capitalization - Should "head teacher" be capitalized, when it's not really anyone's occupation


Basically I want to say from my head teacher, but his occupation is not really that; should it still be capitalized?



Answer



No, don't capitalize. Even if it was his occupation, it's not really correct. Here's an informal but comprehensive list of capitalization rules which I regard as sensible. See especially rule 3:



Rule 3
Capitalize a person's title when it precedes the name. Do not capitalize when the title is acting as a description following the name.


Examples:



Chairperson Petrov
Ms. Petrov, the chairperson of the company, will address us at noon.




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