I’m astonished at how generally the planet of grammar intersects the headlines. Considering that the assault on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, I have observed and heard people perplexed by both equally the spelling and the capitalization (very seriously, no pun meant) of the phrase. Let’s dive in.
The text “capital” and “capitol” have unique origins. In fact, “capital” will come the Latin phrase “capitalis,” which signifies “head,” as perfectly as “capitale,” which signifies “wealth.” Below we see why “capital” can imply “money” as very well as “the state seat of government.” We also get the which means of “capital letters” from the Latin phrase that means “head.” This will make sense because capital letters stand at the “head” of a phrase.
When it will come to “capitol,” we get this word from the Temple of Jupiter Capitolium, if not recognized as the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus, located on the Capitoline Hill in Rome. This temple was a sizeable center of Roman religion and society and was devoted in the year 509 B.C.E., the very same yr the Romans overthrew the Etruscan monarchy, setting up a new republican system of governing administration. It is assumed that Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., was named soon after the Capitoline Hill.
When should we capitalize the phrase “capitol”? When referring to the making in D.C. the place the two bodies of our legislative department satisfy, compose “Capitol.” In accordance to A.P. design, you must also refer to the properties in which state governments fulfill: The pupils toured the Oklahoma Capitol throughout their course field excursion. These are appropriate nouns, so they obtain the cash letter cure.
So if the buildings, as very well as the head of our country’s govt, are “capitols,” what is a “capital”? A state’s cash is the town exactly where the condition conducts its federal government enterprise. The phrase “capital” refers to the metropolis, even though “capitol” refers to the setting up in which the governing administration fulfills. Whatever you do, never confuse this with the capitalized Washington Capitals, an NHL hockey team dependent in Washington, D.C. For a few many years in the early 2000s, the Capitals even involved the U.S. Capitol dome in their logo. I cannot describe it other than the team’s name is misspelled.
Although some stylebooks do not capitalize the “c” in point out Capitols (the buildings), the A.P. and New York Times dictate that these critical structures get the cash Capitol treatment. If you are resisting the urge to do in any other case, possibly it’s time to capitulate.
Curtis Honeycutt is a syndicated humor columnist. He is the creator of “Good Grammar is the Lifetime of the Bash: Ideas for a Wildly Productive Lifestyle.” Obtain extra at curtishoneycutt.com.