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Pedants' corner

Is Will - as in Last Will & Testament - with a capital letter?

4 replies

PTFswife · 02/06/2017 15:31

I have a client who works in the legal profession. She has written a press release which says this:

....an experienced solicitor, will specifically focus on wills and the administration of estates, particularly those of high net worth individuals.

In my mind, wills in this sentence should not be capitalised. Her bosses insist that it should be. I imagine that if you were writing Last Will & Testament, then it would be capitalised, but if it is simply being used in a sentence as above, it wouldn't be. Can anyone help?

OP posts:
HeartsTrumpDiamonds · 02/06/2017 15:33

Definitely not capitalised, but no real idea why not!

HeartsTrumpDiamonds · 02/06/2017 15:34

Apart from the obvious, I mean. We don't capitalise nouns in English apart from proper ones.

PTFswife · 02/06/2017 15:41

I agree. Now I just need to help her convince her bosses!

OP posts:
Eolian · 02/06/2017 15:51

I wouldn't capitalise it in either case. I imagine the only reason that 'last will and testament' looks ok capitalised is because it often apears as a title at the top of a will. Surely it shouldn't be capitalised just because it's the name of an official document - otherwise we'd have Driving Licence and Birth Certificate (which, again, would be capitalised as a title, but not in a normal sentence)?

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