May 23 2008
Your Mother or your mother?
Mothers are important, of course. And so are fathers, brothers, sisters, sons, daughters and other family members. But you don’t always capitalize them. Which of the following sentences are correct?
- Your mother is a wonderful woman.
- Your Father is a funny guy.
- Please call Mom to tell her we’re coming.
- I think Uncle Harry forgot his pants again.
- I’ve always been close to grandma Sally.
- I’m pretty sure Dad won a medal during the war.
Envelope please. The correct sentences are … #1, #3, #4 and #6. Here’s why:
Rule: Capitalize family relationship names only when they stand alone as a substitute for an individual’s name (as in sentences #3 and #6), or when they immediately precede the person’s name (as in sentence #4). Otherwise, do not capitalize them … no matter how much you love them.
Sentence #2 is wrong because it’s not a literal substitute for someone’s name. You wouldn’t say “Your Frank is a funny guy,” would you?
Sentence #5 is incorrect because “grandma” precedes the person’s name, creating a sort of title-name, like “President Smith.”
If all this is too difficult for you, go tell your mother.
