Same question as yesterday....

[Mishetta]

Washington was the first president of the United States.

Washington was the first President of the United States.

Does the "P" in President get capitalized? Which sentence is correctly written?

 

[pixiemomma]

I am 97.3% sure that the first sentance is correct. I think it only gets capitalized before the name.

 

[TimeforMe]

yep, no capitalization since it's not being used as a proper noun.

 

[Mishetta]

Thank you. My poor DS nearly has a hole in his paper from erasing that "P" so many times. We were all so confused. How embarrassing that I can't help with 4th grade homework!

 

[phamton]

Washington was the first president of the United States.

Washington was the first President of the United States.

Does the "P" in President get capitalized? Which sentence is correctly written?

The first one is correct.

http://englishplus.com/grammar/00000049.htm

"Certain very high ranking government officials' titles are capitalized even when not followed by a name or used in a direct address when a specific individual is being referred to.

Correct: the President (e.g., of the USA or France)
the Chief Justice
the Queen (e.g., of England or the Netherlands)

Incorrect: The Constitution says the President must be at least 35.
(Not a specific individual being referred to.)

Correct: The Constitution says the president must be at least 35.

Correct: What do you think of the President's trip to Japan?
(A specific person is referred to here.) "

 

[pixiemomma]

I think it is just one of those simple things that you forget over time. Don't be embarrassed!

 

[skooniebird]

Washington was the first president of the United States.

Washington was the first President of the United States.

Does the "P" in President get capitalized? Which sentence is correctly written?

It's like mom or dad and other titles. If you are speaking of a president like the 1st sentence it is lowercase. If you are speaking of a particular one, as in the 2nd example, it is capitalized. If I was a reporter speaking about something the current president had said today, I would say " Today the President announced.....blah blah". But speaking like maybe a historian, I would say " When a president uses the power of..."

 

[CapeCodTenor]

Cool...I'm glad someone posted this, because I've been doing it wrong. Thanks.