Capitalize common noun when it follows a list of proper nouns?

Question

If I'm listing a series of proper nouns (like the names of counties) that all require the same common noun to follow (like the word 'county') should I capitalize the common noun at the end of the list?

Some examples:

"I traveled to Cook, Fulton, and Columbia Counties" or "I traveled to Cook, Fulton and Columbia counties"
"I swam in the Pacific and Indian Oceans" or "I swam in the Pacific and Indian oceans"

I'm leaning towards yes because they are proper nouns when cited individually--Cook County, Indian Ocean--but I don't have a definitive answer. — AffableAmbler, Jun 23 '17 at 19:01
@Noah I understand your reasoning. I just can't find any justification for it. That is why I said "lean" in my answer. — MikeJRamsey56, Jun 23 '17 at 19:59
Very similar, but more specific: Capitalization: 'rivers'; also relevant: In what contexts would I capitalize “city” and “county”? — herisson, Jun 23 '17 at 20:03
If the specific common noun would be capitalized in all cases if applied individually, then you should capitalize it when it comes at the end of the list. This is very clear for Oceans and probably true for Counties as well but there may be many other common nouns that do not need capitalization, depending on the items in your list. When in doubt, do not capitalize the common noun! — English Student, Jun 23 '17 at 20:27
@MikeJRamsey56 I am familiar with the question in NVZ's link and there's a lack of consensus about capitalization in such cases.The common recommendation of all style guides is, however, to be consistent in capitalization which is why I said 'if the specific common noun would be capitalized in all cases if applied individually, then you should capitalize it when it comes at the end of the list' (and not capitalize otherwise, similar to what you recommend.) — English Student, Jun 23 '17 at 21:41
@MikeJRamsey56 In fact the words 'Ocean' and 'County' as used in these examples are not really 'common nouns' as OP calls them, but (I should think) part of 'proper nouns' as in 'Pacific Ocean' and 'Columbia County', which you have rightly pointed out in a comment below -- if they are considered as such then capitalization is not optional but mandatory here. — English Student, Jun 23 '17 at 21:42
@MikeJRamsey56 It later occurred to me that 'ocean' and 'county' can also be used as generic common nouns whose names then become identifying adjectives, as in Which oceans did you say you swam in? (...) -- the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans. In this context the common noun need not be capitalized. I HAVE summarised these comments in an answer below, and appreciate your earlier contribution for setting me thinking in the right direction. Thank you! — English Student, Jun 23 '17 at 21:45

score 1 · Accepted Answer · edited Jun 15 '20 at 07:40

After writing a series of comments related to your question I thought a bit more about it and came to the conclusion that capitalization is optional in these cases, depending on the context.

(1) As MikeJRamsey56 rightly noted in comments, the words 'Ocean' and 'County' as used in these examples are not really 'common nouns' as OP calls them, but (I should think) part of 'proper nouns' as in 'Pacific Ocean' and 'Columbia County' -- considered as such, capitalization of the part of a proper noun coming at the end of a list of proper nouns would be a good option:

Bob: Did you say you swam in the Pacific Ocean or the Atlantic Ocean?

Mike: In fact I swam in the Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic Oceans.

Bob: And the Arctic Ocean? Well, I just hope none of your toes got frozen off, nor any other appendages. BTW where had you worked before you started here?

Mike: Fulton County, Columbia County and Cook County...

Bob: You had better say Fulton, Columbia and Cook Counties, because the boss is a senior member at EL and U!

(2) However you can also legitimately use 'ocean' and 'county' as generic common nouns whose specific names then become identifying adjectives here.

Bob: Which oceans did you swim in?

Mike: The Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic oceans.

Bob: Which counties give special exemption on residential tax for mobile homes?

Mike: Fulton, Columbia and Cook counties, I think.

A note on style: The senior member Sven Yargs has observed in comments regarding style guides that both Chicago and AP endorse "Pacific, Atlantic[,] and Arctic oceans," without admitting any exceptions. I am sure all style guides would advise you to be consistent in either case.

I'm sure that some style guides must support capitalizing Oceans in a sentence like "In fact I swam in the Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic Oceans." But I haven't found one yet. The Oxford Guide to Style (2003) devotes two pages to the capitalization of place names, but it doesn't say anything about whether to capitalize the plural form of a feature (such as a river, lake, or ocean) when multiple proper-name features are rendered as here. In contrast (as I noted in the linked question), both Chicago and AP endorse "Pacific, Atlantic[,] and Arctic oceans," without admitting any exceptions. — Sven Yargs, Jun 23 '17 at 22:00
@Sven Yargs You would agree OP has therefore asked an intriguing question! Capitalizing Ocean might be considered a special exception where what I am really saying is that 'I swam in the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean and the Arctic Ocean' but then decide to follow my friend's advice and shorten it to 'the Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic Oceans' for the sake of avoiding tedious repetition. This is possible here only because 'Ocean' would be capitalized in the proper-name form of every ocean, but of course if OP is following a particular style guide then they should do as that style guide says! — English Student, Jun 23 '17 at 22:13
@Sven Yargs Thank you for the helpful comments. I have used your above observation regarding style guides as an attributed insert in my answer to avoid misleading OP as to what is 'accepted style.' — English Student, Jun 23 '17 at 22:22

Capitalize common noun when it follows a list of proper nouns?

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