President is a title that honors an office. Like titles, they are capitalized.
Titles are proper nouns and they provide respect to the person they are referring to. However, what determines if a title is put in capital letters is the word it is representing and its placement in the sentence.
In the case of the word president, it is both a proper and common noun. Unless it is referring to a person or office, it should not be capitalized.
But, did you know there are still rules to remember regarding when to capitalize and when to lowercase?
We’ve got you. Read up.
Should president be capitalized?
The general rule is to capitalize titles and President follows the same capitalization rules as other titles.
Basically, a title describes the position, rank, office, or job of a person.
As a rule of thumb, only capitalize titles if they come before a person’s name.
For example; Professor Churchill and Editor-in-Chief Christopher Landmark.
When to capitalize president
You capitalize president when it starts a sentence.
In the same vein, capitalize the title President if it comes immediately before the name of the person.
For instance; President Joe Biden
The last few years have been truly tough on President Davis.
You should also capitalize the title President when it is used in place of the president’s name. The title can be used to address him in the case of Mr. President.
Example;
The rise of the Greatest President
Similarly, capitalize the president in cases where it is referring to an event like President’s Day.
President’s Day is a legal holiday that falls on the third Monday in February and commemorates the birthdays of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.
Lastly, when it is used in a published title.
When in movie titles, journals, poems, and the like, capitalization is needed.
When not to capitalize president
President should be in lowercase, if not in the cases mentioned above. Whenever it is not used as a title, do not capitalize.
For example;
The president lives in the White House.
In this example, president is neither being used as a title before a person’s name, nor to address him directly, so it isn’t capitalized.
President is not capitalized when it comes after a person’s name.
For instance;
Joe Biden president of the United States.
Also, it is not in capital letters when it follows a nonessential phrase that is offset by a comma.
Nonessential phrases are those phrases that are not important to the meaning and clarity of the sentence.
For example:
The former president, Abraham Lincoln, was born on February 12, 1809.
Here, Abraham Lincoln is a nonessential phrase, as the sentence is clear without it.
Examples of when to Capitalize President
Here are a couple of examples:
Correct: Was it President Roosevelt who signed the Civil Rights Act of 1958?
Incorrect: Was it president Roosevelt who signed the Civil Rights Act of 1958?
Correct: Joe Biden is the current president of the United States.
Incorrect: Joe Biden is the current President of the United States.
One great thing about this grammar rule is that it works for all job titles. Therefore, if you know how to use it with a president, you also understand how to use it with a teacher, an accountant, or the editor-in-chief.
Do you capitalize vice president, president-elect, and former president?
Vice president and president-elect should be capitalized when they are used as titles before a name. Example; Vice President Harris.
They are also capitalized when they address the person in the role.
The same rule applies to ex- or former presidents. For former presidents, don’t capitalize former only President.
Example; former President Donald Trump or Donald Trump, former president of the United States.
Do you capitalize the titles of non-governmental presidents?
The same rule is applicable for non-governmental presidents like the president of organizations or companies, as well as all other government titles like mayor, governor, and senator.
For example, you could say, “Arnold Schwarzenegger was governor of California in addition to being an actor.”
Capitalizing president and other titles is only necessary when you’re using the title as part of a person’s name or addressing a president directly. However, some authors capitalize president in all situations out of respect for the office.
Conclusion
The general rule is to capitalize titles and President follows the same capitalization rules as other titles. We hope this article helps.
References
- Thesaurus – when is president capitalized in a sentence
- Writers digest – when is president capitalized in a sentence
