Practice
Titles and names in English writing
Sign in to saveYou are writing to a new client called Dr. Mei Chen. A small detail matters: write Dr. Mei Chen, not dr mei chen. Capitals and punctuation help a reader see where a name and title begin.
Write personal names and common types of title with suitable capitalization and punctuation for the sentence.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
Dr. Mei Chen will speak at the meeting. /ˈdɒktə meɪ tʃen wɪl spiːk æt ðə ˈmiːtɪŋ/
The short answer
Capitalize a person's name and a courtesy title before it. Capitalize a job title when it directly comes before a name, but use lowercase when the title describes a role after the name or in general.
Dr. Mei Chen will speak at the meeting.
Why it works: Dr. is a courtesy title before a name, and each part of Mei Chen begins with a capital letter.
6 more examples
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Mr. Daniel Okafor sent the contract yesterday.
The courtesy title and both parts of the personal name are capitalized.
Not this:
The mansent the contract yesterday. What changes: Man is a general noun here, so it does not need a capital letter. -
Director Ana Ruiz opened the event.
Director is used as a formal title directly before Ana Ruiz's name.
Not this:Ana Ruiz,
the director, opened the event. What changes: Director describes her role after her name, so it is lowercase. -
Please ask Professor Green for feedback.
Professor is capitalized because it is used with Green as the person's title and name.
Not this:Please ask
the professorfor feedback. What changes: Professor is a general description when no name follows it. -
We discussed the film The Silent Harbor in class.
The words in this invented film title are capitalized as part of the title.
Not this:We discussed
a silent harborin class. What changes: These are ordinary descriptive words, not the name of a work. -
I read an article called "Planning a Better Meeting."
A title of an article is set apart from the rest of the sentence and its main words begin with capitals in this style.
Not this:I read an article about
planning a better meeting. What changes: This phrase describes the topic and is not the article's title. -
The Smith family is arriving on Friday.
Smith is the family's name, so it begins with a capital letter.
Not this:The
familyis arriving on Friday. What changes: Family is a common noun, so it stays lowercase.
Read the full guide
First, decide whether the word is part of a particular person's name or a general description. Then check whether it is a courtesy title, a job title, or the title of a work. Use capitals for names and for titles that are part of a name. Keep ordinary role words lowercase unless your publication's style says otherwise.
Capitalize every part of a personal name
A personal name is a proper noun. Begin each part with a capital letter, including a given name, family name, and middle name when the person uses one. Keep the spelling and capitalization a person gives for their own name.
Nora El-Sayed will lead the workshop.
Nora El-Sayed is one particular person, so both parts of the name begin with capitals.
Which version is suitable in a formal email: omar khalil or Omar Khalil?
Use Omar Khalil. Both words are parts of the person's name.
Use courtesy titles before a name
Courtesy titles identify or address a person. Common examples are Mr., Ms., Mrs., Dr., and Professor. Capitalize them when they appear before a name. Use the person's preferred title when you know it.
Ms. Patel asked for the revised schedule.
Ms. comes before Patel as part of the way the writer refers to this person.
The doctor asked for the revised schedule.
Doctor is a general role here, so it is lowercase.
Decide whether a job title is part of a name
A job title can be part of a formal name before a person: Mayor Lucas Brown. In ordinary sentences, it usually describes a role and stays lowercase: Lucas Brown, the mayor, spoke first. Do not capitalize every job word just because the work is important.
President Nadia Saleh welcomed the visitors.
President is used directly before Nadia Saleh as a title in this sentence.
Choose the sentence that describes a role after the name: Chief Engineer Ravi Shah or Ravi Shah, the chief engineer?
Use Ravi Shah, the chief engineer when the words simply describe Ravi Shah's role.
Set titles of works apart from ordinary words
A book, film, song, or article title names a specific work. In running text, use the punctuation and capitalization required by the style you are following. Many styles put book and film titles in italics and article titles in quotation marks.
Our class watched the film A Long Way Home.
A Long Way Home is the name of one film, so it is treated as a title rather than a normal phrase.
Our class read the article "How Teams Share Ideas."
Quotation marks can show that these words are the title of an article in this writing style.
Keep one style throughout the document
English has more than one accepted style for some titles. The main goal is consistency. If your organization writes Dr. with a period, use that form throughout the document. If its guide uses Dr without a period, keep that form throughout instead.
Dr. Chen and Dr. Morgan will review the report.
This document uses the American punctuation style, with a period after Dr.
What should you check before changing the capitalization of a title in a report?
Check the report's style guide or nearby examples, then use the same pattern consistently.
Before you go
Remember this
Capitalize names and courtesy titles before names. Treat a job title as part of a name only when the sentence uses it that way; otherwise, use lowercase. For titles of works and punctuation after courtesy titles, follow the document's chosen style consistently.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Titles and names in English writing"
Should I capitalize a person's first and last name?
Yes. Personal names are proper nouns, so each part normally begins with a capital letter. Write Maria Lopez and Kenji Watanabe, not maria lopez or kenji watanabe.
Mr. Daniel Okafor sent the contract yesterday.
Do Mr., Ms., and Dr. need capital letters?
Capitalize these courtesy titles when you use them before a name. Write Ms. Brown or Dr. Hassan. Use lowercase for a general description, as in the doctor or a manager.
The man sent the contract yesterday.
When is a job title capitalized?
A job title may be capitalized when it works as a formal title directly before a person's name, such as Director Ana Ruiz. It is usually lowercase when it describes the role after the name, such as Ana Ruiz, the director.
Director Ana Ruiz opened the event.
Why do some writers use Dr. and others use Dr?
American and British writing styles often use different punctuation for abbreviated titles. Many American styles use Dr., while many British styles use Dr. without the period. Follow the style guide for your school, workplace, or publication.
Ana Ruiz, the director, opened the event.
How should I write the title of a book or article?
Treat the name of a book or article as a title rather than ordinary words. The exact capitalization and punctuation depend on the style guide. Many styles use italics for books and quotation marks for articles.
Please ask Professor Green for feedback.