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Pedants' corner

someone's mum whose name is Mum?

3 replies

sunshineoutdoors · 23/12/2011 15:23

Is this correct? Do I only use a capital M if using the word as a name? e.g. "Mum!" Do I write about somebody's mum or somebody's Mum?

OP posts:
JustShootMeAlready · 23/12/2011 19:03

Mum if you're addressing your own, mum if it's someone elses.

EuphemiaAtHogmanay · 01/01/2012 21:01

No! OP is right, you only capitalise if you're using the word as a name. So:

"You need to tell Mum her lunch is ready."
"Do you want a cup of tea, Mum?"
"I need to ask my mum if I can go."
"Will your mum be coming too?"

nickelhadababyYesLord · 01/01/2012 21:06

it's "somebody's mum" because you're using the word as a general noun, not a Proper noun.

Exactly how Euph says.

"Mum!" would have a capital anyway, because it's a complete sentence.
"Get Mum!" has a capital, because you're asking someone to fetch a person whose name you are using.
if you said "Get my mum!" there's no capital, because you're using a term for a person, not using it as a name.

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