Capitalization

Q. Why are heaven and hell not capitalized like any other named noun? Assuming that these religious terms refer to a place (even if they are metaphorical or metaphysical) why would they not be capitalized like any Walmart? Is capitalization not applied to any specific, named place?

Q. Is the term “Clouds of Glory” (the specific ones that accompanied the Israelites in the desert) a proper noun? And if it is, would you capitalize the transliterated term? E.g.: “The Ananei HaKavod (Clouds of Glory) protected the Israelites as they traveled through the desert.”

Q. Do you recommend capitalizing offices such as the Office of the Attorney General and the Office of the City Clerk? These are formal names for administrative bodies, but they are shared names. In other words, every city has an Office of the City Clerk.

Q. Should the names of birds be capitalized? For example, is it “little blue heron” or “Little Blue Heron” (a problem since “little” and “blue” can sound like descriptors and not part of a creature’s formal name)? Or “heron” generally and “Little Blue Heron” specifically?

Q. When should the name of a martial art be capitalized? I see very different practices, especially for the following martial arts: Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Kodokan judo, muay Thai, and Shotokan karate. Even more confusing, some martial arts (e.g., Gracie jiu-jitsu) are both brand names and martial arts. Help!!

Q. When writing about experiments it’s common to name things like samples as “sample A.” Should “sample” be capitalized, as “Sample A” is referring to a specific sample, or is “sample” acting as a descriptive title and “A” is the proper noun?

Q. Is it Chicago style to not capitalize clauses in the US Constitution (the commerce clause, the due process clause, etc.)? If so, what is the reasoning?

Q. Hello! In the examples in CMOS 8.48, can you clarify why Southern California, Northern California, West Tennessee, East Tennessee, and Middle Tennessee get capitalized, whereas western Arizona, eastern Massachusetts, southern Minnesota, northwest Illinois, and central Illinois do not?

Q. The 18th edition says to include “The” when part of an official periodical title. What about upper- or lowercasing “The” in organizations such as The Juilliard School or The Metropolitan Museum of Art? (I prefer lowercase, but they refer to themselves with “The.”)

Q. Regarding professional titles (e.g., “chef”) that appear before a person’s name in running copy, it’s not clear when such titles should be initial capped. In CMOS 8.20, Chicago indicates that “professional titles are capitalized when they immediately precede a personal name and are thus used as part of the name (traditionally replacing the title holder’s first name).” But in 8.31, Chicago writes, “When preceding a name, generic titles that describe a person’s role or occupation—such as philosopher or historian—are normally lowercased.” So my question is, Do you have any guidance for distinguishing between a “professional title” and “generic titles that describe a person’s role or occupation”? It would seem that this is a contradiction in Chicago, but perhaps I’m missing something? Any input on this issue would be greatly appreciated!