Do native speakers capitalize "aunt," "mother," "father," etc. with "my", "her" if they are using them as a title?
"My uncle works in a factory."
"My Dad is on business in France."
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1In general, no (UK).– Michael HarveyCommented Sep 4, 2021 at 12:58
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2Related: Capitalizing family members' names (i.e. nouns, NOT proper nouns)– Mari-Lou ACommented Sep 4, 2021 at 13:00
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Do you mean my sentences show a general use?– Antonia ACommented Sep 4, 2021 at 13:03
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3Yes, it is wrong.– Michael HarveyCommented Sep 4, 2021 at 13:35
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1My view is that you can capitalize whatever you want. There is no rule. It depends on how you view them. However, I would not normally capitalize uncle unless his name is given: My Uncle Bob likes cookies.– LambieCommented Sep 4, 2021 at 15:18
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2 Answers
These are not being used as titles. They are being used as common nouns and are not capitalised.
"As a title" means as part of a name:
Please give this to your uncle.
Please give this to Uncle George.
Or in place of a name
Please give this to Dad (said by one sibling to another)
Note you don't say "Father George" or "Brother Tom" (except when they are religious titles of a priest or a monk). While a sibling will use "Dad" in place of a name when talking to another sibling, it is unusual to use "Brother" as a name. So don't say:
*Please give this to Dad George.
*Please give this to Brother.
It is normal to capitalise nouns of relationship, such as mother, father, aunt, etc, and their shortened versions (mum/mom, dad, etc) when they are used as forms of address or as a name e.g. hello, Dad! Dear Mom and Dad (starting a letter), I thought Aunt Sally would come to the party, but not otherwise - did you tell your dad? Is Mrs Jones your aunt? Does your mum drive a car? Peter's mother is a doctor. My father is Dutch.
answered Sep 4, 2021 at 13:34
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It really annoys me when UK tabloid newspapers call someone's grandmother their 'nan'., or write 'Mum of four arrested'. Commented Sep 4, 2021 at 13:36
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Because it is allowed to have constructions like "my Fred" to distinguish the Fred in my family from the Fred in your family, there can be some uncertainty about whether "my Dad" or "my dad" is correct. Though very often just saying "Dad" is enough to make it clear who you are talking about.– PeterCommented Sep 4, 2021 at 14:03
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@Peter - Fred is always a proper name; 'dad' only sometimes. There some uncertainty, yes, in that sometimes people wrongly write 'my Dad'. Commented Sep 4, 2021 at 15:33
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If I write 'my Dad' I mean the person I call Dad. If I write 'my dad' I mean my father. It would depend on the context which one I would use, noting that for me the two expressions refer to the same person. I would also note that the use of "Dad" as a name is earier than its use as code for "father".– PeterCommented Sep 5, 2021 at 10:06