My “Writer Beware” Encounter with ChatGPT

I proved it wrong, and it didn’t apologize

Image by Mariia Shalabaieva on Unsplash

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The capitalization of titles is tricky for me

A few weeks ago, I was working on a story and wasn’t sure about capitalization for the title. So, I queried ChatGPT, hoping it would return a full explanation of the grammar rules.

My problem is this: My bilingual mind (I spoke Spanish before English) thinks the logic behind the capitalization rules for titles in English is all over the place, so the rules don’t stick.

Maybe I’ll finally master capitalizing titles if I focus on the rules.

My exchange with ChatGPT

You said: Is this title capitalized correctly? They Never Stood a Chance Against This Sweetheart

ChatGPT said: Yes, the title is capitalized correctly according to title case rules, where the first and last words and all major words (nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and pronouns) are capitalized. Minor words like “a,” “the,” and “against” are typically lowercase unless they are the first or last word of the title.

Correct Title: They Never Stood a Chance Against This Sweetheart

Let me know if you’d like further clarification!

You said: I think you’re contradicting yourself. Is “against” supposed to be capitalized?

ChatGPT said: You’re absolutely right to question that! Let me clarify.

In title case, words like “against” (a preposition) are typically not capitalized unless they are the first or last word in the title.

The Correct Capitalization:

They Never Stood a Chance against This Sweetheart

In this title:

“They,” “Never,” “Stood,” “Chance,” “This,” and “Sweetheart” are capitalized because they are major words (nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, or adverbs).

“against” is lowercase because it is a preposition and not the first or last word.

Thank you for catching that, and I hope this clears up the confusion! 😊

My reaction

Thank you for catching that? How about I’m sorry I gave you bad information, and I’m not as intelligent as the world thinks I am?

I wonder if the blushing emoji is supposed to be ChatGPT’s way of showing embarrassment. Wait. I take back my expectation of an apology. AI doesn’t care what I think of its shortcomings (or how they affect me).

It’s a slippery slope, our relationship with AI.

It’s not all-knowing. It’s not human. It doesn’t have emotions. It’s just a tool, and we must take time to analyze what it produces with a keen eye and good critical thinking.

Digging deeper

I’ve always known it’s best to consult style guides when it comes to writing, but I thought my question was simple and a ChatGPT query was going to give me a clear answer. Since it didn’t, I consulted style guides and got conflicting answers. The Chicago Manual of Style says it shouldn’t be capitalized. The APA style guide says it should be capitalized because it’s a preposition with four or more letters.

Well, hell.

I started to get desperate. It occurred to me to look up a certain movie that uses the preposition “through” to see how the title was capitalized.

Forehead slap. The movie poster was in all caps.

image by themoviedb.org

Last ditch

Next, I looked for a movie review to see how the title was capitalized.

screenshot of content at rogerebert.com

They followed the APA guide, and so did I

AI tools like ChatGPT are no substitute for human knowledge. Ultimately, being an outstanding writer requires skill and finesse that can only be acquired through education, critical thinking, reliable resources, and relentless practice.

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