narration is referring to a specific king, does not call him by name or say what he's king of, and is addressing whoever narration addresses (the reader?), you don't capitalize?

One of my english teachers gave me this tip: if the title is replacing a name, then capitalize the title. If you are referring to a specific individual, you can capitalize King.

Could you possibly provide an example from your story? I would like to see the context in which the title is used.
 
One of my english teachers gave me this tip: if the title is replacing a name, then capitalize the title. If you are referring to a specific individual, you can capitalize King.

Could you possibly provide an example from your story? I would like to see the context in which the title is used.

It's not my story, it's the Swedish guy's, but one of the lines he wrote was:

Junebug herself returned home from her errands to find the Princess standing on her roof and staring into space.
 

Svrtnsse

Staff
Article Team
Completely unrelated, but now I too want a princess on a roof in my story. - Because reasons.
 

Julian S Bartz

Minstrel
One of my english teachers gave me this tip: if the title is replacing a name, then capitalize the title. If you are referring to a specific individual, you can capitalize King.

Agreed

I spent a great deal of time on this once. And yes there are varying opinions. Make sure you are consistant.

From what some editors told me, if you are replacing the name of someone, then capitalise. Additionally, often titles of royalty are capitalised when refering to an individual, but not when referring to the plural.

EG.

"Listen to me," said the King.

King George took his seat.

He was the King of England.

The former kings of England knew that there was no chance.

However the ones that always get to me is if you say something like, 'George, who would later be king, wished that...'
I still don't know whether to capitalise it there or not.

I'm not an expert on grammar but I think as long as you are consistant you will be OK.
 

skip.knox

toujours gai, archie
Moderator
At the time of the sentence, George was only a prince not a king, so lowercase on that one, Julian S Bartz.
 
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