English Language & Usage Asked on December 21, 2020
I’m editing a short story (for context, the author is English, living permanently in Australia, and aiming for publication in the USA). In one scene the main character says something like: "We couldn’t stay here: security would throw us out." Would the word "security", as a department, in this case be capitalized here as "Security"?
Nope.
You'll need to notify security if you want to work late in the office.
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/security
Also:
security department - a department responsible for the security of the institution's property and workers; "the head of security was a former policeman"
https://www.thefreedictionary.com/security+department
If the security department has the (well-known) name Security Department or Security then capitalising Security would be fine. Otherwise, I don't see why you would need to consider it, given the above. The word security is the general term for any such departments/staff/etc.
Answered by Řídící on December 21, 2020
I would say yes, as security feels to general, whereas as you said, Security would highlight that it's a specific department, with a name.
Answered by Dom on December 21, 2020
In general the rule is that capitalize a word if it is a name. If the group that does the throwing has the name "Security" then capitalize.
Here it seems likely the people speaking don't know the formal name of the group, so it is not possible to make a definite decision. But capitalizing has the advantage that there is no possible confusion with other meanings of the noun "security".
Answered by DJClayworth on December 21, 2020
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