If you have a character without a name (e.g., NURSE), do you cap the first letter when referencing them in action?

e.g., lets say you have this:

YOUNG WOMAN
I need help.

The Young Woman pulls her phone out.

or, should it be -

The young woman pulls her phone out.

I do... as far as I'm concerned, Young Woman actually becomes the character name. I'll also drop articles, so instead of the Nurse, I'll write, Nurse.

Quoted from DustinBowcot I do... as far as I'm concerned, Young Woman actually becomes the character name. I'll also drop articles, so instead of the Nurse, I'll write, Nurse.

Thanks, bro - that'll work.

Dustin hit the nail on the head.

Don't know the rules but I think if they are credited they are CAPPED. You can have a character that doesn't utter a word but they are a character. GROUP OF THUGS split up; THUG #1 beats Bobby, THUG #2 beats Greg, THUG #3 beats Peter, while THUG #4 drags Jan to the bedroom.

Quoted from cloroxmartini Don't know the rules but I think if they are credited they are CAPPED. You can have a character that doesn't utter a word but they are a character. GROUP OF THUGS split up; THUG #1 beats Bobby, THUG #2 beats Greg, THUG #3 beats Peter, while THUG #4 drags Jan to the bedroom.

Yeah - I got that - I was questioning whether the first letter should be capped when they are in action scenes later - thanks though.

Oh, duh (sometimes I really don't pay attention), yeah, then Dustin is right because it becomes a proper noun thing.

A capped Young Woman reads strange in my opinion. I wouldn't do that, but I don't know if there's a rule for that.

But you would capitalise them on introduction?

If you capitalise the character, you are giving them a name; if you give them a name, you capitalise the first letter of their name on subsequent referrals.

Sure I cap them on introduction, but I don't cap them later on if they don't have a name. A young woman is not a name, it's an unnamed character.

Quoted from Equinox Sure I cap them on introduction, but I don't cap them later on if they don't have a name. A young woman is not a name, it's an unnamed character.

Here is the definition of name from the trusty Oxford:

Quoted from trusty Oxford A word or set of words by which a person or thing is known, addressed, or referred to:

Young Woman is just as much a name as anything else. Once we get to know a person by a word or group of words we define as a name, then that is their name.

Quoted from Equinox Sure I cap them on introduction, but I don't cap them later on if they don't have a name. A young woman is not a name, it's an unnamed character.

If Young Woman continues to play a part in the story she really should have a name. You could end up with more than one Young Woman and then what? YW One, Two, Three? Hmm, I suppose. If their appearance is fleeting, fine, but if they have a recurring role, there's no need not to name them imh.

Re Dave's original question - yes, cap the character, you have to, (agree with Dustin, here) otherwise they're a non-entity and could be any ol' 'woman', 'nurse', etc.

'A young woman' is a description, not a name. I would agree though, that something like 'The Cigarette Smoking Man' in the X-Files for example, or 'Mr. X' works as a name. However, some young woman or a nurse is certainly not a name, it's just a description of a (not yet) named character.

Quoted from Equinox 'A young woman' is a description, not a name. I would agree though, that something like 'The Cigarette Smoking Man' in the X-Files for example, or 'Mr. X' works as a name. However, some young woman or a nurse is certainly not a name, it's just a description of a (not yet) named character.

It's a name... I could call somebody River Phoenix if I felt like it. Does that make them a phoenix that hangs out at rivers?

A name is whatever we decide is a name. So if we wish to call a character, Nurse and have that as their name then we can. Anything can work as a name. It's just a word attributed to a person or thing. Any word.

If I always call my mate Dick, then Dick is his name. Do I care that his mother actually named him Richard? No. He's a Dick now.

Quoted from Dustin No. He's a Dick now.

That Richard fella. He really is a Dick.

Quoted from IamGlenn That Richard fella. He really is a Dick.

Oh, you mean Richard Cranium?