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Grammar SOS > People and Titles
Anyone under 18 is a boy or a girl (or a teen, or any other apt descriptor). Over 18: men and women.
We do not use courtesy titles. A far better way to describe someone, instead of using Mr. or Dr., is to tell the reader a little about the person, some facts relevant to the story.
- "Cholesterol can kill you," said Ronald McDonald, cardiologist at Community Hospital. (second references would call him "McDonald" or the doctor, the cardiologist)
- "We are working on a study to determine effects of gravity on college students' ability to stay awake between 6:15 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.," said Edgar Snoozer, psychologist at the Student Health Center.
- This lends your reader a much more specific reason why you've chosen this person as a source for the story and describes just what the person does.
Watch out for false titles as well (noted expert, living legend). (See redundancy for more on this.)
AP says "professor" never is capitalized.
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