Inequality in the Kingdom of Nouns

Inequality in the Kingdom of Nouns
Friday, January 31, 2025 by Cindy K. Sproles

By Denise Loock

Newer writers often use uppercase letters willy-nilly to indicate a word’s importance. But there are rules in the kingdom of nouns, and although you may think all nouns are created equal, they aren’t.

Best-selling author Cecil Murphey says, “I wouldn’t hire a carpenter who didn’t know how to use a hammer. … Good writers know their craft—that’s their box of tools.”[1] An uppercase letter is a tool writers should use accurately.

Writers don’t have to be spelling bee champions, but they do need to be wise enough, and humble enough, to consult the recognized authorities on capitalization. Here are three:

Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (M-W)
The Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS)
The Christian Writer’s Manual of Style (CWMS)

The basic capitalization rules haven’t changed since we learned them in elementary school. Capitalize proper nouns—names of particular people, places, things, or ideas. Don’t capitalize common nouns—ordinary names for people, places, things, or ideas in general. For example, president is a common noun, but President Abraham Lincoln is a proper noun.

Who determines the difference between particular and ordinary? The authorities mentioned above. Not you. (Have a good cry if necessary.) Many Christians capitalize words they consider important: faith, hope, love, salvation, cross, truth, and apostle, to name a few. But those words fail the particular test. Capitalizing a word may seem like an effective way to emphasize its importance, but sentence structure should do that—not a capital letter (or boldface or italics).

Scripture doesn’t jump up and down to make its point. God states truth simply. Profoundly. Memorably. If the Bible version you’re using doesn’t capitalize a word, then you shouldn’t either.

When in doubt, consult CWMS (not your favorite pastor or blogger). CWMS devotes thirteen pages to the capitalization of religious terms (pp. 101–113). The list is alphabetized for easy reference. The fourth edition of CWMS also includes a 200-page annotated word list which covers everything from Adam’s apple to layperson to parachurch.

Many Christian writers choose to capitalize the initial letter of pronouns that refer to God—He, His, You, and Me. But most publishers, faith-based and secular, discourage this practice. The running text may conflict with Scripture quotations if the Bible translation cited doesn’t capitalize the initial letter. Some readers, unfamiliar with this means of honoring God, may be more confused than enlightened by the capital letters.

To harness your uppercase urges, I recommend the following:

Create emphasis with word choice and sentence structure instead of capital letters.
Admit that your personal preferences aren’t the standard and yield to the recognized authorities in the publishing industry.
Use the online version Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary. It is updated regularly.
Purchase The Christian Writer’s Manual of Style and follow its recommendations.

This week do an uppercase letter purge in your manuscript. Capitalization is a helpful tool but defer to the recognized authorities on proper usage. The goal of writing is clear communication, so nouns should remain unequal.

[1] September 26, 2017 entry on Cecil Murphey’s Writer to Writer blog. Used with written permission.