capitalization of a title
I believe that the following is the incorrect " The Dean's administrative executive puts ..." 'Dean' should be lower case - correct?
Janice Bailey
New member
2 answers 
Depends... "Dean Lass" is a title, like "President Obama."
however, "The Dean's..." as you've used it is somewhat general.
I'm going to go out on a limb and say capitalized is acceptable, and lowercase is also acceptable.
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answered Mar 09 '12 at 16:36
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The Chicago Manual of Style prefers "The dean's ... " Capitalization of titles is a common error and CMS decries their prevalence.
Perhaps the only formal writing exception I know -- and CMS does not fully agree with it -- occurs when a title is used in lieu of a Proper Name. CMS agrees when the title is the President (of the United States) but not when it is a governor (or other title). In contract language, capitalized titles -- such as Architect, Contractor, or Owner -- are used when referring to a person "acting in their official capacity."
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answered Mar 10 '12 at 02:49
Jeff Pribyl
Grammarly Fellow
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