Direct address and terms of endearment.

[Nick B]

This may be an obvious question, but I am a little confused with direct addresses and terms of endearment and so on.
I understand that a direct address requires a comma, then the name/title will have a capital letter because it is a name. But what happens when it is a term of endearment or friendly gesture? For example:

"There aren't any left love," said Smith.

Should that be "There aren't any left, Love," said Smith.
Or, "There aren't any left, love," said Smith.

Does the term of endearment require a capital? I have assumed it requires the comma before the term, it is mainly the capitalization that is bothering me.

So what about a line such as: "There aren't any left, my friends," said Smith.
I'm guessing that 'my friends' shouldn't be capitalized, so would a term of endearment be caps or not?

Thanks in advance again.

 

[HareBrain]

Or, "There aren't any left, love," said Smith.

This one.

 

[The Judge]

Comma and no capital letter as per the example HB picked out.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Ze Hare has it.

 

[Nick B]

Thanks you all for being awesome

 

[Toby Frost]

Just following on from that, would you capitalise "milady", as in "I have brought the wine, Milady"?

 

[thaddeus6th]

I agree (rather boringly), but would add that it's the vocative comma.

Lower case M, unless it's an actual first name (which, oddly, seems to be the case for Milady de Winter in The Musketeers).

 

[Nick B]

If it is used as a title though, it should be capitalised shouldn't it?

 

[thaddeus6th]

Milady isn't a title. It's just a shortened version of 'my lady'.

 

[Ray McCarthy]

Yes.
Though titles in speech are complicated, but almost always capitalised. The main variations are:
a) Direct address by an inferior
b) Direct address by peer or superior
c) Introducing someone formally
d) Introducing someone informaly
e) Explaining who a 3rd someone not present is.
f) Character thinking the writing of the address. Speech Quotes are optional for thinking.

Debretts explains some of it. But it varies with time and country. For example some common European titles don't exist in UK, or like Viscount introduced late for people abroad, there are variations between Scottish, Irish and English usage even today. I think Wales uses English usage today?

variations
1) the Honorific rank used in direct speech (Your Grace, My Lord etc)
2) Rank of address rather than actual title, thus an Arch Duke or Margrave is a rank of Prince.
3) Form of address on envelope, outside of sealed note.
4) Full Title excluding rank
5) Ceremonial naming, may have rank and Title (His Grace, Arch Duke <***>)
6) Only certain titles in certain situations have location of title appended.

 

[The Judge]

Just following on from that, would you capitalise "milady", as in "I have brought the wine, Milady"?

Probably not, since I wouldn't capitalise it when written in full eg it's "Here is the miscreant, my lady." not "I have your fire-whips ready, My Lady." save, as thad says, if it's actually used as a name.

 

[Kerrybuchanan]

@Ray McCarthy do you really have a copy of Debretts on your bookshelf, or did you Google it?

 

[Ray McCarthy]

They are very Modern and Up to Date. There is a Etiquette book by Debretts, but they have their own website. Very useful.
You don't always need a search engine ...
http://www.debretts.com/forms-address
Note that it may not be accurate for Regency, Mediaeval or other countries etc.

I do have an old book on Marriage Etiquette somewhere.

Also you may find the older Anglican Book of Common Prayer a useful resource, not just on titles.

 

[tinkerdan]

A term of endearment is not a nickname.

If it was then; nicknames would follow the rules of names.

But terms of endearment should not be capitalized.

On the other hand if you are directly addressing a person and use milady it may be considered as being in place of her name and may be capitalized.

"What do you think on that, Milady?"

as opposed to:

"I just spoke to milady about it a moment ago."

 

[Michael Colton]

As far as terms of endearment go, I've always been fond of 'pookie.'

 

[Mouse]

I thought this thread was going to be about terms of endearment. I was going to suggest sugar lips.

 

[Nick B]

I thought this thread was going to be about terms of endearment. I was going to suggest sugar lips.

Haha, i havnt heard that one since the eighties
No, it was just about my lack of knowledge

 

[Kerrybuchanan]

My nick-name in the surfing community in the 80s was Sweet Lips, but it was a surfing play on words rather than a comment on the taste, as it were. At least I hope so.

 

[HareBrain]

"Sweet lips" reminds me of:

1. The Candy of a Thousand Uses.

2. Scary, big, ugly fish. (How it got the name sweetlips I hesitate to speculate. Lonely sailors perhaps.)

Also, I'd have thought a surfer's lips would taste more salty.

 

[Nick B]

Damn, why didn't I get a nickname when I surfed in the 90's?